Growing the business with speed and efficiency

With a team of 40 staff and in-house design capabilities coupled with the latest in machining technologies that include four dual spindle CNC lathes with machine tending cobots, horizontal machining centres, fabrication, and a sheet metal workshop, Apollo is poised for further growth.

To continue to provide innovation within the business David Errington, Apollo‘s managing director has the philosophy of continued
investment in the latest equipment to keep his business ahead of the curve. This includes his most recent acquisition of Bystronic’s ByStar 12kW fiber laser complete with ByTrans Extended Automation.

While chasing down spare parts for his older model CO2 laser, he had a chance meeting with another Bystronic customer. David explains “I had travelled to Ballarat as sourcing new parts for our existing machine was becoming harder, and the company down there had the same model as our old machine which had been mothballed. We got into talking about what laser he is currently using and I was overwhelmed with how enthusiastically they spoke about the Bystronic ByStar Fiber. Not only did the laser perform for them, they also heaped high praise for the backup and support from Bystronic Australia.

“Having only dealt with agents before, the idea of dealing directly with the manufacturer was also a really attractive proposition to me.” With the Covid restrictions in place, David was unable to travel to the experience centre, but with a strong relationship with another customer, he was able to visit and see the ByStar 12 kW with automation in operation. Impressed with the machine and automation and with the federal government‘s recent initiatives around the purchase of capital equipment, it was all David needed to not only purchase the laser machine, but also the automation for loading and unloading, which will be key for his business growth.

The laser will be used primarily in the production of in-house parts. But word is out amongst local manufacturers that Apollo can produce parts in a more cost-effective manner compared to overseas competitors. This also has the additional benefit of reducing the need for outlay capital for his customers.

“While the speed of the machine improves our cutting times by 70%, the real advantage comes in coupling that with the native BySoft 7nesting software. This allows our total processing time from concept to customer to be much more efficient.

Another real value with the BySoft software is its ability to integrate with ERP systems which is key for us. When asked after testing what was the thing that most surprised him about ByStar fiber’s performance, the response was “The Wow factor, I still find myself looking through the glass into the machine and being blown away by the speed that it cuts.”

Not only is the performance of the machine quick, so was the delivery of the machine ”Everything happened quickly. Bystronic was quick to arrange the reference customer visit which helped reinforce that this is the machine we need. From there, it took only four weeks from the order placement to the machine delivery. The biggest challenge we had was preparing for the arrival of the new laser.”

“Working with Bystronic’s technicians during the install was easy. They arrived before the containers did and within three weeks, had the machine up and running, along with our people trained in both software and the operation of the laser machine. As with any new equipment we are learning new things every day and are very comfortable with the support that Bystronic is able to provide through their hotline. We have taken advantage of it on numerous occasions as questions arise as with any new equipment when you have just started using it.

Originally published by AMT Magazine – September 2020 Issue