Quality controlled expansion

The two Dugard 760 XP 4-axis milling machines at Adnet Precision

Gloucester-based Adnet Precision Engineering has been trading for almost 35 years. Ed Hill visited the company to find a business built on the solid reputation established by its founder, but about to embark on an exciting new future.

Adnet Precision, like many precision engineering subcontractors in the UK, began as a small one-man operation, working out of a garage. Founded by Adrian Day in 1990, Adnet specialises in manufacturing high-quality components demanding high precision, quality finishes.

Sadly, Mr Day passed away in October 2022, but by that time the business had grown substantially to employ around 15 members of staff, operating from its 4,200ft² manufacturing facility in Gloucester.

Mainly specialising in turning and milling parts, Adnet’s workshop has eight CNC machine tools with three Dugard 3- and 4-axis milling machines, Hanwha, Hawk and SMEC turning centres, a Maier sliding head lathe, and a Nakamura-Tome, twin spindle, twin turret lathe consistently producing precision parts on the shopfloor.

The SMEC SL2000BY slant bed lathe with barfeeder is one of the most productive machines on Adnet’s shopfloor
It also has several manual machine tools including Hardinge and Colchester lathes and a surface and cylindrical grinder for small batch work and finishing applications.

The company machines a wide range of materials including stainless steels, aluminium, aerospace grade alloys, coppers, brass, tool steel, titanium and engineering plastics in batches that can range from 1-2,000 off. It is also ISO 9001 registered, meaning precision and quality is benchmarked to that standard.

Engineering inheritance

The company is now run by Mr Day’s daughter, Caroline, who is managing director, assisted by her brother Ashley who is purchasing manager and operations supervisor. Fortunately, Ms Day was well prepared for when it became time to take over the reins of the company after having grown-up in and around her father’s business.

“I’ve lived and breathed Adnet since I was a child and was fascinated by the work my father was doing. I started working for my dad 12 years ago as office manager, running the admin side of the business. Stepping up to managing director was daunting, but I saw it as a great opportunity to continue my father’s legacy.”

One of Adnet’s smaller components being inspected by video microscope
Adnet’s main customers come from the aerospace and defence, metrology, oil, and gas, medical and pharmaceutical, and semiconductor sectors while also conducting a small amount of Formula 1 work, and machine parts used in rheology applications.

Ms Day continues: “We do most types of work and try to have a range of companies that we make parts for. Some of them we have been supplying for many years so we must be doing something right!”

In fact, Adnet’s reliability as a supplier has recently led to it winning a substantial long-term contract with a key aerospace customer that is set to last for at least two years.

“The importance of quality and precision is something that was instilled in me from my father. We have very high expectations when it comes to what we produce – for example over the last three years our reject rate has been less than half a percent. That is something we are very proud of, and quality is very much a key ethos of the business,” she asserts.

Across the road growth

As Adnet approaches its 35th anniversary, it is looking to expand. Fortunately, as it began to look for larger new premises, an industrial unit over the road from the company’s current location became available. The additional unit will mean the company will more than double its workshop area.

The Hanwha XD 20IIINHY2 sliding head lathe is one of Adnet’s latest machines
“Expanding into a new facility will help free up some space and allow us to reorganise things. The plan is to have a dedicated inspection area in the new building which will enable us to get more aerospace work. The new machinery will be more self-contained and obviously it will give us a chance to create a more modern machining environment with increased capacity.

“The expansion will be incremental as we build more business. With our latest contract, we will be able to purchase another sliding head machine that will go straight into the new unit, so it is extremely exciting.”

Like many engineering companies of Adnet’s size, one of its biggest challenges is finding and training new staff for the shopfloor.

“Our staff retention is excellent – some of our people have been with us since the earliest days of the company, but finding apprentices is hard. It is particularly difficult in an area like ours with large OEMs nearby who tend to attract most of the talent, and who can deal with a 30% drop out rate. If we do take on someone, we must ensure they will be ideal for us and here for the long term.

Time of expansion: Adnet will soon be adding an additional business unit to more than double its shopfloor capacity in Gloucester
“We are lucky in this area because we do have Gloucester Engineering Training (GET) which is a separate training centre just for those interested in the subject, backed by some of the larger local companies. They also do yearlong placements which are helpful before entering the workplace.”

Looking ahead

So, reaching the landmark of 35 years, Adnet looks to be very much starting a new chapter in its evolution, building on the foundations laid by its founder and his focus on excellence.

“There aren’t that many family-run engineering businesses around, so we’re proud to have continued thriving.” Ms Day concludes. “I think it’s because we have a good ethos and try to encourage teamwork and dedication throughout the company. Our reputation is built on quality, and our clients know they will never receive anything that does not meet our exacting standards.”