Westin Drives
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NEWS FROM WESTIN DRIVES

Westin Drives named Service centre of the year in AEMT annual awards

3/12/2018

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Michael Limb collects Service Centre of the Year award at AEMT gala dinner.
Logo of the AEMT annual awards
It is a pleasure to report that Westin Drives was named Service Centre of the Year in the annual awards of the Association of Electrical and Mechanical Trades.

Our Service Manager, Michael Limb, above centre, received a plaque and certificate at a gala dinner in Coventry. A video of event highlights can be seen below.

The awards showcase the best achievements from the electrical and mechanical trades sector in a global celebration of business and professional excellence.

The AEMT citation said: "After a circa £1m investment in the facilities, incorporating a 20 tonne lifting capacity, state-of the-art CNC machinery and a technical training room, Westin Drives now provides its customers with a broad range of services from its Huddersfield-based service centre. 

"The company is set-up well for the future of its industry. It is investing in recruiting and training apprentices, as it sees this as a vital requirement in filling the skills gap the industry is experiencing."

Michael said: “We were thrilled and delighted to receive the award from the AEMT. It was a great pleasure to be recognised for the effort we have expended in establishing our new facility. 

"Everyone here has played a part in achieving this honour. We are the beneficiaries of considerable investment which has been used to equip our workshop and build a team of highly skilled engineers to support our customers. 

"In doing this, we have devoted particular attention to promoting apprenticeships with the intention of acquiring and developing the skills we need for the future.”


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Major retail chain turns to Westin Drives for solution to obsolete geared motors

9/11/2018

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A Lenze g500 bevel-geared motor.
When a major retail chain discovered the geared motors on machines in their distribution warehouses had become obsolete they turned to Westin Drives for a solution. 

The original unit was a bevel geared motor fitted with a motor-mounted inverter. The customer needed the new units to occupy the same space as the original, with the same critical mounting dimensions and the performance and durability of the originals.

Technical manager Fraser Lynch evaluated the full system in order to offer a realistic solution. The task was complicated by the fact that the customer needed to be able to retrofit motor-mounted inverters from old units, due to profibus issues.

The solution was to use the new Lenze g500 range of bevel-geared motors, which had the option of the same output flange diameter and shaft dimensions.

This had additional benefits, such as being able to use a smaller power motor (0.75kW rather than 1.1kW on the original) helping to reduce the energy consumed.

The advantages of using this type of gearbox are:
  • Highly efficient right-angle gearbox with a compact design for space-optimised assembly.
  • Standardised shaft and flange dimensions for easy machine integration.
  • Low backlash and high torsional stiffness guarantee precise results during positioning.
  • Improved gearbox cooling due to compact flange design.

‘Rightsizing’ the unit for the application means the unit operates at optimum efficiency and minimises damage in the event of a seizure on the machine. To future-proof the motor-mounted inverters, the solution can be easily retrofitted with the updated model. 
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After an exhaustive trial the customer was delighted and placed an order for an initial 25 units.


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Westin Drives nominated for Industry awards

29/10/2018

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The logo of the AEMT Awards for which Westin Drives has been nominated.
We are delighted to announce that we are finalists in two categories of the annual awards run by the Association of Electrical and Mechanical Trades.

The awards showcase the best achievements from the electrical and mechanical trades sector in a global celebration of business and professional excellence.

Our workshop supervisor, Steve Ormondroyd, has been nominated for the Rising Star Award. This recognises junior employees who have made a significant contribution to a company and/or the industry. 
​
Steve, below, started at Westin Drives as an apprentice motor technician. He now supervises the electro-mechanical repairs team and workshop quality procedures and practices. 

Meanwhile Westin Drives has been nominated as Service Centre of the Year.

This award goes to any service centre that has achieved recognition for services to industry in areas such as technical expertise and advice, environmental considerations, ingenuity, market penetration and growth, and on-time delivery and service.

The winners will be announced on November 29 at a gala dinner in Coventry.

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Machining capability enhanced by CNC lathe

31/7/2018

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The new CNC lathe is put through its paces by machine shop supervisor, Matt Phillips.
Matt Phillips, above, inspects the new CNC lathe. Below, members of the team haul it into the machine shop.
The new CNC lathe is pushed into the precision engineering department by members of the Westin Drives team
The machining capability at Westin Drives has been enhanced by the arrival of a CNC lathe. With a little help from our team, it was delivered to our precision engineering department.

The benefits to customers of this sophisticated machine include:
  • Exceptional accuracy
  • Consistency
  • Faster turnaround of jobs
  • Lower production costs
  • Increased volume
  • Greater flexibility in manufacture

The provision of CAD software on the lathe allows our engineers to design bespoke components for customers or to import their files in DXF format. After the completion of a job, files can be stored for repeat work.

It also means that a particular design can be manufactured tens, hundreds or thousands of times – and each finished product will be identical. 

Matt Phillips, our machine shop supervisor said: "We are pleased that this new extension of our capability offers significant benefits to established and potential customers."

A thread is cut on a shaft by our new CNC lathe.
A view of the inside of the new CNC lathe.

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Engineer Matt gets his teeth into triplex sprocket

26/7/2018

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​When a 57-tooth triplex sprocket failed on a conveyor belt at a Yorkshire quarry, the company turned to the precision engineering department at Westin Drives for a solution.

The worn sprocket was no longer obtainable so our machine shop supervisor Matt Phillips, right, set about making a new component from scratch. Manufacturing bespoke components is one of our specialities.

Detailed calculations were made to establish the optimum curve of the 57 teeth to ensure their durability. The triplex sprocket was then turned on a  lathe before being cut on a CNC milling machine in a project that took three days from start to finish.

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BEFORE: The worn out triple sprocket above. AFTER: the finished replacement component, right.
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Westin Drives invests in portable surge tester

19/7/2018

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Apprentice Jason Kilner operates the portable surge tester in the Huddersfield service centre of Westin Drives.
To give our customers the best electric motor rewind service, Westin Drives has invested in a portable, 12kV surge tester. 

This sophisticated device is employed to diagnose problems with motor windings that arrive for repair at our Huddersfield Service Centre. It is also used for the final check on all finished jobs before they are returned to the customer.

Surge tests are vital because they are capable of revealing turn-to-turn insulation weaknesses. Such weaknesses, found at voltages above the operating potential of the device under test, can be signs of the impending failure of a motor. Surge tests are also used to find shorts and other faults in windings and coils.

An added benefit is that it can be taken on site for the swift diagnosis of a problem or trending the condition of a winding over time as part of a predictive maintenance plan.

In addition, the surge tester generates a comprehensive report on the state of each tested winding, which is then provided to the customer.

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Spring newsletter published today

11/5/2018

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Smart ways to diagnose faults; an apprentice's view of life on the shop floor; a look at our new pump repair department.

Just some of the stories in the Westin Drives Spring Newsletter, published today.

Our first newsletter came out in summer 2017 with the aim of keeping customers in touch with what's happening at our Huddersfield service centre.

There have been many more exciting developments since then and we hope you enjoy the latest articles.

Printed copies may be obtained from our Huddersfield centre or the digital version may be read here.
Spring newsletter published by Westin Drives.

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Westin drives wins ISO 9001: 2015 CERTIFICATION

6/4/2018

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Michael Limb, service manager of Westin Drives with the new ISO 9001: 2015 certification
​We are delighted to announced that Westin Drives has achieved the British Standards ISO 9001: 2015 certification.

This is an internationally recognised benchmark for quality within an organisation.

The accreditation ensures suppliers and customers can have confidence in knowing that our company consistently meets the high standards set out by the International Organisation for Standardisation.

In short, it means:
  • We put our customers first, making sure we consistently meet their needs. 
  • We work in a more efficient way, as our processes are aligned and understood by everyone in the business.
  • We meet the necessary statutory and regulatory requirements.

Service Manager Michael Limb, above, says: "This is good news for everyone because it will help us to continually improve our operations and enhance customer satisfaction.”

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Refurbishment of old mill in which Westin Drives is based wins Civic design award

22/3/2018

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Grove Mills, Huddersfield, home of Westin Drives, has won an award for refurbishment
John Eastwood, left, chairman of the Westin Group, with Ivan Moorhouse in front of the refurbished mill.
A design award plaque from Huddersfield Civic Society on Grove Work, Huddersfield
The refurbishment of Grove Works, the 19th century former textile mill in which Westin Drives is based, has won a design award.

Huddersfield Civic Society said that the five-storey, stone-built mill was undergoing ‘a remarkable transformation to create a productive working unit’ .

At a ceremony in Huddersfield Town Hall, a plaque to mark the award was given to John Eastwood, chairman of the Westin Group, and Ivan Moorhouse, who led the refurbishment project.

The judges described Grove Works as a distinctive structure along an otherwise nondescript section of St Andrew’s Road. 'Great effort and costs have gone into removing unsightly outbuildings, dealing with an extensive sump of below surface water and creating a functional modern extension,’ they said.

‘Stonework, windows and doors have been refurbished providing a much-improved entrance. These improvements constitute phase one of a programme that will take many years to fully realise but demonstrate the value of retaining and improving buildings for productive use and employment.’

The mill housed part of the spinner and weaver, T and H Blamires, for nearly 100 years until the business was wound up in 1961. It was subsequently occupied by a yarn spinner, Z Hinchliffe, until that firm moved its operation elsewhere.

Ian Sheppard, managing director of the Westin Group, in front of Grove Works.
Ian Sheppard, managing director of the Westin Group, in front of Grove Works before refurbishment work began.

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Fault on a Textile Mill machine leads to improved efficency

20/3/2018

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The new inverter and drive on the warping machine.
The repaired warping machine with new WEG inverter, WEG motor and Motovario gearbox
The 45-year-old oil-filled drive on the warping machineThe obsolete oil filled VSD.
A fault on a textile mill machine has led to improved efficiency for a West Yorkshire company.

​An engineer from Westin Drives was called out to the mill because of a problem with the drive system of a warping machine. 

​Its 45 year-old, oil-filled, variable-speed drive had ground to a halt during busy production.

The unit was removed for repair but our electrical engineer Barrie Harkness suggested an upgrade to the customer – which was accepted.

It was pointed out that this would enable production speed to be increased, so a target value of 50% additional output was established.

Using a WEG inverter, WEG motor and Motovario gearbox from stock, the machine was up and running in record time, with new sprockets replacing the worn originals.

The project also proved worthwhile for saving energy, as the old system ran continuously whether the machine was actually producing or not.

The new system retrofit only runs when required and at an optimum speed to match requirements.

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Accreditations for our company

Electric motor repairs, rewinds, supply and servicing are our specialities. We also design and install electrical control systems and offer CNC precision engineering.​
Grove Works, St Andrew's Road
Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD1 6NA. 
​Phone: 01484 453399
EMERGENCY BREAKDOWN 
Call us day or night, 365 days a year: 01484 453399

​Westin Drives Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales, number 03933060 | VAT number: 746 540 817 | Registered address: The Courtyard, Phoenix Mills, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD1 6NG | sales@westindrives.com
  • Home
  • About
    • Meet the Team
    • Apprentices
    • Accreditations
    • Industries served
    • Testimonials
    • 5S workplace organisation
    • Privacy & Cookies >
      • Modern Slavery
  • Repairs
    • Electric motors
    • Rewinds
    • Pumps
    • Fans
    • Servo Motors
    • Electronics
    • EX Motors
    • Electro-Mechanical
  • Technical
    • Control systems
    • Training Courses
    • On-site services
    • Condition Monitoring >
      • Thermal Imaging
      • Vibration Analysis
    • Energy Saving
    • HVAC
  • Products
    • Pumps and fans
    • Electric motors
    • DC and slip ring drives
    • Inverters, servo motors & drives
    • Geared motors
  • Machining
    • Manufacture
    • Repair and Refurbishment
    • Capabilities List
    • Case studies
  • News
    • Newsletters
  • Contact