RSD Pressings Ltd

RSD Pressings impress with their super factory

RSD Pressings Ltd — 31/08/2016

Our latest Breakfast morning networking event took place on 1st September at RSD Pressings factory in Cannock, Staffordshire.

RSD are one of the newest manufacturing companies within the Midlands region, as they were established by the current owners and management of the business on 4th January 2016 following the build and occupation of a brand new purpose built manufacturing facility.

They predominantly supply into Tier 1 organisations within the automotive industry. RSD provide components for a range of leading car manufacturers including: JLR, Nissan, Ford, Jaguar, Aston Martin, BMW and Toyota. RSD are also accredited to Quality Standard TS16949 and were one of the first companies within the UK to gain this accreditation in early 2000, under their previous ownership as C & H Howe Limited.

There were over 35 representatives of the Midlands manufacturing industry in attendance, aiming to discover how they could potentially work with RSD, who manufacture components and assemblies for every part of a car.

RSDs Operation Director, Daniel Burton said: I think it ran quite smoothly. Everyone seemed genuinely interested, we received a lot of compliments, so the morning has been very good and Ive really enjoyed hosting it. I even thought that showing people around the factory would be really quick, but people were generally incredibly interested.

Another great Breakfast morning held by @madeinthemids at @RSDPress_Ltd. Thanks for your hospitality, what a super factory! #ukmfg
BBE Pressings (@bracebridgeeng) September 1, 2016

Made in the Midlands breakfast events provide businesses with a great opportunity to network and discuss future collaboration opportunities. RSD received a lot of interest in their capabilities, as Burton explained: It's been surprising to me that we have taken the foray into really pushing our company. Its been good to connect and put your own name and brand around. Everyone here is trying to work together, as this is a membership, people are seeing it more as a team environment.

Great morning @RSDPress_Ltd @madeinthemids breakfast event. Very impressive facility Dan & thanks 4 your hospitality https://t.co/AP3UqgLVKN
Tom Mongan (@TmonganTom) September 1, 2016

Our next Breakfast Networking Event will take place at Filtermist International Limited, Shropshire on at their premises at Telford 54 Business Park. Our Breakfast Networking events are hugely popular amongst MIM members, as signified by Walsall Pressings as we have already sold out the event to their full capacity.

Please visit our Events page to ensure that you dont miss any of our upcoming Breakfast Networking events. Tickets to these events are usually limited, as members with prior experience of the events are aware of the potential value to their company. If you are interested in hosting a breakfast event of your own, please contact our Group Events Manager Iwona at: iwona@firstorchard.com

Image caption: Operations Director, Daniel Burton delivers his company introduction.

Inside Roles in Manufacturing: Laser & Pressbrake Manager

RSD Pressings Ltd — 06/01/2021

The job of the Laser & Press Brake Manager can be intense at times but years of training in the manufacturing industry has given the tools and experience in which to cope with the fast turnaround and demands that 21st-century engineering requires. Check out the daily routines and responsibilities of Laser & Pressbrake Manager Marcus Beavon-Hughes from RSD Pressings.

First things first, clock in and change your shoes to safety footwear but only after washing your hands and sanitising them.

Emails opened and read, two requesting quotations for possible work (these parts will need to be programmed for machine times and estimations on any additional operations), and one from the Quality Assurance Manager reminding everyone about updating KPI’s all of which are marked as unread to ensure they are followed up later in the working day.

Ear defenders on and gloves at the ready, it’s onto the shop floor to power on the brake press and laser profiler.

Once initial machine checks are done it’s then time to carry on from the previous day's production or to set up a new job for both machines depending on what the customer schedules dictate. Once the operators know what they are working on it’s back to the office to start work on outstanding quotes, work instructions, and updating work requirements.

After a quick check on the production monitoring software, it’s back onto the shop floor to clear an alarm from the laser profiler as well as a quick update from the operators on how they are getting on. This includes a reminder of how long they have left to complete their assigned work.

Back to the office, and there’s an order arrived for a new part which was quoted a few days ago, this kicks off the quality planning reports, laser profile and brake press program verifications, feasibility meetings along with material and Bought Out Parts (BOP) requirement planning.

Onto programming now for the laser profile and press brake enquiries via the 3D CAD package supplied by the machine manufacturer. Once the CAD is complete, sheet prices are obtained and the CAD is nested for the best material utilization and timings obtained from the software, this can then all be calculated to offer a quotation to supply.

Finally, back onto the shop floor to run a new part on the press brake, the tooling is all set up and is program loaded. Operators are tweaking the settings to obtain the correct angles for the quality measure, and photographs of the setup are taken to create the work instruction later on for the process.

Made Futures was created to encourage people to get jobs in manufacturing, in support of those who have lost their jobs over the course of the 2020 pandemic. There's still time to sign up and be part of the exhibition by filling in the form here.

New machine helps RSD press forward with £750k contract haul

RSD Pressings Ltd — 13/03/2018

Investment in a new state-of-the-art machine from Worcester Presses is helping a Cannock automotive supplier win more than £750,000 of new contracts.

RSD Pressings, which supplies components for seats, sub-frames, cross car beams, bumpers and body, has installed a new GTX300 Chin Fong Progression Press and can now take on much bigger parts for tier 1 customers and major car manufacturers.

Nearly £350,000 has been spent on the machine and a Tomac TLN4 coil line, with more than £100,000 of funding secured from Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Grants 4 Growth and the European Regional Development Fund.

Three new jobs have already been created as a result of the investment and a further eight will be recruited over the course of the next twelve months once production starts on the projects already secured.

The components we manufacture at our new facility in Cannock end up in millions of cars all over the world, including Aston Martin, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan and Volvo, explained Daniel Burton, operations director at RSD Pressings.

We recognised the opportunity to expand our product offering by acquiring a press with a much bigger bed size and had been impressed with the reliability and performance of the OCP 260 tonne Chin Fong we purchased a few years ago.

He went on to add: Worcester Presses came in, looked at our requirements and then developed a turnkey solution that involved the GTX 300, the latest HMI touch screen control and new Tomac TLN4 coil line that will increase our progression and coil feeding capabilities.

This machine has doubled our bed size and has already led to several new orders that we wouldnt have been able to take on previously. There is still lots of capacity on it too, which means we are looking for even more new work.

RSD Pressings, which boasts annual sales of £5 million and employs 50 people at its state-of-the-art facility on Gallan Park, has worked with Dudley-based Worcester Presses for more than five years.

The relationship has seen it purchase eight machines over that time and this understanding was key in the swift installation and commissioning of the GTX 300 and the subsequent training of three operators.

This is a major investment for our business and we need to be able to know the company we are using will meet deadlines and deliver on after sales support, continued Mr Burton.

Worcester Presses offers a fantastic service and maintenance package and we know that if there are any issues with the machine they will be dealt with quickly, meaning minimum downtime for the machine and no inconvenience for our customer.

Russell Hartill, director of Worcester Presses, added his support: The GTX is a state-of-the-art press in every sense of the word and offers fantastic performance, reliability and, with the large bed size, capacity.

RSD is already reaping the benefits with three long-term contracts already secured and the potential of more to come. Its one of the regions best kept manufacturing secrets and were delighted to be supporting the next stage of its growth.

Established in 1949, Worcester Presses has seen a 30 per cent increase in sales over the last twelve months from customers involved in the automotive, aerospace, construction and medical sectors.

The Peartree Lane firm, which will be on stand H20-354 at MACH 2018, supplies a host of mechanical and hydraulic presses from Chin Fong and Yeh Chiun, as well a growing range of Tomac coil handling equipment.

As part of its expansion, it has recently recruited an additional service engineer, taking its total workforce to 14.

RSD Pressings Ltd’s - Made in the Midlands Best Practice event

RSD Pressings Ltd — 07/11/2019

Made in members RSD Pressings Ltd held a best practice event on Thursday 7th November, where members gathered to network and learn more about what RSD Pressings Ltd has to offer.

Cannock based RSD Pressings was established by the current owners and management of the business on 4th January 2016 following the build and occupation of a brand new purpose-built manufacturing facility, where today’s Best Practice Event took place.

Over 45 Made in the Midlands Members arrived at their site from 9:00 am to engage in networking with over members, before being given a short presentation about RSD Pressings Ltd, its history, and what the company does.

Members were then treated to a tour of the factory, where they were able to see manual presses, ranging from 30 to 250 Tonnes, and automatic presses from 80 to 260 Tonnes. Later on in the tour, members were also able to see the eight 100 KVA Projection Welders and 4 CO2 Welding Bays that the company currently has on their site. Here, it was explained to members how these tools allow RSD to weld anything from an M5 nut to a medium-sized sub-assembly.

Towards the end of the event, we sat down with Daniel Burton, the Operations Manager at RSD to see how the event went.

Daniel said, “It’s gone really well, it’s always nice to engage with fellow members. Whilst I don’t get to go to a lot of events myself, because of the constraints of managing your own business, it’s good to talk to new people, and today has gone really well - a lot better than I expected!

We’ve had good feedback, people have been interested in the business and what we have to talk about!”

Made in the Midlands Interview RSD Pressings

RSD Pressings Ltd — 20/09/2016

Daniel Burton, Operation Director of RSD Pressings and Richard Hobbs from Made in the Midlands, discuss RSD's recent £1.3m investment in new equipment and premises, as reported in the Express and Star.

RSD Pressings set for turnover boost after building new site

For more information bout RSD Pressings, please visit our website here

Strategic investments ignite RSD Pressings' best practices

RSD Pressings Ltd — 19/01/2024

At the core of the British manufacturing scene stands a formidable presence—RSD Pressings. With a legacy spanning six decades, this stalwart has consistently upheld standards of reliability and quality in the manufacturing sector. Specialising in a range of services, with a keen focus on the automotive industry, RSD Pressings excels in presswork, laser cutting, fabrication, welding, and roll-forming. Not just a manufacturing powerhouse, RSD Pressings is a testament to the enduring strength of family business in the industry.
Leading the charge is the dynamic Danny Burton, Managing Director, who engaged in a recent conversation with Jason Pitt, CEO of Made in Group.

Invitation to RSD Best Practice event

RSD Pressings will be hosting Made in the Midlands members on February 15th, opening their doors for an exclusive look into its operations. As a prime example of a tier 2 supplier, RSD provides a unique chance for members to witness best practices in action from a mid-tier business.

According to Danny, he draws inspiration from major OEMs and, being a crucial part of the automotive supply chain, aspires to learn from industry giants like JLR, Nissan, VW, and Porsche.

Jason Pitt emphasises the importance of accessible best practices, and said, “Innovation often thrives in SMEs and mid-tier enterprises. I eagerly anticipate the visit to RSD, it is a family business with a genuine passion for what they do.”

The Made in Group facilitates face-to-face factory tours and virtual meet-ups, with RSD Pressings being the inaugural factory tour 2024.

Crafting Excellence and Tradition

RSD Pressings, a beacon of British manufacturing prowess, nestled in a purpose-built 45,000 sq. ft facility, it houses an arsenal of presses ranging from 50 to 400 tonnes, a formidable Amada 3kW Fibre Laser Machine, and a 130-tonne Amada Press Brake. RSD's commitment to quality and continuous improvement echoes through its machinery and the skilled hands that manoeuvre them.

Investing in the Future

Danny Burton has grown the business considerably since its early days, but even though he is now the front figure in the business, he credits much of his inspiration from his father.

Danny said, “My role model particularly in business was looking at my father who had a tremendous work ethic and ethos managing money, the biggest practical thing an owner can do is to manage the money right, that means not stripping all of the profits out of the business.

“For some this has been their downfall, whatever money has been made in the year, they've stripped it out. As the custodian of a business you need to look to reinvest in your business, machinery, and plant.

“We've always had the philosophy of reinvesting in our workforce, and our business, it's all about managing the money correctly.”

Danny Burton In an era where productivity is king, RSD refuses to be a mere observer. Burton passionately outlined the company's bold investments—nudging a cool million into cutting-edge machinery. A flat factory layout, a symphony of automatic and manual presses, and a strategic focus on ancillary equipment showcase RSD's commitment to efficiency.

Getting buy-in from your team

Workforce challenges? RSD stared them down, unyielding. Burton revealed the secret sauce—changing mindsets, instilling efficiency, and making every worker a stakeholder. Monthly meetings, open communication, and a family-oriented ethos have birthed a resilient and adaptable workforce.
Even the work apparel got an upgrade, using lighter and better quality material. Danny said, "We've got quite a warm factory, so making garments stretchier, more manoeuvrable, so that our employees are comfortable in the day." RSD are proving that in the grand tapestry of British manufacturing, every thread counts.

Technological Symphony

RSD's machinery is not just metal—it's a technological symphony. The 400-ton press acquired in May 2022 is a testament to recent investments. Burton unravelled the chronicle of a 600,000-pound spend in 2019, unlocking the doors to fabrication and propelling RSD into the future. A new MRP system is on the horizon, poised to streamline processes and reduce administrative overheads.

Green, Clean, and Unstoppable

Sustainability has always been part of the ethos of RSD. Since attaining ISO 14001 accreditation in the early 2000s, the company has been on a relentless quest to reduce its environmental footprint. Low-capacity regulators, filtration-equipped extraction units, electric forklift trucks, and recycling initiatives—all woven into RSD's fabric of responsibility.

British to the Core

For RSD, "Backing in Britain" is more than a tagline; it's a battle cry. Burton's rallying call—supporting British companies, choosing UK-made products where possible, and a fervent plea for a government directive that champions local manufacturing.

Made in the Midlands: A Community, Not Just a Label

Being part of the Made in the Midlands community isn't just a badge; it's a lifeline. Burton spoke passionately about the benefits—networking, idea exchange, and even saving on energy costs through the community. The camaraderie and shared experiences, according to Burton, have been positive in the sometimes lonely journey of running a business.

In Conclusion

RSD Pressings is not merely a company; it's a testament of resilience, innovation, and unwavering British spirit. As the Midlands continue to reverberate with the hum of machinery, RSD stands tall—an embodiment of British industry, a symbol of unyielding commitment, and a testament to the spirit of Made in the Midlands!

RSD Pressings’ Microsite Ranked No. 1 on Google for “Pressings Midlands”

RSD Pressings Ltd — 21/07/2021

RSD Pressings’ microsite is now ranked no. 1 on Google for “Pressings Midlands”.

Anyone searching “Pressings Midlands” into the Google search engine will now find “https://rsdpressings.madeinthemidlands.com/” as their first result, which is a pretty big deal in terms of online visibility and competing for web traffic!

There is a lot of different theory out there about SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and how to get a certain keyword to the top of Google the ranking, however, what can be said with certainty is that it is a massive compliment for RSD Pressings to have been deemed by Google’s system to be the first result when it comes to something as competitive as “Pressings Midlands”.

A leading UK manufacturer to the automotive and building industry, RSD Pressings specialises in delivering quality assured manufacturing solutions, and are based in Cannock, Staffordshire.

As can be seen through this case study, a microsite with Made in the Midlands can be an effective way to boost your visibility on search engines - fast tracking your company to the top of the queue online.

RSD Pressings’ microsite has a variety of content for those interested to browse, such as news articles, company information, social media accounts, videos and even upcoming events that the company is hosting.

For example, on Wednesday 8th September at 9pm, RSD Pressings are hosting “Backing Britain Virtual Breakfast Morning”, alongside fellow speakers Rocol and Syspal. Danny Burton, Operations Director at RSD Pressings, will be speaking on this Zoom event, exclusively for members of Made in Group.

To find out more about RSD Pressings’ services, you can get in touch today on the company microsite - either through the Live Chat or Enquiry service.

RSD Pressings Extend their Manufacturing Site and Set Plans to Invest in New Machinery

RSD Pressings Ltd — 16/09/2021

At the height of the pandemic In March 2021, RSD Pressings extended their purpose built facility in Cannock to accommodate capacity and storage. Now, the company has plans to invest in a bigger press line to support a major project for a new customer.

Established in 1962 RSD Pressings is a leading UK manufacturer for the automotive and building industry, who specialise in delivering quality assured manufacturing solutions.

The past 18 months have been difficult to say the least for both people and businesses. In early 2020, RSD Pressings was one of many manufacturing companies who shut their doors and furloughed many of its staff due to the pandemic. However, since reopening the firm has increased their order book and have managed to bring all furloughed staff back on board. Daniel Burton, Operations Director at RSD pressings, said:

“Our order book increase has led to diversification of the business and adding product types we have not previously done. When supply chains stabilise we will see a significant change in sales as volumes get back up”.

RSD Pressings responded quickly to the changing market that the pandemic brought by extending their facility, at the beginning of this year, by a further 9000 Sq Ft. This was tremendously built within just two weeks with 95% of the building being fabricated off site.

The plans for a new press line will come as another success under the company’s belt, creating 8-10 jobs over the next 12 months. As a result, they will also be investing on ancillary equipment to support production and improve overall efficiency as a business.

With future plans to expand, RSD Pressings are at the forefront of innovation and growth. Their recent changes and previous 2019 investment into a laser and press brake, as well as their more recent purchase of a nitrogen tank has secured RSD Pressings bright future as they move to a 24 hr production with increased storage and capacity.