Author: European Springs Web Team

For over 70 years, European Springs and Pressings have achieved and maintained the highest levels of technical expertise and innovative solutions in bespoke pressings.

Due to our expertise and experience in the spring manufacturing industry, we are an established member of The Institute of Spring Technology and the Institute of Sheet Metal Engineering, supporting our registration with BSI to ISO9001 and to ISO14001 and our commitment to sustainability.

We operate from three locations across England, with manufacturing facilities in London and Cornwall and a stocking facility in Northampton, which supplies our standard stock and gas springs.

We’re passionate about designing, developing and manufacturing quality products, which is why we’ve continued to create new solutions to meet our customers’ specific custom requirements. Our team of experts are on-hand with 24-hour support to ensure the highest levels of satisfaction for all of our clients.

Happy manual workers talking while working together at steel factory.

What Makes Us Stand Out?

We believe our versatility across a number of industries sets us apart from other spring manufacturers. We’re proud to create bespoke pressings across many sectors, including electrical, automotive, agricultural, defence, medical and telecom industries.

We’re involved from the initial drawing board stage, which makes it easier for us to guide our customers towards choices of quality materials to optimise functionality of the production process and deliver cost-efficient and high-quality results.

Our drive to consistently develop our products and services based on our customers’ needs means that we can improve and expand on our range of springs, pressings and other wire forms. We take the time to listen and work with our customers to develop new products and best advise on how to meet their requirements.

As a part of the Lesjöfors Group, we have the ability to manufacture and distribute all forms of springs, pressings, stampings and wire forms across the world. Lesjöfors have manufacturing and sales offices across Europe, Korea, China, Thailand, Singapore, Mexico and the US. Thanks to our parent company’s international connections and our production of more than 3,000,000 components per hour, we can comfortably meet large and small orders.

Portrait of factory worker. Young handsome factory worker.

Technology, Machinery and Innovative Solutions

We provide excellent solutions for pressings, wire forms and stampings. Our capability to manufacture a whole host of products, both for single and bulk orders, means we can offer the perfect solution no matter how big or small your project is.

European Springs have the capacity to make wire forms of the highest quality by using the latest CNC automated spring coilers and wire forming equipment in the industry. We cater for generic wire forms orders as well as bespoke pieces. When fulfilling smaller orders, we often manually produce our wire forms, but for larger orders, our highly-advanced machinery makes them automatically.

For large orders of pressings and stampings, we utilise the Bruderer, Mabu Zani and SMV which are among some of the most advanced pieces of equipment in the industry. We have the capacity to deal with orders of tens of millions of components thanks to the high-speed equipment we use. For smaller production runs we use Baltec and Hare Single Stroke presses, which gives us versatility in production, making us the first and only stop for our customers.

We plan on continuing to invest in upskilling our experienced engineers, while also focusing on installing the very best and latest technology — allocating 10% of turnover to investment in a new plant.

Industrial technology concept. Communication network. INDUSTRY 4.0. Factory automation.

One of the UK’s Most Experienced Supplier of Springs

Using automated machinery at our manufacturing plants, coupled with the hard work of our experienced design team means that we can offer a whole range of custom products and services, including bespoke pressings and bespoke stampings.

The majority of our bespoke pressings and stampings are produced from metal strip, carbon and stainless steels; copper, brass, phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, aluminium and super alloy.

Our high-speed presses of up to 130 Tones support volume component production, making us one of the leading UK manufacturers of bespoke spring pressings. We also have a dozen state of the art Wafios wire-forming machines which support our wire form production. This level of productivity allows us to host over 12,000 items in our stock catalogue at extremely competitive prices.

So, whether you’re looking for one-off prototyping and design support or need to stamp high volume parts, we can offer a full service including tool making, finishing, assembly and testing.

Our range of springs and services include compression springs, gas springs, torsion springs and tension springs, as well as on-site powder coating, shot peening, barrel rumbling and polishing.

We’re dedicated to offering the highest level of service for unbeatable prices and with a planned expansion on our current operations, the future for European Springs and Pressings looks bright.

Take a look at our stock catalogue for more information on our range of springs and forms. Alternatively, get in touch with us directly at info.bec@oldeuropeansprings.sqsite.co.uk, we’d love to hear from you.

As experienced spring manufacturers and suppliers, it’s important for us to keep a close eye on how the engineering industry is evolving. 

Over the last ten years, there have been many changes in the engineering sector, including the introduction of new technologies. This transformation has led to young people being concerned about a career within engineering, unaware of what skills, experience, or knowledge they need on new processes and equipment in the industry.

In this blog, we’ll take a look into the skills gap that young people may face in 2021, as well as what the future of this ever-evolving sector might look like.

Studies Into Engineering Jobs of The Future

The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Future of Jobs Report 2020 suggests that jobs associated with engineering, cloud computing, data and AI will be the most in-demand jobs of the future. The report also highlights the opportunity for development in current roles, meaning that the industry should focus on the demand for these ‘future’ skills and expertise.

Man is programming robotic arm with control panel which is integrated on smart factory production line. industry 4.0 automation line which is equipped with sensors and robotic arm

A look at some key stats from the report: 

  • 43% of businesses surveyed indicate that they are set to reduce their workforce due to technology integration
  • 41% plan to expand their use of contractors for task-specialized work
  • 34% plan to expand their workforce due to technology integration

The WEF report’s key findings highlighted that automation, in tandem with the COVID-19 recession, creates a ‘double-disruption’ scenario for workers. In addition to the current disruption from national lockdowns and economic contraction, companies’ technological adoption is forecast to transform tasks, jobs and skills by 2025. 

In the last five years especially, the recurring question, “will a robot take my job?” is starting to become a reality in some cases. However, it’s important to consider upskilling employees to work with these new technologies. By doing this sooner rather than later, you can start to strengthen and multi-skill your workforce for the future. 

In 2019, we wrote a blog on Engineering Jobs of the Future focusing on the 2019 study conducted by BAE Systems. The study drew attention to some of the issues young people face regarding future-proofing their careers, with just 18% of respondents feeling they have the skills required to ensure longevity within their job.

BAE Systems also found in 2019 that 47% of young people aged between 16-24 believe that they will one day work in a role that doesn’t yet exist. Two years since the study took place, we can already see the impact of emerging technologies like AI, robotics and VR on jobs within engineering and further afield.

The Future of Jobs and Reducing the Skills Gap 

Engineering jobs will inevitably start to demand more knowledge and experience of VR, AI and robotics, and because of this, skills gaps will always be present.

Industrial technology concept. Factory automation. Smart factory. INDUSTRY 4.0

The Future of Jobs report (2020) noted that employers see skill groups as rising in prominence in the lead up to 2025, including critical thinking, analysis, problem-solving, and skills in self-management — such as active learning and resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility. 

The report suggests that, on average, companies estimate that around 40% of workers will require reskilling of six months or less, and 94% of business leaders report that they expect employees to pick up new skills on the job, a sharp uptake from 65% in 2018.

Online learning and courses are a great way to engage young people, and apprenticeships also offer invaluable experience by introducing training, new skills and technical knowledge to your company.

Investing in Skilled People and New Technologies

Here at European Springs, we’ve already implemented automation into our process in a considerable way. By using the latest CNC automated spring coilers and wire forming equipment in the industry, we can create bespoke solutions for pressings, wire forms and stampings.

We take great pride in ensuring that we keep on top of the very latest technological advancements in the engineering sector, and so we continue our investment both in upskilling our dedicated engineers and installing the best equipment.

With over 70 years of experience as one of the leading spring manufacturers in the UK, European Springs understand just how important it is to future proof our business. Our skillset includes being tension spring manufacturers, torsion spring manufacturers, and manufacturers of all types of other springs.

If you’d like to learn more about our investment in technology or even discuss the possibility of seeking our services, then please get in touch with our friendly team. We’d love to hear about your next project!

As bespoke spring manufacturers, we see many uses for springs throughout various industries, and it’s fair to say that the world would be a very different place without them.

The versatility and number of applications make springs and bespoke pressings particularly popular in the fitness industry. 

Springs play an essential role in a wide range of machines and equipment you’re likely to use at the gym. So, let’s take a closer look at how and where springs are used.

Resistance Training and Machinery 

Springs have an important job of creating resistance, as well as safeguarding machines during a workout.

When resistance is created with wiring or bands, it’s a form of spring. For example, when you pull on a machine and the weights lift, they reach a ceiling. High-quality machines will have springs built around the ceiling, which protect the machine so that the weights naturally push off of the spring.

Springs have an important job of creating resistance

The use of long coiled springs for resistance training can also be applied to more traditional forms of equipment, such as the spring rowing exerciser or leg foot spring exerciser.

Multi-Station Trainer  

A multi-station trainer is a form of strength and resistance training that incorporates lockable gas springs to increase pressure. 

This reliable piece of gym equipment is popular as it offers an intense full-body workout, allowing you to build muscle in various ways.

Chest Pull Expander 

Chest expander cables are an effective exercise for building strength. This versatile piece of equipment works by applying resistance to a variety of areas on the body through a simple pulling motion.

Depending on your pull’s strength, the elastic rubber cables in the chest expander provide variable resistance. 

These cables/bands became popular in lockdown due to their affordability and effectiveness in promoting ligament and tendon strength.

Personal Trampolines 

Springs are used in trampolines to provide rebound and bounce. Exercise trampolines allow you to incorporate fun into your workout, boost cardiovascular health, as well as relieve tension and improve endurance.

springs trampolines rebound and bounce

Generally, the cost of the trampoline will reflect the quality of the springs and materials used. For example, high-quality springs are manufactured at an increased cost to be longer-lasting and provide a smoother stretch, ultimately giving you a better bounce. 

Hand Forearm Grip 

Hand forearm grips are ideal for building resistance and endurance in your fingers, as well as strengthening your wrists and forearm muscles. 

Like the chest pull expander, these handy grips work by applying pressure with your hand around a resistant spring. Through resistance, you can build forearm strength and improve other muscles, like biceps, triceps, and shoulders.

Shock Absorption Treadmills 

There are plenty of shock absorption treadmills on the market, each containing springs in the belts, decks and shock systems. 

The shock absorption treadmill operates in the same way as a traditional machine, however, it is built to absorb any severe pressure increases. The springs and shock absorbers work to ensure that the rebound holds less of a negative impact on your joints.

It’s important to choose a quality shock absorption treadmill if you wish to protect your joints and reduce the risk of injury or pain in the long term.

Shock Absorption Treadmills

Shock Absorbing Running Shoes 

It may not seem obvious at first, but some shoes also use a traditional spring to protect your foot from continued heel strike — heel striking can lead to additional strain on your knees.

Many shoe manufacturers are now incorporating springs into their design, with some having been accused of “technological doping” in the world of athletics.

In particular, Nike has received scrutiny over their Alphafly running trainer. Athlete Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours, and he did so in a prototype of the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next%.

The World Athletics President commented, saying that “It is not our job to regulate the entire sports shoe market, but it is our duty to preserve the integrity of elite competition by ensuring that the shoes worn by elite athletes in competition do not offer any unfair assistance or advantage”.

While this is fascinating stuff for the use of springs in technology and the fitness industry, regulations have now been brought in due to revolutionary new foams and the development of shoes containing carbon fibre plates.

With over 70 years of experience as a spring manufacturer, we have the expertise to create a whole host of springs from compression springs and tension springs to torsion springs. Take a look at our brochure (PDF) or contact our experienced team today to discuss your next project with us. We’re here to help!

We’d like to extend a huge congratulations to Liam Tilby, who has been awarded the Beijer Alma Scholarship for 2020!

The Beijer Alma Scholarship was set up in 2016 in the name of Honorary Chairman Anders Wall. It is given to employees in group companies for their drive and creativity, which contributes to improvements and new opportunities for our group.

This is the fifth year the scholarship has been awarded, and Liam was one of two winners, alongside Dag Borgesen, a Project Manager at Norspray A/S.

The scholarship is worth £5,000, which will be used for continued skills development. This year, the grant was shared between Liam and Dag, who both showed great potential.

Liam’s Story with European Springs 

Liam joined us from school, taking a summer job packing in our stores before possibly going to university. Instead, he was employed full time at our Beckenham site and attended college during the day, gaining a BTEC in Engineering. 

Nine years on, Liam has matured into one of our most effective Mechanical and Prototype Engineers, working at the development stage with customers to bring their concepts to life in a cost-effective way.

The Beijer Alma Scholarship

Liam works closely on new projects directly with the customer as technical support and development, playing an instrumental role in finding solutions to our customers’ challenges. For example, when a new customer came to us for support after having failed with an external design house. Liam designed and developed many new items for this customer taking a verbal brief plus a few hand sketches and turned them into commercial reality.

Growth and Development 

Liam is a huge part of the team, bringing knowledge of value engineering, product development and troubleshooting.

On many occasions, he comes to work with a new idea or solution to the challenges he faces on the current projects. Liam’s role is still evolving, and we foresee him becoming a key asset to the business for the future — he represents the next generation for European Springs.

Liam was delighted to have been awarded the scholarship and intends to put the money towards his personal development, investigating Business and Management courses with a Bias towards Engineering.

Usually, the scholarship winners would attend an Annual Meeting on 23rd March in Uppsala, Sweden, to receive the award on stage. This year, unfortunately, the event does not comply with Corona-related restrictions.

We’d like this opportunity to say a huge well done to Liam from all of us at European Springs!

As industry-leading spring manufacturers, investing in the future of manufacturing is important to us. We believe that through apprenticeship schemes, the industry can be positively influenced by the next generation.

In the UK, the manufacturing industry currently supports 2.7 million people in employment and according to a report by CEBR for the National Apprenticeship Service, apprenticeships are forecast to contribute £3.4bn by 2022.

Despite the predictions for growth in manufacturing, it’s true that the industry is facing a skills gap. But with restrictions beginning to ease, we’d like to discuss how apprenticeships could play a pivotal role in ensuring that the manufacturing sector gets back on its feet throughout 2021.

Apprenticeships in Manufacturing

As of 5th February 2020, 76% of manufacturers are currently offering apprenticeships to gain the skills they need and 58% of manufacturers are using their training budget to re-train workers for various roles within their business.

There is also a huge recruitment drive aimed toward younger people, driven by many companies with an ageing workforce. A survey carried out by MAKE UK showed that 80% of manufacturers said the average age of their workforce is 41 or older — this puts a spotlight on a need for skilled young people.

Manufacturing apprentices gain invaluable experience by working with an established employer. This includes an introduction to taking responsibility, accountability, as well as learning trade skills from experienced colleagues.

Manufacturing apprentice learning trade skills from experienced colleaguess

Why are Apprenticeships Important?

Apprenticeships can introduce a fresh mix of skills, training and technical knowledge to your company. While a lack of technical skills initially is the main driver of recruitment problems, manufacturers continue to provide a platform for apprentices to earn while they learn and build on transferable skills.

The number of annual apprenticeships is predicted to increase across all sectors of the economy over the coming decade, with CEBR forecasting growth from an annual 260,000 in 2012/13 to 480,000 by 2021/22.

Many manufacturers are keen to take on graduates and people with both academic and vocational skills. MAKE UK suggest that “Universities and the wider higher education sector need to be alive to these trends and understand that vocational learners are in high demand from employers and vocational pathways are an attractive offer for young people”.

Apprenticeships at European Springs

In September 2016, we introduced our apprenticeship scheme at our Beckenham site.

Stuart McSheehy, Managing Director (Beckenham) speaks about the importance of modern-day apprenticeships, saying that, “Training a new generation of manufacturing practitioners, offering them the opportunity to gain experience and qualifications in the workplace, establishes a secure foundation for their future, and it’s a part of our work we’re especially proud of.”

Our apprenticeships follow the nationally recognised Mechanical Manufacturing Apprenticeship framework and award certifications in BTEC Level 3 in Engineering Operations and Maintenance, with an accompanying NVQ in Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering.

Local MP Bob Stewart presenting our first batch of apprentices with their certificates
Local MP Bob Stewart presenting our first batch of apprentices with their certificates

The Government’s Aims and Apprenticeship Incentive Payments

Provisional figures for the first quarter of the 2020/21 academic year (August to October 2020) show that since May 2015 there have been 2,302,300 apprenticeship starts and since May 2010 this total stands at 4,679,800.

While figures for apprenticeships continue to grow, a concern for future workers choosing an academic path has been highlighted. With this in mind, it’s important to consider that by advertising a structured and paid apprenticeship, you can offer a young person training for their future, on-site experience, as well as the opportunity to learn multiple industry skills.

The government introduced new incentive payments in August to support employers to hire new apprentices. The incentive scheme gives employers who hire apprentices £2,000 for apprentices aged 16 to 24 and £1,500 for apprentices aged 25 and over.

50% of the payment is made 90 days after an apprentice starts in training, and the remaining amount is paid after completion of 365 days of the apprenticeship. The payments for the incentive are subject to the apprentice completing the 90 days and 365 days of the apprenticeship.

The government also launched The Skills Toolkit in April 2020. This has helped many people to build their skills during the coronavirus pandemic and for the future. As of February 2021, the government have reported over 2 million (2,044,300) page views on the skills toolkit website.

We’ve already seen the benefits of having an apprenticeship plan in place and many of our qualified apprentices continue to develop their skills as spring technicians.

By welcoming apprentices every year, we’re strengthening our skillset and introducing more diversity to our business, as well as setting up for future growth and development within the spring industry.

If you’d like to discuss the potential of joining our team or even discuss the possibility of seeking our services then please get in touch with our friendly team.

 

As experienced spring manufacturers and suppliers, we offer a complete service from laser cut prototypes to full production, combining technology with expert quality to develop our clients’ designs into durable and adaptable products.

There is no doubt that the manufacturing industry (ourselves included), relies heavily on high-quality equipment to produce large volumes of the very best products every day. In this blog, we’ll look at the benefits of having new equipment and technology on hand.

Fully Equipped Manufacturing Plants and Facilities 

Our philosophy relies on our ability to combine both technology and quality. We support personal service to the very highest level of integrity and this allows us to repeatedly meet the ever-changing requirements of our customers and the market we operate in.

Our experienced design team works with a host of specific custom requirements and our well-equipped manufacturing plants allow us to offer a wide range of products and services. 

We offer industry leading solutions for pressings and wire forms, including all forms of springs, gas springs and wire forms, as well as on-site powder coating, barrel rumbling, polishing and shot peening.

By using the latest CNC automated spring coilers and wire forming equipment in the industry, we can deliver generic wire forms orders and bespoke pieces. We believe that by working with the latest technology, our highly-qualified toolmakers can design and make the best quality bespoke pressings and bespoke stampings.

The Latest Manufacturing Tools and Technology 

Our fully equipped toolroom incorporates the latest WEDM machines and in-house 3D CAD. Technology is important to us, enabling both design and manufacture progression, multi-slide, single operation and assembly tooling.

When it comes to manufacturing compression springs, we have the production capability to manufacture up to 400,000 units a day. This is achieved by investing in the very best in spring manufacturing technology. In total, we have over 20 coiling machines, including the likes of Wafios FUL and FES making up the majority of those.

In late 2019, we installed a Bennett Aqua Grinder at our Redruth site which completely revolutionised our grinding capabilities. The powerful machine’s eight heads and integrated water-cooled grinder enhanced our large wire grinding quality and grinding overall, meaning that we could quadruple our output and improve efficiency.

By investing in this new high-quality equipment, we can work toward faster production times, increased product quality, as well as encounter fewer errors in production. In addition to this, we have a programme for monitoring and improving the environmental aspects of our processes and are proud to be certified under ISO 9001-2000 and ISO 14001.

Bespoke Pressings & Bespoke Stamping Equipment

Many of our bespoke pressings and stampings are produced from metal strip, carbon and stainless steels. Our wide range of technologies make it possible to select the production that best suits each individual product, meaning that we can also produce from flattened wire and non-metallic materials such as melinex. 

So, whether you need 10 or 10 million components, we can work to your requirements. We also work with a number of different materials in thicknesses from 0.05 – 4 mm, so if you require something more specific, please do not hesitate to speak with one of our advisers.

High Quality Bespoke Springs

With over 70 years of experience in creating custom springs (and bespoke pressings) for our clients, European Springs are proud of our position as industry leaders. 

Our high quality springs can be manufactured in all shapes and sizes with over 12,000 choices available. We can also create bespoke springs that are suitable for absolutely any job or application. 

When you choose us as your bespoke spring manufacturer, you can be confident that you’re depending on a member of The Institute of Spring Technology and the ISME, with high-performance spring designs and durability guaranteed.

Here at European Springs & Pressings, we’re always researching the latest and greatest technologies on the market, capable of growing our business as one of the UK’s leading spring manufacturers.

We currently have the capability to provide a whole host of products, both for single and bulk orders which means that we can offer the perfect solution no matter how big or small your project is. Contact us today to see how we can help with your next venture.

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