HOME  /  CASE STUDY: ON-SITE LASER MARKING
CASE STUDY 01 · TOOLING · UK MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

660,000 TOOLS LASER-MARKED
ON-SITE.

How Neolase, a Sheffield laser marking subcontractor, took the laser machine to the customer and marked a batch number on every tool of a UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) contract, without a single part having to travel.

660,000
Tools Marked
UK MoD
End Customer
ON-SITE
At Customer Premises
15 WEEKS
To Complete
SUMMARY

THE CASE STUDY
AT A GLANCE

Neolase Ltd, a laser marking and engraving subcontractor based in Sheffield, UK, laser-marked a batch number on 660,000 tools for a large UK tooling manufacturer's contract with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). By carrying out the marking on site at the customer's premises instead of in Sheffield, Neolase removed the transport, packing and scheduling from the job and saved the customer time, money and risk.

Case study key facts
CustomerConfidential, full Just In Time contract and logistic solutions
End customerUK Ministry of Defence
Quantity660,000 pieces
RequirementA batch number laser-marked on every tool
MaterialMetals, Plastics
LocationOn-site, at the customer's premises
ServiceOn-site laser marking by Neolase
IndustryTooling manufacturing, UK defence supply chain
DoneJune 2018 start
01 / 04

THE CHALLENGE:
660,000 TRACEABLE TOOLS

A large UK tooling company was awarded a contract by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). Every one of the 660,000 tools had to carry a batch number, permanently laser-marked, so that each could be traced.

At that volume the conventional route is a heavy one: pack and ship every part to a marking subcontractor, wait for the work to be done, then ship everything back. That means moving hundreds of thousands of parts twice, with packing, handling, transport time and risk at both ends, all on a defence contract with a deadline.

Due to the variety of substrates, part size and shapes, number of parts per batches : laser expertise and experience was crucial to deliver parts on time to the end-user.

02 / 04

THE SOLUTION:
ON-SITE LASER MARKING

Neolase, a laser marking subcontractor based in Sheffield, agreed with the customer to carry out the laser marking at the customer's own premises instead of in Sheffield. Rather than move 660,000 tools to the laser, Neolase moved the laser to the tools.

A 20W fiber laser was used for this work with programmable axis, The team was on-site 8 hours a day for roughly 15 weeks, the customer operation was not disrupted and the Neolase team working seamlessly with the customer organisation to make it work, a fantastic achievement from both teams, batch numbers were controlled and checked at each stage : delivery of the paperwork, at the marking, at the packing stage.

03 / 04

THE RESULT:
LESS TIME, COST AND RISK

By marking on site, Neolase took the transport, packing and scheduling out of the job altogether. For the customer, that meant:

Benefits to the customer of on-site laser marking
BenefitWhat it meant for the customer
No logisticsNo shipping of 660,000 parts to Sheffield and back. No pallets, packing, collections or delivery schedules to organise.
Time savedNo transit time in either direction, and no waiting for parts to return before the next production stage. It is difficult to estimate but days if not weeks were saved
Cost savedNo freight, packaging or handling costs, and far less staff time spent managing movements of goods. Estimated saving : unkown, but very large
Lower riskParts never left the customer's site, removing the risk of loss, damage or mix-ups in transit.
Full traceabilityEvery tool carries its own batch number, meeting the contract's traceability requirement.
Control and securityParts stayed under the customer's control throughout the job.

“Without Neolase laser marking on-site capability this very important job would have simply not been possible”

04 / 04

ON-SITE LASER MARKING
ANYWHERE IN THE UK

On-site laser marking at this scale is a service unique to Neolase in the UK. Whether your batch is one part or hundreds of thousands, and wherever in the UK it is, we can bring the laser to you.

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GOT A LARGE BATCH TO MARK?
WE BRING THE LASER TO YOU.

On-site laser marking is available anywhere in the UK. Tell us your material, quantity and deadline and we will quote within 24 hours, with a free sample marked before you commit.

Phone: +44 (0) 7557 278 390

Email: contact@neolase.co.uk

Address: 128 Blair Athol Road, Sheffield, S11 7GD

★ FREE SAMPLE MARKING ON ALL ENQUIRIES