www.AutocraftDS.com

Your Innovative Partner for Drivetrain Solutions

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Products & ServicesThe Company

Autocraft Drivetrain Solutions Limited is Europe’s largest independent engine remanufacturer, supplying OE manufacturers such as Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo, Aston Martin, JCB and Chrysler.

Since the company was formed in the 1970s (formerly South Lincs Engineering, Autocraft Industries and ATC Drivetrain), Autocraft has grown to be a leading provider of engine related manufacturing and engineering services.

With a capacity of 20,000 engines each year, 75% of our engines and automotive component parts are exported outside of the UK to the global market.

We are a Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier of complex machined and assembled components, having manufactured over 1,000,000 automotive parts to date.

Autocraft is a pioneer of PTWA Plasma Spray technology, and cylinder head and block machining. Over £6m has been invested in the facility over the last 5 years ensuring we have the latest technology and processes to further enhance our class-leading market offering.

Autocraft is privately owned by the senior management team, with low financial gearing (debt) and a strong asset base. We now employ over 160 people at the 56,000m2 facility in Grantham, England, an increase in the workforce of 60% in the last 5 years.

We are committed to implementing new technologies for engine reclamation and environmental sustainability....

We are here for the long term!

EnginesAutocraft remanufactures a range of gasoline and diesel engines, in 3 to 6 cylinder inline and V6 to V12 configurations for automotive and off-highway applications.

New engines are also supplied to OEMs for both service and new vehicle requirements. We work with OEMs from initial engine design through prototype phases into serial production. We then support the engine for up to 20 years after serial production has ended.

Machined & Assembled ComponentsOur fully equipped machine shop produces highly accurate medium and low volume complex machined and assembled components. We machine a very diverse range of prismatic components such as cylinder heads and blocks, covers, brackets, valve bodies and oil pans. Some of the parts machined are used in our remanufactured engines, but the majority are delivered straight to leading premium car manufacturers throughout Europe.

Engineering ServicesOur experienced team of 20 product and quality engineers works closely with our customers to offer a wide range of engineering services:

• Engine rework & modification• Engine auditing & testing• Warranty analysis• PTWA consultancy• CMM measurement• Design for manufacture

Special Performance Solutions (SPS)Autocraft now offers a new high-performance engine assembly and conversion service. An air-conditioned clean room environment provides a dedicated area for the assembly and auditing of new engines, and conversion and modification of niche high-performance engine ranges. With an initial capacity for 10,000 engines per annum, we have space to expand as our business grows. SPS offers a full management service from project concept through to phased PPAP and into full production.

Engine Remanufacturing

Autocraft offers a complete engineering and remanufacturing service including feasibility studies, defining the reman specification, ongoing product development, engine validation and warranty.

Autocraft works in partnership with the OEMs when they design new engines with end-of-life “design for reman” in mind. We assist the engine designers by transferring our knowledge of historical engine failures to improve their product quality. The experience we gain during the design and serial production phases allows us to develop remanufacturing solutions for our customers that make our reman engines better than new!

Core engines are received and dismantled completely. Components are cleaned, inspected, remachined or replaced (depending on the agreed specification) and quality checked.

Autocraft aims to utilise 85% of the core engine, through intelligent reclaim techniques. We are continuously improving our flexible remanufacturing processes which are matched to customers’ volumes.

We operate world-leading salvage techniques delivering lowest possible direct material costs, ensuring a value-for-money, quality assured remanufactured engine.

On our Grantham site, we have extensive on-site core management and storage, meaning we can provide you with a total solution for your remanufactured engine requirements.

We are Europe’s leader for many reasons, so please visit us to see for yourself!

The Reman Process

Clean & Inspect

Assemble & Test

ReworkSalvaged

Components

Inject New Parts

Strip Core Engines

Our Special Performance Solutions (SPS) division provides assembly of new engines, and conversion and modification of niche high-performance engine ranges.

With an initial capacity of 10,000 engines per annum, our new assembly area replicates OEM process quality standards on a more flexible and more responsive scale. A moving trolley build process is used to aid variations in model and throughput. “No fault forward DC tooling” is installed throughout the area and includes “Tools Net” traceability for process control monitoring.

Quality and performance is measured and assured through our rigorous testing and engine auditing processes. We have on-site test capability including:

• 7 Hot-Test dynamometer beds• 5 Cold-Test facilities• Tear down and quality auditing facility fully

equipped to OEM standards

Full Supply Chain Management is also offered as part of the SPS service offering; with Autocraft sourcing, managing stocks and negotiating on your behalf.

We manage suppliers worldwide and source from a wide range of vendors, from small specialists in Europe to major Tier 1s situated globally in China, North & South America, India and Japan.

SPS provides a full project management service, from concept through to a phased PPAP process and into full production. And it doesn’t stop there. Our continuous improvement philosophy and insistence to “find a better way” means you will continue to reap the value benefits of your SPS project for years to come.

New Engine Build & Conversion

Autocraft Drivetrain Solutions is Europe’s leading engine remanufacturer and new engine builder because we are committed to the highest level of quality and service. We are investing heavily in new processes and equipment to ensure we remain No. 1 for many years to come.

Our PTWA Process:Cylinder Bore Coating

Engine technology is moving to more compact and lighter engine blocks. This limits the ability to reuse or remanufacture these with traditional techniques such as boring oversized and using a larger piston or fitting a cylinder liner.

The PTWA (Plasma Transferred Wire Arc) process involves machining a small amount of metal off the cylinder bore then replacing it by spraying molten metal in a rotary motion down the bore.

The technology is not limited to remanufacturing of cylinder blocks. It is also being used in Euro 6 engines instead of cylinder liners because it has many advantages, such as weight reduction, friction reduction, material cost savings, reduced emissions and oil and fuel economy improvements.

The PTWA process results in improved efficiency of the engine due to the defined porosity coating providing additional retention oil volume, especially in the highly loaded areas of top and bottom dead centres. This leads to reduced friction and improved heat transfer from the cylinder wall into the cooling water circuit. The cylinder surface temperature is reduced by up to 30°C, improving combustion and reducing unwanted emissions.

PTWA is becoming the preferred solution for cylinder bores in new engine production. Autocraft has pioneered the technology for over 10 years for both new and remanufactured cylinder blocks.

PTWA Plasma SprayTechnology

Autocraft’s development of the Thermal Spray process has taken 10 years to develop. Autocraft has the facility and the licence to use the patented PTWA process for all our customers in both new and remanufactured engines.

We have designed our facility to be flexible to produce prototypes as well as high volume production, with robotic loading for total flexibility and accuracy.

We prepare, spray and hone blocks for foundries, block machinists and OEMs. Autocraft’s unique Twin-Torch system enables us to coat cast iron liners or blocks with a base coat then apply the top coat. We can also spray directly onto aluminium cylinder blocks with up to 150 Amps.

We have invested over £3m in PTWA equipment, development and research to create and optimise our processes. We have capacity to spray over 80,000 cylinder bores per annum. We can also spray and hone cylinder bores or cylinder liners from 65mm to 250mm in diameter.

With assistance from Autocraft you can save years of development time and cost.

Why repeat our learning, and take risks when Autocraft can be your PTWA development or manufacturing partner?

Autocraft has a dedicated machine shop producing over 100,000 machined components per annum. With over 30 CNC machine tools, the machine shop can produce small parts such as transmission oil pumps through to the machining of large V12 cylinder blocks.

Autocraft has become a cylinder head and block specialist. Our detailed knowledge of engine blocks and cylinder heads has allowed Autocraft to become an expert in machining these components from raw castings. Our cylinder heads and blocks are sold to other engine assemblers and OEMs as well as being used in our own engine production. Typical cylinder head and block volumes range from 200 to 10,000 per annum. Component volumes can be significantly higher than this where we install dedicated customer machining cells to suit a specific project requirement.

Autocraft’s machine tools have a wide mix of spindles and torques, can machine in 3, 4 & 5 axes and are able to machine a variety of prismatic components. We machine a range of materials from aluminium to CG and SG Irons as well as steel and stainless steel. Components can be machined up to 1200mm long and 630mm wide on our vertical and horizontal machining centres. Our extensive range of metrology and in-house calibration equipment gives us class-leading measurement capability.

You can be assured that Autocraft provides high integrity, fully tested products. Whilst the majority of our components are delivered to leading niche premium car manufacturers throughout Europe, we also supply the off highway and general engineering sectors and we are always looking to find new products and markets to challenge ourselves with.

Machined & Assembled Automotive Components

• Cylinderblocks• Cylinderheads• Fuelandoilregulators• Oilpumps• Thermostathousings• Manifolds• BearingCaps

• Conrods• Brackets• Enginecovers• Fasciapanels• Pedalboxes• Actuatorassemblies• Structuralcomponents

We Machine & Assemble:

• 3-axisverticalmachiningcentres• 4-axisrotarytables&trunnionunits• 5-axistwin-palletverticalmachiningcentres• Twin-pallethorizontalmachiningcentres• Honingmachines• Boringmachines• Grindingmachines

Our Machine Tools:

Our engineers relish the challenge of new machined components - the more complex and difficult the part the better! Autocraft engineers use Delcam solid modelling CAD & CAM software, for fast and easy interpretation of your components.

We match the service we provide to our customers’ needs. We support OEMs as a Tier 1 but also work for foundries and forges as a Tier 2. Where we provide a Tier 1 service we are responsible for material sourcing and management. We have our own dedicated Purchasing Department including Supplier STA Management. As we are independent, we have the advantage of being able to source extensively to find the best material suppliers globally.

For customers who do not have their own machine shop, we can be your partner as a Tier 2. We offer both long term partnerships as well as short term capacity assistance. We are flexible in our commercial approach as well as our manufacturing solutions.

Autocraft also offers assembled components, bespoke to your requirements. We have assembled a very wide range of products in our 40 year history including Battery Packs for Electric Vehicles, Pedal Boxes, Transmissions and Transfer Cases, Facia Panels and Torsion Bars. We have the capability to set up a dedicated assembly process for you, or you can move your existing assembly lines to us. We often combine assembly operations at line-side with our machining process to give you a high quality and lean production process.

All of our assembled components are shipped with the usual high standard of Autocraft care and quality, and can be delivered either in Autocraft or customer packaging.

Engineering Services Environmental AwarenessAuditing, Testing and Warranty AnalysisAutocraft offers auditing and test services for OEMs. We audit newly assembled engines by fully stripping them, measuring every torque, clearance and critical dimension. This provides our customers with independent quality assurance, identifying and rectifying faults before the engine batch reaches the vehicle assembly process. We collate data on an ongoing basis so that we can track any concerns, trends and validate ongoing quality improvements have been successful. This can include durability hot testing on our new DSG Dynamometers.

To complete the full circle we also undertake warranty analysis and engine rework on behalf of the OEM. Our 40 years of remanufacturing failed engines puts us in a unique position to identify engine weaknesses and root causes of failure. We recommend changes and improvements to engine design and manufacturing processes to the OEM, for continuous improvement.

CMM Measurement ServiceAutocraft has recently invested £500,000 in new CMM and measuring equipment to further enhance our class-leading metrology capability. Our new Mitutoyo CMM and roundness testing machines enable us to quickly and accurately measure engine blocks, heads, crankshafts and other engine parts used in our new build, remanufacturing and auditing processes.

We also offer a sub-contract metrology service with specialist measurement support for engine components.

Design for ManufactureAutocraft works in partnership with the OEM’s product development departments to ensure parts are designed for optimal manufacture. By assisting their engineers at the design stage, component costs can be reduced and manufacturing quality built into the initial design. Our use of Simultaneous Engineering techniques and CAD/CAM combined with our technical knowledge and experience enables us to achieve shorter lead-times. Autocraft will often modify designs for customers and even create their drawings and specifications for them.

Autocraft is an environmentally conscious company. Our award-winning Environmental Team has delivered a number of initiatives to reduce, reuse and recycle waste products to further minimise the environmental impact from our operations.

Reduce We have significantly reduced our energy consumption and the amount of waste we send to landfill across the entire company. We are further dramatically reducing our chemical usage with the introduction of an innovative water-based cleaning process, replacing the use of solvents and alkalis.

Reuse As a remanufacturer, reusing materials is in our DNA. Autocraft recovers up to 85% of the core engine, through innovative methods of reclaiming parts from the core such as PTWA and remachining of the “5 Cs” (cylinder block, cylinder head, crankshaft, con rods and cam shaft).

We work closely with our customers to ensure engine and component packaging is designed to be strong, safe and reusable many times. Our remanufactured engines are sent to the customer in reusable packaging, inside which the core engine is then safely returned to Autocraft for remanufacture.

RecycleThe Environmental Team oversaw the installation of a biomass boiler that burns the waste wooden crates and pallets the company previously paid to have taken away. The heat generated from the biomass boiler provides hot water to the washing machines in the factory areas.

We have also installed a Kerosene Recycling Centrifuge Process that cleans all of the dirt particles from the Kerosene washes, avoiding costly disposal and kerosene costs.

Our engine remanufacturing process and engine testing generates many litres of waste oil per year. We have invested in used-oil burners which converts the waste oil into heat for the factory.

Autocraft Drivetrain Solutions LimitedSyston Lane, Belton, GranthamLincolnshire, NG32 2LY, England

Tel: +44 (0)1476 581300Fax: +44 (0)1476 581302Email: info@autocraftds.comWeb: www.autocraftds.com