Technical manager Richard Simmons is celebrating 25 years' service with APT Leicester - leading supplier of high precision turned components and intricate prismatic parts.
Technical manager Richard Simmons is celebrating 25 years' service with APT Leicester - leading supplier of high precision turned components and intricate prismatic parts. When he joined back in 1981, the company had just one CNC machine together with around 40 bar fed mechanical cam auto lathes, and much of its business came from providing machine parts for the hosiery industry. Appointed as works manager with the responsibility for setting up auto lathes and CNC sliding head lathes, Simmons was promoted to technical manager earlier this year and now also has responsibility for maintaining machinery and the IT network.
When he joined the company, just one computer was on site running an accounts package.
There are now 10 PCs in place and a variety of software applications.
'There have been quite a few changes since I joined APT,' explains Simmons.
'The company focuses increasingly on more difficult, high value jobs, machining close tolerance complex parts in a range of materials including aluminium, brass, steel, plastics, stainless and high temperature alloys.' Today, APT's 16 lathes and two machining centres are all CNC, while a significant proportion of customers now come from higher value sectors such as aerospace, automotive, lock making and instrumentation.
Born and educated in Whetstone, Leicester, Simmons qualified as a metallurgist while a trainee at TI Desford Tubes.
After five years with the company he left to run the machine shop for an electroforming/machining specialist for the following 12 years before joining APT.
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