A New Machine For The Future

Here's our new SAFAN CNC press brake arriving at Instanta. Our metalwork has been excellent over the past years but we always reached something of a production bottleneck when it came to the cut and punched metal being folded as our old press brake was pretty unsophisticated. With this new machine we can guarantee more accuracy, make neater and sharper folds and speed up the production lines. We chose this model after a comprehensive survey by Operations Director Dave Wilson and Gavin Ford which involved a huge amount of research and even a visit to the Dutch factory where the press brake was built. In keeping with our environmental management system we have gone for this machine on its green credentials. Being electric it is much greener than the hydraulic alternatives which produce volumes of waste oil and use energy when not in use. I look forward to seeing it up and running and to seeing the improvements in the boilers which though probably not visible to the customer will certainly be noticed by our assembly team.

Did you read about the Roman helmet found by a young metal detector user? Being a detectorist myself I always love to see fabulous things turning up and live in hope that I might find something like this myself one day. I used to go out with my brother Peter pretty often but since he retired and spends much of his time abroad we don't get as many opportunities. Perhaps we'll get more chances when I retire and after my hip operation has been carried out (now planned for early December). This helmet sold yesterday for £2 million. It was found at a site that has no real Roman connections other than a nearby Roman road and is in an area where we spent many holidays in our childhood. Perhaps it will encourage farmers to be more ready to grant permission to detector users as the farmer has benefited to the tune of £1 million. I think that the very best item that we ever found would not pay for the cost of a new detector.

And whilst on the topic of treasure, I emailed John Sandon of Antiques Roadshow and  head of ceramics at Bonhams' Bond St with details of the bowl that I highlighted on yesterday's blog. John is one of the most charming people I have ever dealt with and he kindly confirmed that I had got my age estimate for the piece right although I had suggested that it was manufactured at the Liverpool Gilbody factory whereas John knew straight away that it was made by the nearby Chaffers pottery. So the bowl is now on it's way to Bonhams for their December specialist sale with John's initial thought on price at the £600-800 level subject to him seeing it. It's not £2million but it's better than a kick in the teeth.

I enjoyed Paul's show "A League Of Their Own" last night. Jimmy Carr was a great guest and was extremely game in allowing himself to be immersed in a bath of near freezing water in the final round. We're going to see Jimmy when he comes to Southport Theatre when he appears here in a few weeks. I bought four tickets but somehow can't find anyone to take the spare two. It seems that he isn't as popular up here as I imagined. I've still got a couple of friends who are getting back to me but we may end up having to return them. It's a pity. I think he's an extremely funny guy.

I'll finish today with one of the odious Jeremy Kyle's interviewees turning nasty on Kyle this morning. It's a great pity that it wasn't something heavier that he threw.