Manufacturing Today Issue - 236 May 2025 | Page 236

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Beyond bending

How continuous improvement has shaped TBI Manufacturing’ s expansion strategy

Established in 1992 as a subcontract tube bending company, TBI Manufacturing( TBI) has since evolved to offer a wide range of inhouse service and sub-contract capabilities including not only tube bending but also, sheet metal forming, fabrication, machining and assembly. Having relocated to Mildenhall in 2005 to increase capacity, the business has grown to occupy three facilities and is now a major employer in the area.

Mark Tanner, Commercial Director, joins us to elaborate on the company’ s evolution, a new facility, and an ever-evolving range of capabilities.“ Here at TBI we offer a diverse range of services that enable us to offer the highest level of support to our bluechip customer base,” Mark opens.“ We boast a wide variety of products, but most can be characterized as complex tubular fabrications. This can vary from a simple grab handle that you will see on a yellow goods machine cab, to a full‘ roll over protection system’ that protects the operator should a dump truck roll over. The latter requires a stringent quality management system to be in place, which we can demonstrate as an ISO: 9001 accredited business, along with coded operators.
“ Other products include large tubular chassis, door frames, seat assemblies, and handrails, which are primarily supplied into the automotive, off-highway, and defense industries. With tube manipulation historically at the heart of our business, we’ re committed to continuously improving these capabilities by regularly reviewing and investing in the latest tube bending technology, adding
236