Customer case study
MacLeod Pipework Engineering: Bigger Bending Rolls for Bigger, Thicker Vessels
A Sheffield pipework specialist moves up to bigger bending rolls to speed production and roll thicker vessels.
A returning Westermans customer, MacLeod Pipework Engineering needed bigger bending rolls in their workshop so they could take on larger, heavier vessel work without slowing production. A BIKO 3HCD gave it the capacity it was after.
The customer
MacLeod Pipework Engineering Ltd is a pipework and mechanical engineering company founded in Sheffield in 2013 by director Duncan MacLeod. It works for commercial and industrial clients across the UK. Its work covers turnkey design, supply, installation, and testing, plus repairs, servicing, and 24/7 callouts on oil, gas, and steam systems, including boilers, heat exchangers, and steam and condensate pipework.The challenge
Westermans recommendation
Equipment supplied:
- BIKO 3HCD 3-roll bending roll: 3,050 mm roll length, 15 mm max plate thickness, 12 mm pre-bend, 285 mm top roll and 265 mm bottom roll diameters, 8,000 kg
“Duncan knew what he needed the rolls to do. Our job was to find a machine with the capacity for the vessel work he’s taking on, now and in the future, and get it into his workshop ready to run.”
The outcome
- Bigger vessels: sections up to 3 m wide can now be rolled in-house
- Thicker plate: up to 15 mm plate for industrial steam and heating work
- Faster production: quicker turnaround on rolled sections
- Repeat purchase: a second machinery investment with Westermans
“We wanted to invest in a bigger set of rollers for the shop. Buying these will help speed up production and allow us to roll much bigger and thicker vessels. I can’t thank Westermans International enough for working with us on these rollers. Absolutely brilliant company to deal with when we need machinery.”
Why this setup worked
BIKO bending rolls are used by manufacturers of boilers, heat exchangers and tanks, the same kind of equipment MacLeod installs and services, so the 3HCD suits the vessel work the business does. Its 3,050 mm roll length and 15 mm capacity give the workshop room to take on larger jobs without hitting a ceiling.
As a returning customer, Duncan could buy with confidence that the machine was matched to his work and that Westermans would handle the purchase from start to finish.
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