Chasestead’s co-owner Justin Sedgwick reflects on his company’s relationship with Prima Power and the message is simple: they just get it right. From rapid engineer response times to machines that virtually look after themselves, Chasestead’s experience is a testament to what a great supplier partnership looks like in practice.
From the Shop Floor to the Boardroom
Justin Sedgwick has been part of the Chasestead story for 27 years, starting on the shop floor at a time when BMW had just acquired the rights to the Mini brand and the company was helping develop front and rear shaft subframes for the iconic vehicle. Over the decades, Justin worked his way through the business until, six years ago, he and his business partner Robin Moore jointly purchased the company from its then-owners.
The timing brought its own challenges. “We spent three years planning it, then did the deal, and two months later, COVID came along,” Justin recalls with characteristic good humour. Despite that rocky start, the business not only survived but invested heavily in new machinery, including two Prima Power laser cutting systems that have since become central to Chasestead’s operations.
Two Machines, One Clear Choice
Chasestead currently operates two Prima Power machines. The first is a large five-axis 3D laser cutting system, the Laser Next 2141, which Justin believes is the only one of its kind in the country and the largest model Prima Power manufactures. The second, acquired last year, is one of Prima Power’s latest high-specification flatbed laser cutting systems, equipped with top-of-the-range software.
“It works really well,” says Justin. “We’ve got the top of the range software to run it and, yeah, it works really well.” But it wasn’t just the machines themselves that convinced Chasestead to go back to Prima Power for a second purchase, it was the entire experience of working with them.
Service That Stands Out
Ask Justin what sets Prima Power apart, and his answer is immediate: service. “We never have any problems with Prima. There’s always someone who will pick up the phone and they tend to get engineers out very quickly.”
For Chasestead, that responsiveness is essential, and a cornerstone of how the company evaluates any supplier. “All of the machinery we tend to buy, we’re really looking for the people who offer the best service. We’re well aware that all machines have hiccups or need tweaks along the way. So, if you’ve got someone who can respond and pick up the phone, life’s a lot easier.”
Chasestead operates other brands of machinery alongside their Prima Power systems, giving Justin a direct basis for comparison. “Yeah, we’ve got other brands of machines here that we can measure them against and that made it a lot more tempting to go back and buy the second Prima.”
The response speed from Prima Power’s UK-based engineers has been, in Justin’s words, “second to none.” When an issue arises, the team will often dial in remotely to diagnose and resolve problems. When a physical visit is needed, engineers simply turn up and get the job done. “We can quite often phone them up and they’ll go online and have a look, or they’ll just turn up here and fix it.”
Installation, Training and Ongoing Support
The relationship begins before a single cut is made. When Chasestead takes delivery of a new Prima Power machine, engineers travel from Italy to carry out the installation and deliver hands-on training simultaneously, making sure that operators are fully prepared from day one. The UK-based Prima Power service team then provides ongoing support, combining deep technical knowledge with the kind of accessibility that keeps downtime to a minimum.
Justin is particularly impressed by the intelligence built into the machines themselves. Both Prima Power systems are equipped with self-calibration capabilities, automatically resetting, changing their own tips, and even cleaning their own nozzles. “It’s pretty clever stuff,” he says. “The consistency and accuracy are great. You don’t have to worry about it.”
Real-World Results: Quality, Speed and Safety
The operational improvements have been tangible. The quality of cut from the Prima Power machines is markedly better than Chasestead’s previous equipment.
The improvement in cut quality has had a direct knock-on effect on downstream processes, dramatically reducing the need for deburring after laser cutting across steels, aluminium, and stainless steel. Cutting speeds are also significantly faster than the previous machines, and the systems handle material thicknesses up to 25mm with exceptional accuracy. These capabilities open up a much wider range of work for the business.
The user interface has also won fans on the shop floor. “Even old gits like me can have a look at it,” Justin jokes, noting that the software’s intuitive design makes it accessible for operators at every level.
Serving the World’s Most Demanding Industries
The work Chasestead produces on its Prima Power machines spans an impressively diverse range of sectors and geographies. On the automotive side, the company has supplied major programmes for Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover, Toyota, Nissan, and Ford. In aerospace and defence, Chasestead carries out significant MOD work for companies including MBDA. Architectural and decorative metalwork has taken the company’s products as far afield as a Harvey Nichols installation in Kuwait.
Perhaps most eye-catchingly, Chasestead’s precision metalwork has found its way onto the silver screen. The company has contributed to productions including the Barbie film, Fantastic Beasts, and Men in Black, fabricating the props and set components that require the kind of extreme accuracy the Prima Power machines reliably deliver. With customers stretching from Canada to South Korea, the quality and versatility of Chasestead’s laser cutting capability is on display across the globe.
“We never have any problems with Prima. Their response speed to any questions has been second to none.”
— Justin Sedgwick, Co-owner, Chasestead
For Chasestead, the decision to invest in Prima Power machinery a second time was not a difficult one. When a supplier combines cutting-edge technology with genuine, accessible after-sales support, it becomes far more than a vendor; it becomes a partner in the truest sense. That is precisely the relationship Justin Sedgwick describes, and precisely why Chasestead keeps coming back.
This article is part of the SMI MACH Publication — the must-read print publication that puts the spotlight on the innovations, partnerships, and people shaping the future of UK manufacturing. Don’t miss the full issue, click here to read more.
