posted 02nd October 2025 by Lisa Bigge
"We're very proud of the facility," explains Chris Bush, National Sales Manager of Guhring UK. "We've got Guhring-made machines to make our Guhring tools – this ensures quality, consistency and complete process control."
This single-site integration encompasses the entire manufacturing ecosystem, from raw materials to finished products. This stretches from production to coatings and regrinding services. The Birmingham facility houses not only standard manufacturing operations but also specialised tool production and coating capabilities that significantly extend tool life.
"We've got our own grinding machines. We've got our own coating facility," Bush elaborates. "So once the customer has used our tools, they can come back here for regrinding. They're ground on the same machines that they're originally made on, coated with the same coating that they started with."
The facility's vertical integration model provides substantial benefits to customers throughout the product lifecycle. "You get the same performance from a regrind as you do from a new tool," Bush notes, highlighting a key differentiator in Guhring's service proposition.
When asked whether this comprehensive approach is standard in the industry, Bush is clear about their unique position: "We're unique in that. The size of the factory and the fact that we have everything under one roof. It's a one-stop shop, really."
Unmatched Inventory and Rapid Availability
Perhaps most impressive is Guhring UK's commitment to product availability. "We hold so much stock here, we have £5m worth of stock on the shelf," Bush points out. This substantial investment in ready-to-ship stock encompasses an extraordinary 45,000 standard line items.
"I do think it's essential that we do keep all this stock here within the UK," Bush emphasises. "We've got 45,000 standard line items. We just had a new catalogue come out, another big book, so everything is in one book. We've got all these rows of stock available for people to have next-day delivery or same-day collection."
This inventory strategy directly addresses the unpredictable nature of manufacturing operations. "People can't plan for mishaps and breakages, and because of that, we have a large range available in stock," Bush explains. "So if somebody does need something straight away, we can guarantee next day delivery or same day collection."
This responsiveness is especially valuable in production environments where downtime incurs significant costs. By maintaining such a comprehensive local inventory, Guhring effectively serves as a strategic partner in its customers' operational continuity.
Engineering Expertise in the Field
Supporting this impressive manufacturing and inventory capability is Guhring UK's field engineering team. "Within the UK, we've got just under 100 people working for Guhring UK," Bush shares. "22 of those are engineers out on the road, covering the whole of the UK and Ireland."
These engineers serve as technical consultants, bringing expertise directly to customer facilities. "This allows them to go out to customers and the engineering companies, optimising cutting data, reducing cycle time, making sure that people choose the right tool for the right application, and primarily making our customers more profitable," Bush details.
The company's structure encompasses every aspect of the tooling lifecycle: "We've got all our standard stock in our warehouse here. We've got our regrind facility. We've got our manufacturing facility, but we've also got our coating facility."
Product Portfolio Evolution
While Guhring established its reputation through drilling solutions 125 years ago, the company has significantly diversified its product range. When asked about their unique selling proposition, Bush explains: "It's round shank cutting tools, primarily. Initially, when we came to the market 125 years ago, we dominated the drilling side of it, and people still pigeon-hole us for our drilling expertise. But over the last 100 years, we've diversified so much into taps, milling cutters, reamers—anything with a round shank, Guhring can do it."
Coating Technology as Differentiator
A standout aspect of Guhring's technical capability is its in-house coating department. "It's all about time," Bush emphasises. "That's why we offer 10 different coatings here, and it's all application-specific. So, depending on the application, we’ll have the right coating that goes on the tool for that process."
These specialised coatings provide significant performance enhancements: "With the coating, we can offer four times the tool life, from a bright tool to a coated one. And it's all under one roof."
By keeping coating operations in-house instead of outsourcing to third-party providers, Guhring ensures complete quality control throughout the manufacturing process. This integration also significantly reduces lead times, as tools do not have to leave the facility for coating.
Agility in a Changing Market
The manufacturing landscape continually evolves with new materials, tighter tolerances, and increasing production demands. When asked how Guhring addresses these changing market requirements, Bush points to the company's technical foundation: "Just because of the facility that we've got and the expertise that we've got here, we can handle any demand that comes our way."
This confidence stems from Guhring's comprehensive approach that Bush succinctly summarises: "From the standards to the specials to the regrinds. We think any application that comes our way, we've got the technology to handle it."
Industry Engagement
Guhring UK maintains an open-door policy for customers interested in experiencing their operations firsthand. "We've got an open door policy, so any customers who want to come along and see it firsthand, they're more than welcome," Bush invites.
This transparency reflects the company's confidence in its operations and its willingness to demonstrate manufacturing capabilities directly to interested parties. It also underscores Guhring's collaborative approach to customer relationships, viewing technical partnerships as essential to mutual success.
In an era where global supply chains often separate manufacturing from end-users by thousands of miles and weeks of lead time, Guhring UK's Birmingham facility provides a compelling alternative. By combining extensive inventory, comprehensive manufacturing capabilities, specialised coating technology, and field engineering expertise in one location, the company offers a level of responsiveness and technical support that sets it apart.
For manufacturing operations across the UK and Ireland, this vertically integrated approach results in reduced downtime, optimised productivity, and a tooling partner with the technical ability to meet virtually any rotary cutting tool requirement.
posted 02nd October 2025 by Lisa Bigge
When it comes to cutting tools, the Guhring brand is synonymous with innovation and pushing the boundaries of convention. Driving this culture is a management structure that provides its 48 worldwide subsidiaries with complete autonomy. Guhring UK has led the charge on a number of fronts, from powering its Birmingham facility with solar PV to investing in a VOLLMER VHybrid 260 grinding and erosion machine.
posted 27th February 2025 by Lisa Bigge
When it comes to holemaking, Guhring is an outright world leader and authority on the process – a fact supported by decades of expertise and the industry’s most comprehensive product portfolio. Now, the cutting tool experts have developed its latest addition to the range, the new RT100 Inox Pro series of solid carbide drills.
