Adjustable monitor arms and TV wall mounts manufacturer benefits from virtually continuous production of its parts on small VMCs, which in turn means reduced lead times and costs.

All across the world - the demand for improved, easily-accessible, round-the-clock information and entertainment shows no sign of abating - and with developments such as - the advent of digital TV; the continued growth and use of the Internet and e-commerce; video-conferencing; increased air travel and tourism, etc, it is a trend that looks set to continue. As the demand for information becomes more immediate and acute - our requirements regarding how we access and view it have also become more sophisticated too - and the concomitant demand for bigger, higher-definition, more ergonomically-friendly, aesthetically-pleasing and more bang up-to-date flat panel and LCD monitors and plasma TV screens is testament to these changes in taste and habits. All of this is good news for Newhaven-based precision manufacturer - Flat Screen Arms (a division of Bob Lindfield and Son) - a market-leading designer and manufacturer of adjustable monitor arms and TV wall mounts.

Flat Screen Arms, established some 13 years ago and now employing 14 members of staff, occupies a dominant position in this design and manufacturing niche - and its products are sought and specified worldwide.

Forgetting about the domestic/consumer market for a moment - and concentrating on business-to-business sectors - it is not hard to see why Flat Screen Arms' fortunes (quite literally) are on the up.

Visit an airport and look at the banks of passenger information screens in the terminals - and then consider how these screens are fixed to the walls.

Look at big City corporations and organisations (banks, insurance companies, stockbrokers etc) and watch employees accessing, inputting and responding to information on their computer monitors - and then think how these monitors are attached to walls and/or desks.

And finally, just in case you still have not got the picture, think about a surgeon carrying out a medical procedure and needing to check his/her work on a nearby monitor - and then consider the equipment that's being used to hold the monitor in place.

Clearly, just from the above examples, the use of (and need for) monitor arms and wall mounts is extensive.

Success for Flat Screen Arms operating in this sector means that the company has to have the technology (equipment, systems and processes) in place to meet sales volume targets and satisfy demand.

It also needs to ensure that the form and functionality of its products are in tune with market trends too.

This point is reinforced by Bob Lindfield, director at Flat Screen Arms: 'We are in the furniture engineering business - and as such fashion plays an important role in the design and manufacture of our products.

Only a few years ago - black was in vogue - so our arms and mounts were powder-coated black - prior to dispatch.

Today the market is specifying a futuristic and sleek aluminium finish - but it looks likely that the future trend will be towards white.

If you miss the fashion trend - you'll miss the market.

It's as simple as that.' Flat Screen Arms designs and manufactures a number of Trademarked products (Copperhead, Sidewinder, Cobra, Banana Arm and Large LCD and Plasma Arm) and uses an extensive network of agents and distributors to get its products to market.

A high percentage of the company's business comes from overseas - with the US being a significant growth market.

Each of Flat Screen Arms' product lines is available in a number of different sizes and configurations depending on a number of variables (post-fitting or wall-fitting; size/weight of monitor and screen; standard removable or quick release mechanism, etc) The company designs and manufactures all components (VESA plates, bones, caps, G-Clamps, adapters etc) for its products.

To cater for orders that need to be fulfilled quickly - the company carries all components in stock.

But for large orders (projects) - Flat Screen Arms relies on its machine tools and manufacturing systems to deliver.

And increasingly the company has turned to Mills Manufacturing Technology to supply them with high-productivity machine tool solutions.

A majority of Flat Screen Arms' component parts are manufactured from anodised aluminium (light, tough and durable) - and are machined on Doosan Daewoo VC 320 vertical machining centres - supplied to the company by Mills.

Flat Screen Arms has 3 x VC 320 machines at its facility - the most recent machine being installed in April 2006.

The VC 320 machines are small, compact travelling-column machines.

They are fast and powerful (7.5kW 10,000 rev/min spindles) and provide the company with high productivity due in part to their 14-station ATC and rotating twin workpiece pallet change capability - (650mm x 355mm pallet size).

The machines have also helped the company achieve excellent accuracy and surface finish as well as reducing part cycle times.

The twin-pallet configuration of the machines aids productivity.

Because 'next' jobs are able to be set-up on the machine's free pallet - the company benefits from virtually continuous production of its parts - which in turn means more effective machine tool utilisation, less operator intervention, unattended operations - and also reduced lead times and costs.

As well as being used extensively by a diverse range of businesses and organisations that includes - NASA, USAF, Wall St, Metropolitan Police HQ - the company's products have also been used in Sci-Fi films too - Thunderbirds and Solaris.

The company has recently entered the growing consumer/retail market and is actively looking to exploit the huge growth opportunities that exist within this sector.