Member postings for Ketan Swali

One of the couriers which ARC uses for parcel deliveries is Parcelforce.

Most of the time we consider their delivery service to be reliable.

However, during last weeks Parcelforce/RM strike, we understand that certain Parcelforce deliveries were executed by EVRI on behalf of Parcelforce.

Similarly, we expect/presume the situation will be the case this week.

If this is the case, I would like to understand how big this delivery issue is.

If you get a chance, I request members of this forum to look out for who is delivering their parcel to them if the outside of their parcel is marked as shipped through Parcelforce. Is it a Parcelforce van or a small car/white van man delivering?

Could you please comment on this thread?

If the Parcelforce business model changes to using EVRI or similar, then we at ARC would be concerned about reliability of the service. I am aware that there are good and bad experiences of EVRI. However, we pay Parcelforce a premium for providing a service which we consider to be more reliable.

For this week at least, all ARC parcels which would go by courier will be routed through DPD only. Whilst our Parcelforce collection driver is working, he has been told not to collect any parcels from us, even though he can deliver parcels!

Our local EVRI delivery drivers small car is ram packed with Parcelforce parcels which he is delivering twice a day, where normally he only delivers once a day in our area.

Ketan at ARC.

Louis Rex and his team ran the original Harrogate Show.

After reading Circlips comments in a different thread, I enquired about this with Louis (around 16th Oct.2022). He told me that he and his team are not organizing any show at the original Harrogate Show Ground, and that at present there is no possibility of their organizng a show elsewehere.

So, if there is a show at Harrogate, it is something else, organised by someone else.

Ketan.

My attention was drawn to your post by a member of my team who took a call from a potential customer who raised a concern after reading your post.

If you are referring to your red colour mini-lathe as shown in your album which you purchased from another trader in 2019, I would like to clarify that that machine is not an SC2 mini-lathe, and that it is manufactured by a factory other than SIEG. What you have is a mini-lathe similar to a CJ-18 brushed motor with hi/lo gears.

An SC2 is a brushless motor - belt drive made by SIEG - as sold by ARC and Axminster.

All mini-lathes are not the same. Whilst you are entitled to your opinions about Chinese lathes, I respectfully request you to be specific about the machine you have rather than make sweeping statements which can damage a companies reputation by wrong presumptions being presented.

I wish the OP well with whichever machine he ends up buying.

Ketan at ARC

Hi Ches,

This is a bit quirky on our site, post registration. Something we have failed to resolve to our satisfaction. Apologies.

At present, for registered customers, option to subscribe to newsletter is available on the site at the checkout, if you have not signed up in the past. However, if you had signed up in the past and then decided to unsubscribe, this option is not available again in the future. Periodically, for good housekeeping, along with GDPR compliance, customer accounts are deleted from web ordering system and mailing list, and our ACTIVE accounting system, based on account inactivity thresholds. (To comply with HMRC accounting, records of customer activity are kept in our ARCHIVE for between seven to eight financial years.)

The simplest way to sign up to the newsletter in your case will be to call and speak with our Ian on Monday, or send an email to [email protected] . In your email, please state your name, address, telephone number. For security reasons, the email and all the details requested should be as used by you at time of registration. This also helps us to identify you and apply your request correctly in our records. Apologies for the inconvenience.

Ketan at ARC

I have resurrected this thread from 2018.

We at ARC are starting to get calls again from a small number of customers on this issue.

I request forum members who are unaware of this problem to re-read this post from the beginning.

Thank you,

Ketan at ARC

The derogatory term ‘Chicken Fat’ was used often, especially by the late John Stevenson in the early days. He used to make a point of saying this often during SIEG factory visits. The GM at SIEG failed to understand what JS was saying at first, especially as JS would say it in humour. Those who knew John would understand what I am trying to say

One day the GM asked for clarification and John explained in his usual colourful way. This resulted in mild resentment at first, developing into the GM becoming more unhappy with the term. So, he surprised us by changing the protective coating.

Surface rust (cosmetic or whatever) could have resulted from any number of reasons during final packing at factory through to transit and storage over time. It would be wrong to presume that this was a result of ex-demo or return machine. What ever the reasons are, I believe that enough theories have been explored, done the rounds and being re-explored by new readers. Really, it is a matter for the OP to deal with, with Warco. As I said before, what the OP has done to the machine is a great result. What follows thereafter is really a matter between him and Warco.

Ketan at ARC.

Can’t speak for the others. The answer from ARC is yes but no but. To avoid going 'off topic', happy to elaborate if you want to ask the question as a separate new thread.

Ketan at ARC

No worries Steve, Weiss and their distributors have great marketing.

Correct!

Warco has a good reputation. It has been around longer than many traders, including ARC. Whilst it has been taken over by a new management team, to the best of my knowledge, the original warehouse/technical staff have been retained, and the team carries on providing the same level of service they are known for. Some may approve and some may not. That is just down to personal preference and experience.

Just check the innards for any signs of rust, and if the machine works as it is supposed to, you still have a years warranty should the electrics have a non-user related issue during this period. Re-packing and sending the machine back is an option you have, but what is there to say how different the replacement will be to meet your expectations?. Remember that it is a heavy machine. Looking at what you have done based on Warco's suggestion is a great result. It does not mean that a bare surface is more prone or less prone to rust in the future.

Bare surface on every machine is prone to rust, especially in winter. Regularly wiping the bare surfaces with light grade oil keeps the rust at bay. If you fail to protect the bare surface, the humidity/moisture in the air - especially in a cold garage type environment will generate surface rust. If you stay on this forum, you will see a few posts in the coming months on surface rust, protection aids etc..

At the end of the day, you make your own decision.

Ketan at ARC

I would respectfully like to make a small correction to your comments Steve. These are a generic lathe (not made by SIEG group), but it is wrong to say that almost all of this type of lathe are made by Weiss. This is a myth spread by marketing people, and by people who have limited procurement knowledge. This lathe is made by at least four different factories, and the importers you mention do purchase these lathes from factories other than Weiss.

I politely request you to be aware of this information before spreading this information in the future.

Ketan at ARC

Good result. Now get on and make some swarf.

Ketan

In this particular situation, it is difficult to say if there is a fault, and if so, what is it, as there are many variables. In your excellent explanation, you have highlighted most of them, along with validation for the product you have used.

Our findings were variable - inconclusive (working for one purpose and not another over different lengths), tested by the late JS, and two U.K. based engineers known to us, and tests were conducted on a range of MT2,3 and 4 test bars from the Delhi region, in comparison to far more expensive reference test bars made in other parts of India and China (sources of which I prefer to keep confidential for commercial reasons).

However, I have yet to get a clear explanation on the subject from at least two manufacturers in the regions in and around Delhi area to give me the confidence to sell this product. As I have said before, they have sold plenty around the world, and there is no reason for them to comment on my observations.

Just for clarity on your last paragraph, we are happy to sell products based on market demand for lower or higher accuracy, provided we are able to validate or stand by the product with appropriate reasoning. There are still situations in which we at ARC could be wrong, and generally if a product fails/gets returned three times in a row within a short period of time, we will review the reason to ascertain if it is a product related or user related or expectation for the price related issue. If it is a product related issue, we will remove it from sale.

Ketan at ARC

I think that this was possibly the thread you were referring to link

Ketan at ARC

After reading all of the above, I felt it would be right for me to say something on this subject.

With a few exceptions, almost ALL companies selling from the region in and around Delhi on eBay and the like are traders.

Based on our procurement experience, rejection rate for test bars from this region is very high. There is also this ‘mine is longer than yours’ concept in the HOBBY test bar industry, which is wrong for the purpose of using a test bar.

There are customers as well as Indian suppliers who disagree with my observations. I have difficulty accepting most of their observations and accuracy statements, and they have difficulty considering the rejection rates which I presented them.

As a result, ARC refuses to sell any test bars. Delhi sellers dominate the world HOBBY test bar market because of cheap price. It is impossible to compete against them as well known Indian makers away from Delhi region, as well as well known Chinese makers can only supply accurate certified test bars - short correct lengths at about three times the cost of what is sold by Delhi traders.

Regardless of my observations, I know that high volumes of this product are sold from Delhi, even though I believe that very few HOBBY buyers have a clue about what they are buying with regards to this product. Perhaps it is still fit for their purpose, and perhaps I am wrong in my comments.

Ketan at ARC

Hi Sam,

1. This page link https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/headings/4905 indicates commodity code 4905 2000 00 for Maps - in printed form. It also suggests U.K. import duty rate for such a product to be 0.00%, with vat of 0% or 20%

2. this page link https://www.gov.uk/guidance/zero-rating-books-and-printed-matter-for-vat-notice-70110#meaning-of-the-group-3-items point 3.10 suggests vat to be 0% for such an import provided the charts meet the conditions defined.

So, dependent on what commodity code is stated by the shipper in Netherlands, combined with 'country of origin' of manufacture (e.g. not Russia), probabilities are 0% duty and 0% vat - as a best case scenario. As a worst case scenario, may be a small amount of duty and 20% vat depending on how the shipper has entered the product into the DHL booking system.

3. DHL's import entry charge potentially £11.00 up to £15.00 on average will be based on what arrangements the Netharlands shipper has made with DHL. Regardless of 0% Duty/VAT, DHL has to lodge an entry with U.K. HMRC. So, again, dependant on their agreement with the shipper, DHL may apply their charge of £11.00 to £15.00, for lodging the entry and providing a facility to the importer to pay any duty/vat to HMRC.

4. to th best of my knowledge, provided all goes well, current DHL transits from Netherlands to U.K. delivery are around 10 days... if order is shipped today form Netherlands, subject to no delays in road/ferry services on both sides caused by variable factors.

5. Look out for notifications from DHL in your email box - including spam box, and ask shipper to provide you with a tracking number, and track the movement on-line on their platform, to see if there are any message updates - specially regarding clearance. Usually, DHL will try to do U.K. HMRC clearance as soon as the consignment is booked by the shipper in Netherlands, to reduce U.K. clearance time.

We work with DHL the other way around... i.e. export to the E.U.. However, for the 27 E.U. states, we do all the destination clearance in the U.K., and collect all the duty/VAT clearance charges etc. for the destination E.U. country in our checkout, so the destination customer does not have to discuss or deal with DHL at all for clearance.... smooth as we can make it.

Ketan at ARC.

Edited By Ketan Swali on 21/07/2022 11:09:40

I wouldn't know the answer to your question. All I can say is that we have had zero returns for this vice, and we have sold plenty to hobby users. What ilk of hobby users they are, and the suitability for their purpose and budget, only they can answer.

Judging by your remarks, the very expensive £1,000+ would be more suitable for you.... that is if you were in the market for one.... and then again, you would probably wait for it to come up on ebay, unless you could justify the purchase cost for a specific purpose

Ketan at ARC

Edited By Ketan Swali on 15/07/2022 16:14:30

The specific manufacturer who made this for us, closed down. Reasons for closing down were sad, financial rather than quality related.

It is true that cheaper variants to the very expensive vices do not come with accuracy figures. But then, this product is aimed at the hobby market for which the level of accuracy provided for the price is appropriate. If this was aimed at industrial production, it would be understandable for expectation on high accuracy figures at the prices suggested for expensive vices.

There are other manufacturers who make the product we have in clearance, at prices cheaper than what we were paying this maker.

We paid this specific maker more than the market price, because

a. we wanted to help him to deal with his financial difficulties,

b. In turn, he was happy to supply us a product as we wanted - consistently.

Unfortunately, we along with others (not Groz or Soba) were unable to provide him with enough orders for different products over time. Price competition increased, and production, labour and raw material costs made it impossible for him to continue to pay off inherited debt, resulting in closure.

Ketan at ARC.

Edited By Ketan Swali on 15/07/2022 15:27:58

Hello Haydn,

I refer to link very confused post.

I also refer to your telephone conversation with our Ian this morning. Here are our observations and comments:

1. You have an Amadeal 250w brushed motor mini-lathe which has stopped working properly for you.

2. You have a brushless 500w motor which you have pick-up from a car boot sale, for a £10.00

3. You have a 500w brushed motor from Amadeal.

a. You advised that the 500w brushless motor which you got from the car boot sale works. We have informed you, just as various people on the 'very confused' thread that you are not going to get the said motor to work on your Amadeal machine.

b. Electrical components from Amadeal are different from SIEG components, so electrical components from SIEG including motors have low or zero probability to being a retrofit for Amadeal machines.

c. Trying to fit a 500w brushed motor from Amadeal to a 250w brushed motor Amadeal machine without changing the related circuit board/other electrical components would be a wrong thing to do. You have been advised this by Ian in your conversation with him.

We understand that your intentions are to fix your machine and sell it on. It is our belief that you would need a competent person with the correct skills to carry out such a repair, using like for like components procured from Amadeal - your original machine supplier. Trying to do such repairs with poor understanding would be wrong.

Ketan at ARC.

ARC does similar to eclipse type, but the smallest width is 10mm rather than 5/16. Here is the link.

Ketan at ARC