Polyex
acquires Stereon
Alfreton
based polycarbonate manufacturer Polyex Ltd has acquired a majority stake
in Victoria Plastics Ltd. Hull based Victoria Plastics Ltd trades as Stereon
and was formed by a management buy-out of the company from GE in 2003.
They have an impressive track record within the multiwall polycarbonate
industry and support an extensive and diverse nationwide customer base
which includes home improvement giant Wickes. Adrian Titmus, Managing
Director of Stereon will continue to run the company.
Polyex Managing Director Roger Hartshorn said:
‘We are proud to welcome Stereon to the Polyex group and see this
as a major step towards building a truly national distribution network.
We believe that all our customers will benefit from being served by a
larger group with additional cut-to-size resource being added to our existing
manufacturing capability. We now have more flexibility capacity across
our product range and the ability to justify even greater investment to
maintain our position as technology leaders in the market’.
Victoria Plastics Ltd Managing Director Adrian Titmus said:
‘We are hugely excited by the possibilities that being part of the
Polyex group brings. In a market as competitive as ours it is vital that
we are able to offer our customers the levels of service and value that
can come from being closely linked to an independent manufacturer’.
We are pleased to report that since Polyex started trading earlier this
year, sales and market share have been running above forecast and we feel
that we have made a strong start. However margins remain under pressure
due to dramatic increases in polycarbonate resin prices due to increases
in the cost of crude oil and global demand for other applications.
Polyex Ltd was formed in 2002, by Roger Hartshorn and Mike Bosworth (Founders
of the Fairbrook Group which includes Eurocell) with production commencing
in 2003. Since launch the company has made great strides within the market
and already supplies two of the largest roof system manufacturers with
multi-walled polycarbonate extruded profiles.
Polyex Contact Details:
Tel: 01773 838 400
Fax: 01773 838 401
Email: sales@polyex.co.uk
Stereon Contact Details:
Tel: 01482 358 358
Fax 01482 565 208
TriSeal™
Gives European Fabricators a New Competitive Edge
As the latest GGF testing confirms the benefits of warm edge technology,
Edgetech is introducing its new Super Spacer® TriSeal™ at November’s
Glasstec exhibition in Dusseldorf. TriSeal™, to be demonstrated to
fabricators on a fully-automated TriSeal™ Lisec line, features proven
no-metal technology already used worldwide in more than a billion feet
of Super Spacer®.
As
independent results show, the new product easily outperforms aluminium
spacer on thermal performance, condensation resistance and glass surface
temperature. Like aluminium, TriSeal™ can be used with structural
and captive glazing too. TriSeal™ is also compatible with fabricators’
usual silicone structural sealant and other secondary sealants for captive
glass.
The unique triple-seal design of TriSeal™ uses an inner acrylic adhesive
seal for immediate unit handling. A captive polyisobutylene primary seal
gives enhanced gas retention and low-moisture vapour transmission. An
outer structural seal gives proven structural glazing performance. Desiccated
silicone foam, acrylic adhesive and a multi-layer vapour barrier give
excellent UV resistance, colour stability, extreme temperature performance,
fast dew-point drop, superior compression-set resistance and enhanced
sound dampening – helping fabricators satisfy the most demanding
customers.
TriSeal™ also gives fabricators the benefits of easy fabrication
and compatibility with existing equipment, materials and fabrication practices.
Advanced technical performance ensures that fabricators’ customers
enjoy the benefits of the latest warm edge technology. And moving from
other spacers to TriSeal™ is easy, so fabricators can quickly put
TriSeal™ to profitable work in their marketplace.
Speaking before the launch, Andy Jones, Edgetech Sales Manager for UK
and Ireland says: 'Following its successful launch in North America, TriSeal™
is set to help meet European fabricators’ needs for residential,
commercial and structural glazed insulating glass markets.'
Contact Andy Jones
Tel: 02476 705570
http://www.edgetechig.com/International/international_united_kingdom.htm
Pilkington
to Introduce Energy Surcharge
Pilkington
has recently announced that its Building Products division is to introduce
an energy surcharge on its glass products sold in Europe. The surcharge
is as a result of increasing energy costs and will come into effect on
1st November 2004.
The manufacture of flat glass is an energy intensive industry and in common
with many other UK-based companies, Pilkington has been affected by the
increasing oil and gas prices brought about principally by continued tension
in the Middle East and Russia and increasing global demand, particularly
in China.
The energy surcharge will be implemented on each standard load of flat
glass (usually between 18 & 30 tonnes) that Pilkington supplies to
its European customers from 1st November 2004. Smaller deliveries will
be surcharged in proportion.
To make the whole process fair and transparent, the surcharge will not
be set by Pilkington but will be directly linked to the price of a barrel
of Brent crude oil sold at London's International Petroleum Exchange (IPE)
for that quarter. As and when Brent Crude drops below the historical high
end price of $30 per barrel, the surcharge will be removed.
Mark Lyons, finance director of Pilkington Building Products said: ‘We
have sought to absorb rising oil and gas prices for as long as possible.
However, this is not sustainable in the long term, and we have therefore
devised this sliding surcharge as a fair and open system to pass on part
of these escalating energy costs. We believe that the simple and open
method we have adopted will offer every opportunity for our customers
to do the same.’
Synseal
Invests £9.5 Million in 18 Months to Maintain the Momentum
Synseal
says that its growth in window profile and in conservatory roof systems
in the last few years has astonished the industry. While some of its competitors
ground to a halt in the last eighteen months, and others slipped back,
Synseal has picked up speed. The question many of its rivals ask is whether
Synseal can keep it up? Will a flood of orders cause it to bottleneck
in order processing, production or distribution? It is no mean feat, but
Synseal anticipated that possibility and invested accordingly so resources
have kept pace with demand.
‘In total we invested £9.5 million in the last eighteen months,’
said Nick Dutton, Sales & Marketing Director, ‘to maintain the
momentum and keep customers happy. We put in another new factory, and
new extruders, and we doubled our raw material mixing capacity with a
new blending plant. We invested in injection moulding machines so we could
make all the conservatory roof components in house to give us, and our
customers, a competitive edge. We added new conservatory tooling, and
we commissioned additional, state-of-the-art polycarbonate sheet cutting
machinery and a one-of-a-kind, automatic conservatory roof packaging plant.
That’s a real monster that dwarfs all the other machines in the factory.
It enables us to package a complete conservatory roof far more quickly
and efficiently so it arrives complete and undamaged for customers –
no matter how many are on order that day.
‘We’ve taken on more people too, and improved our IT systems
so we can accept and process orders faster and more efficiently, while
giving customers immediate confirmation that their orders are in the system.
We’ve also developed our websites and added a new password protected,
technical information site, http://www.syntek.co.uk
that provides customers with comprehensive and up to date product information.
‘Our philosophy is to invest in the best before we need to so our
customers always get the best quality at the best prices without delay
or disruption. We aim to make good profits so we can continue to invest
in our customers’ growth, and therefore in our own growth.’
Tel: 01623 443 200
New
Planet Appears on Horizon in Leamington Spa
Planet
Group Ltd has invested £250,000 in a new purpose-built showroom
in Leamington Spa. The 5,000 sq. ft. showroom on Tachbrook Park opens
on Saturday 9th October. It is the 18th in the company’s network
of outlets across the UK and will bring at least 16 new jobs to the town.
This is the second time since May that the company has made a major investment
in the Midlands. A 15,000 sq. ft. showroom was recently launched in Tipton
at a cost of £500,000.
The Leamington Spa showroom will feature fully-built lifestyle themed
conservatories, a window and door gallery and a new and exclusive range
of classical and contemporary furniture.
Among the opening offers are 0% finance and a choice of free underfloor
heating, free blinds or free floor tiles.
The showroom will also be one of the first in the country to offer Planet’s
new roofing system. This has been designed to meet the requirements set
out in the government’s new environmental regulations.
Planet Group Ltd chairman Dean St John comments: ‘We are now counting
down the final weeks running up to our launch in Leamington Spa.
‘The Midlands is a key area for the business and the new showroom
demonstrates how committed we are to providing the region’s homeowners
with the finest choice of conservatories, doors and windows in the market.’
Coventry man Geoff Jenkinson has been appointed manager of the showroom.
He is heading a team of experienced and professional staff who can help
generate ideas and discuss designs with customers in the showroom.
He comments: ‘Conservatories have become an essential improvement
for many homeowners, but their reasons for investing in one are quite
diverse.
‘Nowadays people use conservatories for everything from an extra
lounge or dining room to home offices or even nurseries. The options offered
by the new Leamington Spa showroom are flexible enough to meet any of
these needs.’
Planet’s conservatories will be familiar to many in the area, having
featured several times on Carol Vorderman’s Better Homes TV show,
where homeowners are challenged with making home improvements that really
add value to their homes.
In a recent programme, a Planet conservatory won not only the episode,
but also the first prize for the series, adding the most value to a home
compared to other home improvements that featured in the series, including
new kitchens and bathrooms.
Customers can contact the new Leamington Spa showroom on 01926 883999.
The full address of the showroom is Unit 3, Hermes Court, Hermes Close,
Tachbrook Park, Leamington Spa.
Tioxide
Insurance Setback in Pinking Case
Tioxide
Europe has failed to make insurers pay out a multi-million pound claim
over the pinking of PVC-U profiles. The company manufactured two grades
of white titanium dioxide pigments in the 1990s that were used to make
window profiles.
The two pigments were subsequently implicated as the cause of a pink discolouration
that occurred in window frames, bringing a number of claims from five
UK firms – Hydro Polymers, Premier Profiles, EVC Compounds, HW Plastics
and Bowater Windows – as well as actions in French and Irish courts.
Tioxide was covered for claims up to £50m annually by its insurance,
but also had two excess 'layers' of insurance each of £50m.
Tioxide answered the UK claims in out-of-court settlements, and received
payment from its primary layer of insurance. However, certain excess layer
insurers declined to pay, leading Tioxide to bring the case.
In the High Court on the 23rd September, the Honorable Mr Justice Langley
concluded: 'The claim by Tioxide against insurers wholly fails.'
The respondents, Cgu International Insurance and others, successfully
argued that the 'loss' was not an accident and was not covered by the
policy definitions. Justice Langley also ruled insurance claims arising
from supply of pigments after March 1994 would fail, as Tioxide knew of
the pinking problem from that date.
At the time of the claims Tioxide was a subsidiary of ICI. It is now part
of the Huntsman group.
• One of the UK firms involved, PVC building products manufacturer
Heywood Williams has received a further £14.5m (E21.7m) compensation
for the discoloration or pinking of profiles it supplied during the 1990s.
This latest payment is full and final settlement of the second part of
the claim. A £8.9m settlement was reached in June 2003 covering
the first part of the claim.
HW set aside £10m in 2002 to cover rectification of its products
after it was supplied with defective raw materials. The UK company said
it would update its lifetime cost assessment, based on the experience
of its latest claims, prior to its half-year results in September.
COROX®-CGM
Convective Glass Melting: Significant Increase of Productivity
Linde
AG, Linde Gas Division, together with The BOC Group has reached a license
agreement on marketing of the BOC Convective Glass Melting (CGM) technology.
The letters CGM are a trade-mark of The BOC Group. Linde will offer this
new technology with the registered trade-mark COROX®-CGM to the glass
industry world-wide.
COROX®-CGM is a new melting technology with oxy-fuel burners located
in the crown of a glass furnace. Thereby, a convective heat transfer is
generated in addition to the normal radiant heat transfer, which means
that more energy is transfered into the glass melt. This leads to a significantly
increased melting capacity, which can be used to extend the furnace life.
Another advantage is an improved glass quality.
(Left)
Conventional convection method; (Right) the new COROX-CGM vertical method
The
CGM technology has successfully been implemented in 20 furnaces (float,
container and specialty glass). Air-fuel furnaces as well as oxy-fuel-furnaces
can be further optimized by COROX®-CGM. By that Linde Gas delivers
another solution to the glass manufacturers in their daily challenge to
enhance production, improve quality and meet emission regulations.
The Linde Gas Division, located in Höllriegelskreuth, Germany, is
one of the leading gas suppliers worldwide, and generated sales of Euro
3.843 billion in 2003. It is now the Linde Group’s largest division,
employing 17,500 people. Linde Gas supplies 1.5 million customers in more
than 50 countries with very comprehensive know-how in various applications,
extensive services and the surrounding hardware.
Web: http://www.linde-gas.com
A
New Window of Opportunity for Sika Customers
Sika,
polyurethane sealants and bonding specialist, has introduced a new range
of silicone sealants for the UK Commercial Glazing Market.
The new sealant range, which Sika acquired, is named Wacker Chemie and
includes structural and insulated glazing products as well as a wide range
of weathersealing materials.
The inclusion of the new sealant range means that Sika is able to provide
a total solution for sealing and bonding applications on building façade
systems.
The new range includes Elastosil SG500 and SG20, Elastosil IG 15 and IG
25- the structural and insulated glazing sealants which complement the
existing Sika Membran System, SikaTack Panel Systems and high performance
polyurethane systems.
To drive forward the new product launch in UK, Jeff Richards (pictured)
has been appointed as Key Account Manager Façade Systems. He has
over 30 years experience in the Construction Industry and has been key
in the development and use of structural glazing techniques within the
UK and wider European market place.
£1
Million Boost for Wakefield Council Window Firm
Metroglaze,
Wakefield’s successful council-owned window factory, has completed
summertime orders totalling over £1 million to improve school buildings
across the UK.
The
Normanton-based business specialises in making Sheerframe PVC windows
for council homes in Wakefield and for other local authorities and housing
associations. But it has also established itself as one of the leaders
in curtain-walling installation for school buildings.
‘Each year, as the school summer holidays approach, Metroglaze receives
a number of orders to provide replacement curtain walling for schools.
This year has been no exception. For safety reasons, and so as not to
disrupt lessons, the work has to be carried out in the school holidays,
so it is a particularly busy time for us,’ says Metroglaze manager
Alan Williams.
The Sheerframe curtain walling system manufactured by Metroglaze replaces
timber and aluminium systems commonly used in 1960s, 1970s and 1980s school
buildings. It uses an aluminium grid which houses high performance PVC
frames which provide good thermal performance and need only minimal maintenance.
Metroglaze has already fitted the system at a number of schools in the
area, and carried out additional work over the summer.
The firm, which employs 37 people and makes over 450 windows per week,
received another major boost recently. It expects to see production increase
to meet extra demand for windows following the vote by council tenants
in Wakefield to transfer their homes to a new not-for-profit organisation,
releasing millions of pounds for home improvements, including replacement
windows.
LVM
to Invest in a New Ethylene Dichloride Facility at Tessenderlo
Limburgse
Vinyl Maatschappij (LVM), a Tessenderlo Group subsidiary, is investing
20 million EUR in the building of a new facility which is to produce 250
000 tonnes per annum of ethylene dichloride (EDC), the basic raw material
for the manufacture of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), at its Tessenderlo
(B) site.
The new facility will reduce energy consumption at the LVM site in accordance
with the commitment LVM has made to be among the most energy-efficient
manufacturing sites for VCM at a global level.
This facility is one of the first implementations of a new technology
on an industrial scale. A new reactor principle and leading-edge process
integration will give the new process a significantly higher energy efficiency
than that of conventional technologies.
In addition the new unit will offer greater flexibility in the use of
chlorine and hydrochloric acid in the manufacture of VCM, the basic raw
material for PVC.
This investment is part of the plans for an increase in the production
capacity for chlorine and lye (Ely 3) at Tessenderlo Chemie in Tessenderlo.
The German company Uhde is in charge of the construction. The new technology
is the result of a cooperation between Vinnolit and Uhde.
The new facility is scheduled to start up in early 2006.
Web: http://www.tessenderlogroup.com
KEB
Fabrications Accepted into Birmingham Construction Partnership
Social
housing fenestration specialist, KEB Fabrications Ltd has been awarded
another high profile contract. The Glassex Award winning Profile 22 window
manufacturer has successfully been accepted into the Birmingham Construction
Partnership. This is an umbrella organisation of approved contractors
and suppliers with stringent entry requirements, delivering a Capital
Building Works programme for the City of Birmingham, valued at £350
million over the next five years.
KEB Fabrications is partnering main contractor, G. F. Tomlinson Building
Limited, on a six-year social housing refurbishment project, manufacturing
and installing windows and doors valued at more than a £1 million
per annum. The high specification Profile 22 windows feature fully reinforced
profiles with Securistyle high security hardware, including restrictors
on high-level windows.
Commenting on the scheme, KEB Managing Director, Lawrence Breakspear emphasised
KEB’s commitment to sustainability and reducing environmental impact,
by the appointment of a specialist contractor to recycle the windows that
are being replaced throughout the project. In common with the company’s
other social housing contracts throughout the UK, KEB Fabrications will
be working closely with the local community throughout the lifetime of
the project to deliver Decent Homes for the City.
Tel: 0121 555 5533
Newstead
Expands to Stay Ahead of Demand
With
plans to maintain the momentum of growth Newstead Trade Frames has increased
its stock holding of raw material. Adding 4,500 ft2 to its existing 79,000
ft2 site, Newstead has extended its storage warehouse facility. The extension
is part of the company’s recent investment programme which has already
totalled over £2 million.
‘The extension houses over 100 stillages of profile and allows us
to increase our stock of coloured products and specialist products too,’
explains Adrian Locker, Director and General Manager of Newstead Trade
Frames. ‘For example our unique Artists Range of coloured doors.
A slide in – slide out runner system is currently being sourced to
allow the easy movement of products to and from the main production areas.’
Tel: 01782 641 642
New
President Takes Over the Reins at the CAB
Well-known
industry figure, Lennart Jonsson, has taken over as President of the Council
for Aluminium in Building.
Mr Jonsson, Managing Director of Senior Aluminium Systems (SAS), takes
over from outgoing President Mike Nevitt who completed his two-year reign
in July.
Lennart commented on his appointment: ‘During my term in office I
want to clearly demonstrate the value of membership to the CAB to both
existing and potential members. There are currently some 70 member companies
but there is a potential to build that figure to nearer 200 members if
we really pushed and got fabricators involved.’
Lennart’s appointment as President, following four years as Vice-President,
forms part of the CAB’s strategy to support the CAB membership and
follows the important appointment earlier this year of David Earle who
took up the pivotal role of Technical Officer.
David, formerly Technical Manager for Sapa Building Systems, is another
long-standing and respected voice within the fenestration industry. Since
1990, David has had a growing involvement with trade associations including
British Standards, the Construction Products Association, the Glass &
Glazing Federation and the CWCT.
A strong advocate of co-operation between trade associations, David is
also an active member of the European Aluminium Association Alubuild technical
committee, helping to ensure that European Standards bring real benefits
to the UK market.
David commented: ‘As Technical Officer for the CAB, my aim will be
to disseminate to our members the relevant technical issues that have
the potential to affect their businesses now and in the future’.
The Council for Aluminium in Building is the recognised voice of aluminium
in the building sector, whose members represent a wide cross section of
the aluminium in building industry including suppliers, manufacturers
and installers.
Tel: 01453 828851
Patiomaster
Invests for Success
PatioMaster
North West has invested more than £250,000 in new plant and machinery
to meet sustained demand from fabricators and installers wanting to buy
in readymade PVCu sliding patio doors from a local supplier.
The
computerised saw and a four-head welder are contributing to greater efficiencies
at the company's new 16,000 sq ft factory and showroom site in Milnsbridge,
Huddersfield with capacity to manufacture up to 200 patio doors per week.
A doubling of sales over the past year prompted the move to larger premises
just two years after the company joined the national network of specialist
PatioMaster fabricators.
Included in the spend is a specialist composite door machining centre
to enhance the company's recently-introduced GRP door production facility.
Every seven minutes, the state-of-the-art workstation can turn out a fully-prepped
and finished door ready to take all furniture, including letterplates
and spyholes.
PatioMaster NW directors Philip and Martin Lawton say an increasing customer
base and growth in orders from existing customers have contributed to
their on-going success. Ian Hutchinson has been recruited as Operations
Manager to oversee the day-to-day running of the factory and install the
infrastructure to maximise output.
Even the dedicated four-strong delivery fleet has not escaped the latest
investment round with an extended long-wheelbase LDV truck further improving
the service to customers from Liverpool to Carlisle and beyond. Fitted
with a bespoke securing frame, the vehicle is capable of transporting
up to 20 PatioMaster patio doors up to five metres wide.
Says Philip: ‘We are seeing more and more fabricators and installers
who don't have the time or resources to manufacture their own patio doors
looking to source a good quality, high security product at a competitive
price from a local supplier. Hence our recent investment to offer the
best quality products and services to meet this demand.’
PatioMaster NW is one of nine regional specialist in-line sliding patio
door manufacturers offering a local service with national back-up.
Contact: Richard Parker
Tel: 01952 210850
Foilex
– Foiling for the Future
Foilex,
the specialist foiling facility, says that it offers consistently high
quality lamination, reliable and flexible service, while guaranteeing
confidentiality at all times, to all PVCu and cellular PVC extruders.
With
more than a decade of foiling experience, the company provides added value
through its customer service focus and partnership approach to business.
The team can provide a seamless transition to Foilex for new customers,
taking the headache out of any changeover. This can be particularly useful
for clients who presently carry out their own foiling but would prefer
to outsource in order to concentrate their resources in other areas, or
who have complicated project specific applications that are time consuming
to set up. A fixed price per metre can take care of all these requirements.
Foilex can laminate all window and roofline associated products with any
finish, on five production lines, using the ‘hot melt’ method,
and has extensive internal storage facilities for stock both before and
after processing.
Investment in a slitting machine means that foils can be cut to the required
width, as and when needed. This ensures a quick turnaround time, and offers
a more cost effective and flexible service, as well as reducing the need
for vast quantities of different widths of laminate to be held in stock.
General Manager Richard Morris, explains, ‘Our approachable team
offers a truly unique, personal and confidential service – an overall
package, managing every aspect of our customers’ individual needs.
‘We operate an extensive training programme in the factory that not
only adds to quality, speed and productivity, but also keeps the skilled
workforce up to date with all the latest processes. This in turn promotes
a real sense of pride in the job throughout the company.
‘We will build on these important qualities, and keep up with the
current consumer trends, to maintain Foilex’ position as a leading
player in this increasing marketplace,’ concludes Richard.
Tel: 01952 289209
Web: http://www.foilex.co.uk
Mind the GAP: General All Purpose Plastics Races Ahead
General
All Purpose Plastics (GAP) says that it has grown 30% a year for the last
three years. GAP, which stocks PVC-UE roofline, rainwater products and
PVC door panels from six depots in the north of England has a turnover
of £20m. The company recently added a new depot in Nottingham to
the existing six branches in Leeds, Bury, Blackburn, Wirral, Liverpool
and Stockport. More are planned.
Managing
Director of GAP, Charles Greensmith explains: ‘There are four key
areas that drive our growth - the excellent team we have at GAP, the efficiency
of our systems, the good products we offer and our strong relationships
with customers. It’s relatively simple to meet customer needs and
grow in the short term, but continuing to do it year-on-year is hard.
Markets change, and if you don’t keep listening to customers and
adapting your service and products to meet their needs, the gap between
what they want and what they get starts to widen.
Then it is a matter of time before they look for someone else to close
that gap. The challenge is harder still in a multi-branch company like
GAP. Our customers in Manchester are not the same as those in Leeds or
Liverpool, and we have to respond to the difference. We have grown fast
by keeping customers happy and meeting their needs. We enjoy excellent
relations and loyalty with our customers, but we cannot take it, or them,
for granted. If we want to continue growing, then we have to listen carefully
and earn their loyalty by continuing to meet their needs.’
‘We’ve always encouraged customer feedback’ explains Mark
Simm, GAP Group Sales, ‘but we knew we wouldn’t get an accurate
picture of what our customers thought of us by asking them ourselves.
That’s why we commissioned Michael Rigby Associates to carry out
an independent customer satisfaction study. MRA showed utmost professionalism
from the start in identifying our needs and tailoring the research to
our exact requirements. The results were thorough and enlightening, and
far exceeded our expectations. Undertaking research such as this can be
daunting. We thought we were on the right track but you never know until
you ask your customers. Michael Rigby Associates made it a thoroughly
enjoyable experience.
‘The research did confirm that we have excellent relations and strong
customer loyalty. The results highlighted our friendly and helpful sales
staff, and our professionalism in general, which was nice, but it also
detailed our strengths and our weaknesses. It showed what was important
to customers and measured the gap between their expectations and our performance
for different aspects of service and different products. It did this branch
by branch, so we can tune our service to customer needs. We weren’t
looking for pats on the back, although it is good to get them, but for
pointers to show us what to improve. In fact it’s done more than
this. It’s given us a blueprint to work on, to keep customers happy
and build our business.’
Tel: 01254 682888
Plastics
Plus – on the Edge of Perfection with Holzma
How
do you use a saw to start a cut-to-size plastic sheet operation with 5
people in 1991 and grow to a current staff of 34 with turnover of nearly
£10m? Answer: by understanding precisely what superior quality products
your customers need and then finding a world-leading technical partner
to supply the manufacturing capability.
This
is precisely what Wolverhampton-based Plastics Plus has achieved by working
in close association with the world’s largest manufacturers of beam
saw technology – Holzma of Germany, a member of the Homag Group.
Originally Plastics Plus was set up in business supplying standard size
imported sheet materials – chiefly acrylic and polycarbonate. Managing
Director Stuart White explains, ‘We fast realised that the market
required a cut-to-size service and invested in our first Holzma beam saw
within months.’
What Plastics Plus achieved with Holzma from the outset was a relationship
with a supplier who could directly address the company’s technical
requirements.
Holzma’s expertise in sheet material cutting allowed it to adapt
its design to cope with the exacting parameters dictated by the plastics
sector. Stuart White and Production Director Tim John realised that an
off-the-shelf saw purchase was not going to give the company the superior
cut quality and dimensional accuracy that its customers have come to value.
Plastics Plus also needed the high levels of engineering, performance
and reliability that Holzma could provide. For instance the range of sheet
thicknesses needing be cut, are from 800 microns upwards. A 30mm thick
sheet measuring 3m x 2m can weigh 200kg and 40 standard sheets of acrylic
up to three quarters of a ton.
All of these materials need to be perfectly positioned above the cutting
line of the saw bed and underneath the pressure beam with fractional accuracy.
The sheets are pushed forwards from the rear gripped by special clamps
mounted on a programmed fence and aligned on a side fence by pressure
devices. The position is measured by a magnetic encoder operating on a
contactless basis which will not wear or affect long-term accuracy. This
dimensional accuracy is critical for Plastics Plus as the range of their
orders are virtually limitless from, for example, 15mm strips to full
boards.
So far as the cut is concerned Plastics Plus requires a virtually mirror
finish on the edge and Holzma has full confidence in its monorail saw
carriage guidance system to ensure this. The monorail ensures that no
swarf residue can settle to disrupt the precise alignment of the scoring
and main blades – exclusively manufactured for Plastics Plus in the
UK.
Over the years Plastics Plus has installed six Holzma saws of different
specifications as the company’s requirements develop. The latest
three, specified with Keith Bower of Homag U.K. – are the HPP23-4
models with up-rated capacity through cycle times and cutting heights.
As an illustration of the flexibility that Holzma has been able to supply,
some of the saws at Plastics Plus have double saw carriages – one
specially to achieve vertical scoring to ensure no corner breakout even
on the thinnest materials.
Tim John says that the company now has the capability to deliver the same
quality of product and service over a whole range of the latest plastics
materials: ‘The CadMatic CNC controller of the saws allows us to
process orders of varying sizes to extremely short lead times. They are
very fast and easy to program and also interact with the MagiCut optimisation
software that we use for determining cutting patters for medium to large
orders.’
Stuart White says that by carefully researching the market in saws Plastics
Plus has put itself in a leading supply position to the growing point-of-sale
fabrication sector: ‘We have come to rely on the technical help,
back-up, training and expertise that Homag U.K. provide from their Castle
Donington base and on the interaction that proficient advisers like Keith
Bower offer between ourselves and Holzma.’
Tel: 01332 856500
Email: mailto:sales@homag-uk.co.uk
Web: http://www.homag-uk.co.uk
Closure
of Production Line at Danish Glassworks
Rexam,
the global consumer packaging group, announces that it has reduced the
number of production lines from seven to six at its Holmegaard glass container
operation in Denmark as of 1st October, 2004.
The closure is part of Rexam’s ongoing drive to ensure cost competitiveness
and earnings growth and will help ensure the business’s long-term
position in the Scandinavian market.
Negotiations with the local Works Council have started to assess the number
of jobs likely to be affected by the measure. At present the plant employs
some 380 people.
Tel: +44 1226 719 833