W&J KNOX installs new equipment and plans to expand its product range

Netting manufacturer W & J Knox Ltd continues to invest in their Ayrshire plant, with the arrival in the last year of a larger 16t capacity crane and a new centrifuge (water treatment facility).

This is one of the largest net service stations in Europe, handling over 1,000 nets per annum and complementing the manufacture and supply of new nets. Knox may be distant from the main aquaculture biomass, but the fish farming industry ensures continued employment in the small town of Kilbirnie for a staff of 70, with no episodes of furlough during the last year.

Through Knox’s working partnership with Indian net supplier Garware Technical Fibres Ltd (GTFL), netting materials from nylon through UHMPE (Dyneema and equivalents) to their rapidly innovating and patented, knotted Sapphire HDPE range are available and can be tailored to suit individual needs.

Sapphire Seal Pro has been revolutionary in that it has provided a single-layered solution to predator exclusion. The twine size required can limit the mesh size available, but with the average size of salmon smolts increasing, this is generally not a problem.

The Garware Sapphire range has been designed from the ground up for aquaculture, with singlesided knots on the inside of the net to minimise abrasion and, conversely, irritate the snouts of seals on the outside with a raised knot profile. With anti-predator nets remaining in situ for an extended part of the production cycle, fouling has always been a ‘growing problem’ on traditional twines. To this end, Garware has been developing its patented V2 twines that have nano-particles of copper introduced during the extrusion process. As well as adding density to the material, there is a measured level of resistance to fouling that also helps during the cleaning process.

With the retirement of the well-known Jim Traynor and Roger Dehany, Norwaybased Selstad AS took a majority shareholding in Knox earlier this year. The two companies have very similar profiles, and Knox hopes to add to its portfolio of products as time progresses. Otherwise, the change in shareholding was seamless, with the same Knox team dealing with your enquiries.

Contact Dave Hutchens or Finlay Oman on +44 1505 682 511 www.wjknox.co.uk