Manufacturing Today Europe Issue 115 April 2015

BEST PRACTICES FOR INDUSTRY LEADERS

www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com

today

Business

backbone The message is clear – giving your business the software backbone that will enable it to compete in the global marketplace could make the difference between success and failure

Also in this issue:

Harness the benefits

The full benefits of the Internet of Things are limited only by the imagination of those businesses that seek to harness the power of connected devices

Protecting the systems

If manufacturers are connecting corporate and SCADA systems together they must ensure the union is forged securely

EUROPE

Issue 115/April

MANUFACTURING

Editor’s Comment

Sales Director David Garner Editor Libbie Hammond Design/Art Editor David Howard Staff Writers Jo Cooper Andrew Dann Steve Nash Ben Clark Production Manager Fleur Daniels Production studio@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Advertising Administrator Tracy Chynoweth studio@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Head of Research Philip Monument Editorial Researchers Laura Thompson Jeff Goldenberg Mark Cowles Tarj D’Silva Emily Claxton Advertising Sales Joe Woolsgrove - Sales Manager Tim Eakins Dave King Darren Jolliffe Gareth Stevens Mark Cawston Subscriptions ikidd@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

Positive times T his magazine is following on the heels of a new Budget and the feedback I am seeing has been positive for UK manufacturers.

The MHA - the national association of independent accountants - noted the Chancellor’s steps to incentivise the sector to innovate, which has to be the answer to growing the UK’s global share of manufactured goods. Mark Morley, Director of Manufacturing at OpenText (the world’s 10th largest software company) praised the Government’s commitment to rolling out ultra-fast broadband – he believes this goes hand in hand with elevating the UK to become a global leader in adopting Internet of Things based technologies.

Andrew Dale, partner at PwC, observed that the Chancellor was keen to show his ongoing support for the manufacturing sector, and Terry Scuoler, Chief Executive of EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, said the Chancellor gets three cheers from manufacturers for the measures he included to boost exporters.

However, I did also see comments from both MHA and SME manufacturer Surface Generation pointing out that the Budget didn’t really address the skills gap. Surface Generation wanted action to make it easier for employers to recruit skilled labour from outside of the EU - Ben Halford, Chief Executive, Surface Generation said: “The country needs to double the number of entrants into engineering across all levels of qualification, but in the short-term it must be made easier for employers to recruit from outside of the EU.”

libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

MANUFACTURING BEST PRACTICES FOR INDUSTRY LEADERS

www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com

today

EUROPE

Group Managing Director Mike Tulloch

Issue 115/April

Chairman Andrew Schofield

Business

backbone The message is clear – giving your business the software backbone that will enable it to compete in the global marketplace could make the difference between success and failure

Schofield Publishing

Also in this issue:

Harness the benefits

The full benefits of the Internet of Things are limited only by the imagination of those businesses that seek to harness the power of connected devices

Protecting the systems

If manufacturers are connecting corporate and SCADA systems together they must ensure the union is forged securely

Cringleford Business Centre, 10 Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norwich, NR4 6AU, U.K. Tel: 044 (0)1603 274130 Fax: 044 (0)1603 274131 www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com ©2015 Schofield Publishing Ltd Please note: The opinions expressed by contributors and adver tisers within this publication do not necessarily coincide with those of the editor and publisher. Every reasonable effor t is made to ensure that the information published is accurate, but no legal responsibility for loss occasioned by the use of such information can be accepted by the publisher. All rights reserved. The contents of the magazine are strictly copyright, the proper ty of Schofield Publishing, and may not be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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62 - www.shippingandmarine.co.uk

CONTENTS

Features

34 Aztec Oils

6 Business backbone

39 Mark Water Pumps 42 Bene 44 Carl Stahl 46 Laerdal Medical

46 Laerdal Medical

48 NACCO Materials Handling Group 4 News Updates and announcements from the manufacturing arena

6 Business backbone What can the UK automotive supply chain do to ensure it can offer world class, high technology products

8 Protecting the systems If we are connecting corporate and SCADA systems together we must ensure this union is forged securely

Profiles

50 Munck Cranes 52 Prestolite Electric

14 Swift Group

54 Revolve Technologies

21 Pailton Engineering 24 Jotun Paints (Europe)

56 Robertson Timber Engineering

29 Märklin

58 SPP Pumps

31 MSL Engineering

60 ZGH Bolesław

24 Jotun Paints (Europe)

10 Harness the benefits The full benefits of the Internet of Things are limited only by the imagination of those businesses that seek to harness the power of connected devices

16 IT

12 A practical solution When looking to connect with existing customers and attract new business, industry leader Colt chose Citrix GoToWebinar

10 Harness the benefits

www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com 3

Added enhancements

Going flexible In a recent survey that canvassed the opinions of over 3000 business people in the UK on their attitudes and approaches to work, Regus has found that over half of manufacturing professionals (53 per cent) say they are seeing more people in their industry with multiple jobs compared to five years ago. These ‘portfolio job holders’ work for more than one employer, potentially offering more than one service.

The findings show that working practices have changed considerably, even in as little as five years, with many employers becoming far more nimble in the way that they hire staff. Rather than opt for full-time support, many are choosing to ramp-up capacity to deal with peak periods, outsourcing tasks to individuals that don’t necessarily work within the typical 9-5 framework.

Flexible, professional workspaces are facilitating this approach to work.

Portfolio job holders are understandably reluctant, or indeed unable, to commit to their own individual long-term, leased office.

Richard Morris, UK CEO, Regus said: “The days of holding one job for life have gone. The tendency towards flexible working - including hours, location, and staff contracts - is gathering pace. There are many reasons for this change, but certainly it suits businesses and professionals alike; both are increasingly looking for more flexibility than the traditional full-time work contract may afford.”

Working together FANUC UK and the Polymer Training and Innovation Centre (PTIC) in Telford have formed a new partnership. As Chris Sumner, managing director of FANUC UK explained the company wanted to collaborate with the UK’s most important providers of plastics training.

Fanuc is supplying Roboshot injection moulding machines (IMM) to the Polymer Training and Innovation Centre, and the Roboshot S2000i 30B will be a focal point of training for PTIC customers from around the world, FANUC employees, and FANUC customers and prospective customers showcasing its high reliability and precision. “Our loan of the FANUC injection moulding machines to the Polymer Training Innovation Centre will not only benefit the training needs of our own employees, but will enable us to service the training needs of our customers. In addition the centre will give us another level of access to the global plastics industry, allowing us to showcase the reliability and high precision of our injection moulding machines,” Chris said.

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DHL is adding enhanced new capabilities to its industry-leading risk management solution Resilience360. The new enhancements will allow customers to visualise the route of their supply chain by integrating Resilience360 with their Transport Management System.

Customers can then scan the latest position and status of all their shipments worldwide. This will make it easier for customers to correlate shipments with disruptive incidents and identify potentially affected areas that require corrective actions. A new country-specific risk page will also provide customers with an overview of supply chain relevant risk scores and incident trends. A global incident report will be compiled into a weekly supply chain risk intelligence bulletin, ‘360º INSIGHTS’, which is available free of charge to subscribers.

The added features to Resilience360 coincide with a new whitepaper, which argues that the globalisation rush has led to lean, complex and highly intertwined supply chains at a time when the risk of disruption has never been greater. ‘Next-gen LLP: Driving new business value in an unpredictable world’ details how supply chain operators are seeking alternative efficiency and resilient solutions by partnering with lead logistics providers (LLP). These partnerships go beyond transaction-based solutions providers of the past to strategic partners who deliver competitive advantage and growth through their supply chain solutions and technological capabilities.

Unlocking the value A groundbreaking project to help unlock the value found in discarded electronic products, such as phones, TVs and even toasters has been launched by a consortium of UK firms, and led by Tetronics International.

In relation to a £1m project, Tetronics and its partners, Metech Recycling and Vale Europe, have received a £600k grant from Innovate UK, the Government body which funds, supports and connects innovative businesses in research to accelerate sustainable economic growth for the UK. The £1m will be used to develop and demonstrate the UK’s first integrated plasma facility for the sustainable processing of electronic waste to pure precious metal. Once up and running, it will recover precious metals found in electronic waste including Platinum Group Metals, gold and silver at a smaller and more localised scale than existing large centralised methods without the need for further types of refining.

Graeme Rumbol, CEO of Tetronics International, said: “The British economy is missing out on a billion pounds simply because we are not recovering the value found in electronic waste in an efficient way.

The grant from Innovate UK will allow us to develop a demonstration facility, which we hope will lead to British companies being able to install the technology in future. Being awarded the £600k highlights how Tetronics is at the very forefront of innovations in green technology and resource recovery.”

MANUFACTURING NEWS

Super shuttles With an impressive first year under its belt and new premises now open, YLOG Industry Solutions GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of KNAPP AG, is looking to the UK for potential customers for its revolutionary extension of shuttle storage technology.

The YLOG-Shuttle system is unique in its concept of enabling shuttles to move both crosswise and lengthwise in a store by rotating. Explains Craig Rollason, managing director of KNAPP UK Ltd: “With swivelling wheels and an innovative power supply system,YLOG shuttles can move in either direction within the racking by rotating. This allows them to reach every location in the store and also - through the addition of spurs to serve workstations directly. This capability makes the YLOG solution especially suitable for production or assembly applications.”

The YLOG shuttles move between levels via specially designed lifts, so a single shuttle can automate an entire rack system. Modular design allows more shuttles, racks or lifts to be added to suit higher throughputs. With the racking easily fitted to the structure of an existing building, the system is easy to install and expand. The free-moving YLOG shuttles are available in three standard sizes and the system’s cost/performance ratio and excellent energy efficiency give a clear advantage over conventional stacker cranes or vertical carousels.

Neat solution Parker, the global leader in motion and control technologies, has enhanced the design of its popular high-speed frameless servomotor series SKW. Suitable for single and multi-spindle machine tool applications up to 21 kW, the motor neatly deploys inside the spindle. Supplied in kit form it simplifies mechanical design of the machine.

Among the many advantages over induction motors the revised SKW range features the use of cold PMAC (permanent magnet AC) technology. This means reduced heating in the bearings – so low dilation effect. In addition, an increased internal diameter means greater rigidity and capacity for bar stock handling in automatic (sliding head) lathes.

Despite the increase in internal diameter, the overall dimensions remain extremely compact.

Multi-spindle machine tools in particular need motors with a small external diameter and a large hollow shaft for the bar or the tools (thus delivering greater productivity). For this reason, the SKW series has been designed as a tubular motor. The outcome means numerous advantages for the end user. For instance, not only does it mean a dedicated speed for each spindle, but better surface finish, shorter cycle time and longer tool life. These synchronous Parker SKW motors are also maintenance-free (direct drive), offer low noise levels (no gear or lever sounds), are compatible with third party drives (including Fanuc and Siemens) and are oil proof.

Parker Hannifin enhances frameless motors to match demanding machine tool spindle applications

Blueprint for manufacturing In early March, EEF launched its new skills manifesto, which urged the Government to set a target of three-quarters of jobs to be medium or high skilled by 2020. The target is part of a policy blueprint designed to meet the manufacturing sector’s everincreasing demand for skills.

This news followed EEF’s National Manufacturing Conference where it was revealed that manufacturers would be facing a technology-driven fourth industrial revolution within the next decade. Six in ten manufacturers (59 per cent) are concerned about the impact this will have on skills, while 63 per cent predict increased demand for highly skilled workers.

As part of its drive to ensure UK manufacturing is not left out in the cold, EEF is pushing for 90 per cent of state secondary school maths, physics, chemistry and biology teachers to have at least a post A-level qualification in the subject they teach. It also wants to see a 25 per cent increase in the number of apprentices completing engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships.

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Other key steps by 2020 are to increase the number of UK engineering graduates by 25 per cent and to cut the number of hard-to-fill manufacturing vacancies to 25 per cent. EEF wants to see the Government and manufacturers working together to progress the skills agenda as this will not only secure competitive gains for business, but also deliver employment and higher living standards for workers.

In addition to sustained growth in the sector’s talent pipeline, it says that investment in the national skills infrastructure must be leveraged to deliver the greatest economic benefit. However, policy makers must also listen more and allow employers to play a greater role in driving the agenda on skills.

To see a copy of EEF’s full manifesto ‘Securing a manufacturing renaissance: priorities for Government’ see here: http://tinyurl.com/lpowjwt.

www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com 5

Business

backbone How thinking like a supermarket will transform the automotive supply chain. By Dr. Martyn Jeffries

A

fter years of decline, the UK vehicle manufacturing industry is undergoing a welcome resurgence. By 2017 it is expected to be turning out more than two million vehicles per year, a new record according to The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

However, turning such growth into long term revenue and jobs for the UK’s wider automotive sector will depend on the industry’s ability to source more components from within the UK. This essentially means ‘re-shoring’ much of the supplier base that has, over time, been moved overseas.

According to the Automotive Council an extra £2 billion could be brought back into the economy by growing the UK supplier base; a step that could create up to 50,000 new UK jobs, according to a 2014 report by Lloyds Bank into the automotive supply chain.

The majority (70 per cent) of the automotive firms surveyed for this report say they are looking to re-shore some of their operations by the end of 2016, drawn back by reduced costs and time, improving UK economic conditions and a desire to support local communities.

However, this willingness is tempered by a number of concerns.

Automotive manufacturers are worried not just about a lack of suitable suppliers, for example for high volume electronics systems, but about the ability of those that do exist to deliver components at the speed and volume required by the vehicle manufacturers. There is a perception that UK suppliers lack the technical or processing capability to undertake the business.

What can the UK automotive supply chain do to address these concerns and ensure they can offer the kind of world class, high technology products required by these manufacturers – and offer them quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively?

Software is the key to success For many years the manufacturing sector has struggled to successfully implement Product Lifecycle Management and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software systems. Despite the fact that ERP was initially developed to help the automotive sector manage increasingly complex supply chains and process automation, many firms can find themselves wrestling with what CIO.com calls one of ‘the most expensive, time-consuming and complicated tasks an IT department can take on.’

However, in an increasingly IT-enabled, machine-to-machine, big data world, creating and delivering world-class parts and systems relies on the effective use of software at every stage. From research and development through to production, performance and distribution, and even within the parts and systems themselves, software is everywhere, embedded and critical.

Software is the enabler, but when it becomes excessively complex or even fails, it becomes the barrier, halting operations and even growth in its tracks.

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Automotive supply chain Take control through testing and quality Other sectors have been here before, and have found a way to make it work.

The UK retail sector is today completely reliant on complicated software systems to deliver its business goals and secure a profit from very small margins. Ask any major retailer about their supply chain history, however, and chances are they can recount an incident involving software or technology failure that had a disastrous effect on their business – and the quality assurance processes they have put in place to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Reducing risk depends on taking control of software systems. It requires applying innovation to tried-and-tested quality assurance methods in order to test and monitor how software is developed and deployed in the business. For a supermarket that can include the software embedded in products and services, in driving ERP systems, powering warehouse logistics solutions, or enabling new digital marketing platforms such as websites, or managing increasingly complex pricing and re-ordering systems.

At first glance, the software needs of consumer online grocery shopping may seem a world removed from the automotive supply chain, but in fact it is not.

The quality assurance and testing approach is just as valid for the manufacturing supply chain; perhaps even more so, as they are not only concerned with the shipping of finished goods but with most of the product development activities as well.

For example, here at SQS we have been helping a large automotive group to boost their software performance to push ever further into new areas, from in-car communication technology through to vehicle finance solutions.

Our experience has taught us that seamlessly embedding quality assurance into the way a company plans, delivers and supports their software systems is the first step towards achieving more, achieving it better, in less time and for less cost than ever before.

Looking to the future In a 2013 strategy for the growth and sustainability of the automotive sector in the UK, the Automotive Council identified six main areas for action. These include developing process excellence capability, reducing total delivered cost, strengthening supply stability, and improving supply chain flexibility and complexity management – all areas where robust and tested software systems will prove critical.

The message is clear – giving your business the software backbone that will enable it to compete in the global marketplace could make the difference between success and failure. Working with an outsourced UK-based specialist can ensure software systems are delivered faster, more robustly and ultimately more suited to the business need. This independent quality assurance will ensure capable and secure solutions are available to any manufacturer, big or small. And if the automotive industry is to reach and sustain the record-breaking production levels predicted by the SMMT it must ensure that its software is ready to meet these demands.

Dr. Martyn Jeffries Dr. Martyn Jeffries is head of automotive solutions at SQS. SQS is the world’s leading specialist in software quality. This position stems from over 30 years of successful consultancy operations. SQS consultants provide solutions for all aspects of quality throughout the whole software product lifecycle driven by a standardised methodology, high offshore automation processes and deep domain knowledge in various industries. With over 7,000 completed projects under its belt, SQS has a strong client base, including half of the DAX 30, nearly a third of the STOXX 50 and 20 per cent of the FTSE 100 companies. www.sqs.com/en-group/index.php

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Protecting the

systems

Chris Day looks at the dangers to SCADA and industrial control systems when it comes to cyber security

T

he beginning of 2015 saw one of the biggest cyber events ever take place. Unfortunately, it was drowned out by the news of the various divisions of Sony being hacked. At the same time, the German government quietly admitted it had suffered a sophisticated cyber attack against an industrial facility – a steel mill – which resulted in equipment damage, production downtime and which could have potentially cost lives. This event was only the second time ever a cyber attack had resulted in physical damage.

Following Stuxnet, the computer worm designed to attack industrial programmable logic controllers and ruined almost a fifth on Iran’s nuclear centrifuges, this is also the second publicly disclosed cyber attack against SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) equipment which has been formally investigated and attributed to a sophisticated remote attacker. This in itself is a rare event and demonstrates the credible and increasing risk to SCADA equipment, or computer

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systems used for gathering and analysing data in real time. It is an unfortunate truth that a risk typically needs to be demonstrated in the wild repeatedly before it is addressed with the resolve appropriate to the potential impact of a successful attack. In the case of tampering with industrial equipment, it doesn’t take much imagination to realise how devastating that impact could be - from plant and machinery damage, to employee accidents and large scale outages of vital services.

However, unlike Stuxnet, which featured sophisticated air-gap hopping methods to gain access, this attack is reported to have used less exotic, yet still credible spear-phishing (email spoofing fraud) and social engineering techniques. The steel mill attackers were able to infiltrate the corporate network by sending a targeted phishing email that appeared to have come from a trusted source in order to deceive the recipient employee into downloading malware to his/her computer. Once the attackers obtained a foothold on the corporate system, essentially, they were able access to the

steel mill by successively working their way into production networks to access the system’s plant equipment controls.

In this particular attack on the unnamed German steel mill, attackers manipulated and disrupted control systems to such a degree that a blast furnace could not be properly shut down, resulting in ‘massive’ - albeit unspecified - damage. This event demonstrates how gaining access to and attacking SCADA systems doesn’t necessarily need to employ expensive or overly sophisticated techniques.

I have personally spent many years scoping, conducting and reporting SCADA system computer security assessments. In practically all my assessments, across several different sectors, I have noticed one common theme; a reluctance to admit or lack of understanding of connectivity between corporate and SCADA systems.

I believe I understand why this situation exists; it is typical to see an organisation’s IT and engineering as separate departments. Yet, to enable greater exploitation of SCADA metadata (such as manufacturing output or power

SCADA and security

consumption) and a lowering of infrastructure costs, it is increasingly common to find SCADA and corporate networks connected. In many instances, this fusion of networks is focused on maintaining the functionality of the corporate and SCADA systems by each group of specialists - the SCADA and network engineers. The discussion of the security implications of such a merger is often absent. It is at this junction, the known and unknown security issues of two networks have been combined into one, vastly increasing attackers’ chances of gaining access and having a negative effect against corporate or SCADA systems.

Also, we stand no hope of effectively dealing with cyber attacks against SCADA if we don’t improve our ability to share knowledge with the wider SCADA community. If organisations do not acknowledge security issues or attempt to diminish the credible, demonstrated threat for PR purposes, they are merely burying their heads deeper in the sand and perpetuating the problem. By recognising and sharing details of these attacks, we can make effective defensive

countermeasures and strategies based on experience and understanding gained from studying real life attacks.

In summary, if we are connecting corporate and SCADA systems together we must ensure this union is forged securely so the networks do not share their security weaknesses with one another. These weaknesses could be in the form of vulnerable internet exposed corporate network services, remote access for SCADA maintenance engineers or outdated SCADA workstations laden with historic vulnerabilities and operating systems. To enable robust security when combining networks, we need to be aware of the latent risks in each of the networks we are combining. We also need to also investigate the technologies present in each network to understand if new security risks would be created when combining them. Without this understanding, and an appreciation of in-the-wild attacks, we will be unable to implement effective defensive strategies and measures we need to protect SCADA systems and the industrial and critical processes that exist upon them.

Chris Day Chris Day is a SCADA security researcher for MWR InfoSecurity, a research-led information security consultancy, with a client list consisting of Dow Jones, NASDAQ, FTSE 100 companies and Government agencies & departments. MWR consults with clients around the world, providing specialist advice and services on all areas of security, from mobile through to supercomputers. www.mwrinfosecurity.com

www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com 9

Harness the

benefits According to Dominic Regan, the Internet of Things will deliver a more reliable supply chain

W

hether it’s a bunch of flowers on Mothering Sunday or photocopier toner for the office, we’ve come to expect the items we’ve ordered to arrive at our doors on time and in one piece. Rarely, however, do we think about the intricacies of the supply chain on which these deliveries depend, and how one small problem can cause repercussions all the

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way down the line. Rather than being forgiving about the complexities of the modern supply chain, customers are likely to respond to delayed delivery with frustration, and will be less likely to order with that company in the future.

It’s clear why businesses are giving more attention than ever to reducing shipping delays.

According to recent research from Allianz Risk Barometer, business interruption and the supply chain are the biggest worries for UK companies

this year (1). Meanwhile online spending is leaping to new peaks every year: Black Friday sales beat estimates by over £250 million in 2014 (2), while the entire Christmas season also broke online shopping records. With the growth of online shopping showing no sign of slowing, companies are realising that they need to modernise their supply chain to ensure they bring interruptions and delays to an absolute minimum.

One of key technologies for achieving this

Internet of Things

With a strong framework in place for how they will make the most of widespread sensors and analytics tools across the supply chain, businesses will be primed to bring their plans to life quickly and effectively – and make sure everyone gets their flowers or photocopier toner on time

will be the Internet of Things (IoT). Frequently described as a panacea for all sorts of business problems, we know that the IoT will bring real and immediate benefit to businesses’ supply chains. Not least of these will be the ability to implement new standards of control, efficiency, transparency and compliance – the key success metrics of a successful supply chain. Embedded sensors will collect data at an almost infinite number of nodes along the supply chain, enabling businesses to track and manage their goods and how they’re shipped in real-time. The real-time visibility that this will bring means that they will able to work more accurately and cut down the cost and risk associated that is traditionally associated with complex supply chains, and make any necessary adjustments with minimal delay, even whilst a delivery is in-flight.

This goes far beyond identifying bottlenecks in the system: the IoT can also help to eliminate breakages and spoilage. When shipping items that are subject to vibration, temperature and humidity fluctuations throughout their journey, businesses can monitor environments that might

lead to degradation of the product. Similarly, in-built sensors will enable businesses to measure and record angles of inclination - the degree to which an item has shifted with respect to its axis. For delicate objects such as flowers or wine the ability to monitor and address poorly stowed items can significantly reduce spoilage.

This would enable businesses to identify stages in the supply chain where items are vulnerable to being damaged, such as long waits in the depot or multiple changes of transportation modes.

The rich data will help supply chain managers identify chokepoints and rethink their shipping routes accordingly. Furthermore, once universal standards for IoT data are established, seamless sharing of this information among supply chain partners will allow any shipping exceptions to be handled appropriately by the relevant party. For example, if a shipment arrives later than expected, individual parcels can be reassembled using different carriers to help distribute the load and speed up delivery.

Connected devices have the potential to add value and insight throughout the supply chain,

from order fulfilment to final delivery. Businesses will be able to use the rich and detailed data to plan and model a wide variety of different scenarios, incorporating a wealth of timely, granular and accurate information that has previously been denied them. Business supply chains have always been able to generate data of some sort, but this has always lacked focus and, critically, timeliness. The result is poor planning and execution, along with other issues such as the inability to apply effective segmentation of both supply chains and customers.

The full benefits of the IoT are limited only by the imagination of those businesses that seek to harness the power of connected devices. Two things, however, are already clear: first, that the impact of the IoT will be phenomenal; secondly, that this revolution is not in the far-off future, but can be realised today. Supply chain practitioners therefore need to be forming their IoT strategies now, because it’s more than likely to be on their competitors’ agenda. With a strong framework in place for how they will make the most of widespread sensors and analytics tools across the supply chain, businesses will be primed to bring their plans to life quickly and effectively – and make sure everyone gets their flowers or photocopier toner on time. http://www.agcs.allianz.com/assets/Graphics/Risk%20Barometer%20 2015/Top%20Risks%20per%20Country/UK.jpg http://www.experian.co.uk/blogs/latest-thinking/christmas-retail-results/

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Dominic Regan Dominic Regan is senior director EMEA Supply Chain Applications at Oracle. Oracle provides the most comprehensive suite of integrated, global business applications that enable organisations to make better decisions, reduce costs, and increase performance.

For further information visit: www.oracle.com/applications/supply-chainmanagement/index.html www.oracle.com/uk/index.html

www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com 11

Case study

A practical

solution When looking to connect with existing customers and attract new business, industry leader Colt chose Citrix GoToWebinar

Facts at a glance • Solution Webinars • Product GoToWebinar • Industry Manufacturing • Country UK • Website http://www.coltinfo.co.uk

About the company A global company operating in 50 countries with 900 employees worldwide and 150 in the UK, Colt provides smoke control, climate control, ventilation and solar shading expertise to businesses from original design and build through to the refurbishment of existing stock. Colt ensures that its customer’s installations continue to perform at their best over time through maintenance programmes and staff training, with an emphasis on safety and consideration of the environment.

Challenge Employers and institutions across industries recognise the need for a structured and methodical approach to learning to retain key

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staff and develop skills and knowledge. “People are time poor, but they need knowledge and training to get the best from our services and to stay informed about industry trends so we need a practical solution to communicate with our customers, staff and distributors,” said Simon O’Hea, Director, Training and Information Management.

Solution Before Colt implemented Citrix GoToWebinar, trainers had to travel to their customers and deliver support on-site to their staff. Now trainers are able to set up a webinar without

any IT support within minutes and deliver comprehensive training by sharing presentations, white papers and blogs to deliver top level customer service. Most webinars are CPD (Continuing Professional Development) accredited, meaning people can keep up to date with vital industry topics without leaving their desks. Following the presentation, the chat feature allows people to type in questions, which the moderator answers systematically.

Benefits • Citrix GoToWebinar provides a practical alternative to on-site training, allowing Colt to stay connected with valued customers and save travel costs.

• Webinars are a vital method to share knowledge efficiently throughout the industry and maintain Colt’s position as thought leaders.

• Citrix GoToWebinar offers an easy to use interface and integrations with industry-leading products such as with HubSpot, the inbound marketing software. http://www.citrix.com/

www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com

Focus on: Swift Group Pailton Engineering Jotun Paints (Europe) Märklin MSL Engineering Aztec Oils Mark Water Pumps Bene Carl Stahl Laerdal Medical NACCO Materials Handling Group Munck Cranes Prestolite Electric Revolve Technologies Robertson Timber Engineering SPP Pumps ZGH Boles ł aw

y EUROPE

BEST PRACTICES FOR INDUSTRY LEADERS

EUROPE

MANUFACTURING MANUFACTURING toda y toda

Swift Group

The Swift Challenger Sport

Flying

high

Swift Group, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, has innovated and developed to achieve record sales

Swift Group Products: Leisure vehicle manufacturer Sites: Three sites in Yorkshire Employees: 900 www.swiftgroup.co.uk

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F

ounded in 1964 manufacturing touring caravans, Swift Group has grown to be one of the UK’s leading producers of award winning caravans, motorhomes and holiday homes. Its policy is to produce innovative products that are well designed, constructed to the highest standards and provide outstanding value for money.

It achieves these by constantly developing production techniques and standards, and by responding well to the changing social and economic environment. Commitment to these three aspects has rewarded Swift with record levels of sales, with annual turnover of over £200 million, and rapid growth as the economy comes out of a recession. Manufacturing Today Europe spoke to the company’s group commercial director, Nick Page, who commented on his confidence: “Things are looking very positive for 2015 and onwards as consumer confidence continues to improve,” he confirmed.

The company currently has three divisions: touring caravans, motorhomes and holiday homes. It holds a dominant market share of 40 per cent for its caravans, 21 per cent

for motorhomes and in the last 12 months achieved 20 per cent market share in the holiday home sector to become one of the three dominant manufacturers in the UK. The latter sector represents the fastest growing market for the company and Nick puts this down to the strength of the brand.

“In all three divisions we cater for the vast majority of each market, ensuring that we provide products in different segments to suit most budgets,” Nick explains, and growth can be seen at all levels: “The caravans, in some respect like the supermarket sector, has seen incredible growth a the top-end of the market with Elegance and Continental ranges, and a 70 per cent increase in our entry-level range, Sprite.” Across the divisions a general breakdown consists of entry-level products, contemporary and classic designs and top-end models, yet what pervades them all is a level of quality and precision that comes as a result of Swift’s comprehensive production processes.

Spread across three Yorkshire sites Swift manufactures its products utilising lean production methods, a development that as Nick emphasises: “Drives efficiencies into the manufacturing process seeing a significant

The Swift Sprite

reduction in costs.” It makes use of a £1.25 million Reichenbacker CNC machine, which ensures automation, accuracy and a more efficient production process. The reduction of costs that results can be passed down to the customer and means that Swift can meet its aim of providing excellent value for money.

Swift commenced building with its new intelligent construction system SMART across the entire touring caravan range from the 2014 season. SMART is based on proven technology and provides a strong timber-less body frame with all fixing made into a ‘PURe’ material to a pre-defined depth. ‘PURe’ is totally impervious to water and has no veins, this means there is no passage for water from the outer skin to the inner wallboard.

This delivers modern desirable looks and a class leading Aerodynamic shape that is highly resilient to moisture.

SMART HT takes the SMART intelligent construction system to a new level with the use of hi-tech materials. This is the ultimate construction method used

Bankside Patterson

Bankside Patterson Limited supply the Fusion chassis to the Swift Holiday Home division.

As the majority of holiday homes are in close proximity to the coast, the Fusion chassis in its fully galvanised form provides the highest level of corrosion protection and aesthetic performance compared with painted options.

The galvanised construction ensures a virtually maintenance free solution that requires no annual painting and is provided with a 12 year anti-corrosion warranty.

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Swift Group The Swift Sterling Continental

on the flagship Swift Elegance and Sterling Continental ranges. SMART HT uses a completely timberless floor and internal body shell through the use of hi-tech materials locked together with a unique aluminium and SRIM jointing system providing an enormous amount of strength and rigidity in to the structure.

Innovation within the manufacturing process does not stop with its own operations. Swift works very closely with its suppliers, and only works with those that are the best and most innovative. Nick tells Manufacturing Today Europe: “Customers buy into new ideas and new methods, and are looking for the best and most innovative leisure vehicles they can possibly buy. We constantly challenge suppliers to improve and regularly conduct supplier reviews to ensure that we are

The Swift Elegance

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Swift Group The S-Pod holiday home

Decorative Panels Group

The Decorative Panels Group is Europe’s leader in the supply of decorative faced sheet materials, panel components and flat pack furniture.

The group combines three divisions, Lamination, Components and Furniture. These vertically integrated companies supply the most prominent names in the furniture and allied industries sector ranging from manufacturers right through to retailers and follow a continuous investment program in infrastructure, technology and people.

Decorative Panels Lamination have been at the forefront of sheet material manufacture and supply into the leisure industry for over 40 years and have been primary supply partners to the Swift Group for over 20 years.

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always ahead of the game.� This commitment to quality and innovation within the manufacturing process has translated into quite substantial sales volumes. In September last year Swift took its largest single order in history to supply a leading park operator with holiday homes. Its presence at caravan and motorhome shows at the NEC in October 2014 and February 2015 both produced record sales, and the company has already sold out of its motorhome

The S-Pod holiday home

production capacity for the current season.

In shor t, Nick remarks: “All product sectors are performing remarkably well and with the market recovering it is a very positive time for Swift at the moment.”

Outside of innovation within production, it can also be seen in the products Swift is developing. Most recently is the S-Pod: “It was born out of research that suggested people are looking for something different that is a step up from a ‘glamping pod’ and is ideal for shor t stays, acting as a central hub for their

activities. It offers more style and comfor t than other similar products.” The unit includes a fully integrated kitchen and washroom, and has a pull down bed that transforms it from a day space to a night space in less than 30 seconds. According to Nick the concept has received positive interest from sectors such as hotel chains, golf clubs, self-build sectors and fisheries, and has received universal industry acclaim. Holiday parks have shown par ticular interest seeing themselves benefitting from

the pod as a way to increase revenues from more regular lets. The pod is the first of several concepts that will be launched in12-18 months and represents the company’s forward thinking approach to innovation. Swift is constantly looking for innovative products that could have a large commercial footprint, Nick explains: “We always have one eye on the future, always looking at the next project that could

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Swift Group Bolero motorhome

take us into new areas and develop new market oppor tunities.”

As the company looks to the future it is completely focused on continued growth and expansion. “I believe we will be a dominant player in the motorhome market with over 30 per cent market share and also a dominant player in the holiday home market. I also believe we will be conquering new markets with new products as well as bringing new people into the industry,” Nick answers when asked about the company’s five year plan. Recent changes in pension regulation also have the potential to create a ‘mini boom’ in the industry as customers with increased access to their money look to fulfil their aspirations of owning a leisure vehicle. Ultimately, Swift Group has experienced an extraordinary period of growth out of the recession and has plans to extend that position as the UK’s leading manufacturer of leisure vehicles. As long as its three-point policy is adhered to, the company looks sure to achieve the success it has earned from the last 50 years of building a strong brand.

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Big Bear Plastic Products Ltd

Big Bear Plastic Products Ltd specialise in designing, developing, prototyping and producing large and medium-sized thermoformed parts in both single and twin sheet. As a proud supplier to Swift for over ten years, Big Bear produces 6000 shower cubicles and washbasins each year. Big Bear’s engineering teams have extensive experience of moulding and assembling every conceivable cubicle - from a basic box to the most complex and luxury wet rooms for all kinds of caravans, motor and holiday homes.

Pailton Engineering

Driving

quality In the heart of the industrial midlands, Pailton Engineering today continues to steer the automotive industry with its systems

Pailton Engineering Ltd Products: Steering systems Sites: UK, India, Turkey Employees: 161 www.pailton.com

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ounded in 1969, Pailton Engineering has built its reputation on a proven history of designing, manufacturing, testing and delivering world-class steering systems. Today the company occupies a global position, utilising both local manufacturing expertise, as well as production in its final markets. “We continue to represent the essence of British manufacturing, with 80 per cent of what we sell manufactured in the UK, testament our position as a family owned company that remains true to its roots,” says Ian Palmer, sales and marketing director.

With offices in the UK, US, Germany and India, the business maintains a trading footprint that reaches as far south as Australia, across Singapore, the Middle East and Western Europe.

“The majority of our business focuses on designs for the military, and bus, coach and truck

manufacturers,” points out Ian. Its dominance in the military market is represented by long standing relationships with both Oshkosh Defense and its daughter company Pierce Manufacturing.

Furthermore, connections with firms such as Alexander Dennis and VAG Group highlight the extent of the company’s reputation across the industry, and the quality of its products, which are deemed capable of withstanding the demands of the military worldwide, supplying steering systems to the British Army for use in the Warrior and Ocelot vehicles. “It is our extensive work with the military that has led to us working in conjunction with TATA in India, designing steering systems as they work towards the development of a home grown military vehicle,” explains Ian. With its own test laboratory and 3D prototype facility housing an ever-expanding team of design engineers,

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Pailton Engineering

Pailton Engineering is well versed in producing end products that are specifically designed for use in specialist vehicles.

“Our real strength is in niche areas, designing specific steering systems that actually fit the vehicle and specifications of our clients. It is a different approach to the market that saves customers buying a standard product and trying to make it work in the vehicle,” says Ian. Such an approach makes Pailton Engineering a valuable business to work with; a fact that JCB construction recently homed in on, as he continues: “We have designed a complete solution for JCB, from the ground up. There is nothing standard on this product. The unique

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steering column allows our client to use the design in every vehicle they make, boasting unique features such as soft close, fully adjustable mechanisms. It makes the JCB vehicle far more

attractive for their customers, through increased comfort. Additionally, by working closely together we have avoided increasing the price, so the vehicles are still very competitive in the market place.”

The drive to keep costs down is own that is of great importance to the firm, as it faces a market where success if dependant not just on technological quality, but value too. “Here in the UK we pretty much run at full capacity, so instead of opening up new factories, we have developed a slightly different model where we work under co-operation agreements with other factories,” says Ian. Such an agreement has been ongoing in India, where the model has proved very successful. “We are able to control the quality by using our own SQA engineers, which visit regularly and audit. Through replicating that set up in Turkey we are also able to advance with manufacturing capabilities locally whilst ensuring an extremely tight approach to quality,” he continues.

No stranger to working successfully in conjunction with other businesses to bring technology to the market, the company unveiled a new four-wheeled steering system in February 2015 at IDEX in Abu Dhabi, which it developed alongside two German businesses, Tedrive Steering and RBL. “The technology has the effect of reducing the turning circle of an armoured

car from nine metres down to just 4.2 metres, allowing a much greater use of the vehicle,” highlights Ian. Pushing technology forward, a similar arrangement with Tedrive has seen the business establish a remote control steering system, promoting driverless parking of buses and coaches, ultimately reducing clients land requirements for parking by 20 per cent. The business is also actively developing technologies with regards to lane changing, and driver wake

up alerts on buses and coaches. “The application of sensors to the steering wheel, which detect grip and shake the steering wheel should that grip loosen, and cameras in the wing mirror that prevent the vehicle from steering across the path of an upcoming motorist or cyclist are both technologies that we are close to launching,” he announces.

With governments in Western Europe starting to drive public transport as a means, more buses and coaches are being built to service new requirements. Commenting on the future market, Ian points out: “Every country in Europe is looking at park and ride facilities outside of cities so that gives us a big opportunity. In order to continue growth, we have to expand our horizons abroad and operate in more countries. The Middle East is

a high target at the moment and we will continue working with companies such as Streit Group, increasing our presence there.

“Reflecting the uncertainty of many political situations, we also see a growing focus on military spending with increased potential for military vehicle requirement, as well as a growing number small manufacturers designing very specialised vehicles in low numbers, which is our ultimate target market. Being a niche player it is important that we remain competitive in cost, as well as retaining good engineers to maintain our design capabilities, and vitally recognising that quality is king. In fact, it is more king in what we do than in a volume product. There is a great focus today on measuring parts per million (PPM), and if you are low volume manufacturer, getting one thing wrong has an over dramatic influence on the PPM measure when it is multiplied up. Ultimately quality becomes a far more important issue in a low volume, niche manufacturing situation.”

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Jotun Paints (Europe) Ltd

All areas

covered

With a long history as a leader in marine and protective coatings, Jotun Paints (Europe) Ltd sees looking after its people as essential to a bright future

Jotun Paints (Europe) Ltd Products: Manufacturer of paints and coatings Sites: Global presence Employees: 220 (UK), 9500 (Worldwide) www.jotun.com

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I

n 1832 Henry Clark and Sons established a small factory in Reading manufacturing marine paint. Over a number of years, steady growth, aided by prestigious accounts with the Royal Navy and Cunard Line, saw the company move premises twice, eventually ending up in Brighton in 1956.

Meanwhile, Norwegian paint manufacturing firm, Jotun, saw its opportunity to gain access to the international shipping industry and obtained shares in the company in 1971, completing a merger in 1974 to create the newly named Jotun-Henry Clark Ltd. This move enabled Jotun to develop its range and become one of the largest marine coatings manufacturers in the world. In 1989 the company moved its production facilities to a brand new factory in Flixborough, North-Lincolnshire and a year later had produced ten million litres of paint with 30 employees. Today, the now named Jotun Paints (Europe) Ltd, employs around 220

people across all departments in the UK and is part of the truly global Jotun company, one of the world’s leading paint and coatings manufacturers.

“In the UK, we are now market leaders in the marine segment and rapidly growing to be a key player in the protective segment,” said Marianne Terland Nilsen, MD for UK and Ireland. Whilst the global company has sales offices in 68 countries around the world, the UK division supplies its main markets in the UK, Ireland, Holland, France, Germany, Poland, Russia and Brazil.

Jotun’s vision is ‘Jotun protects property’, and it achieves this across four sectors: marine, protective, decorative and powder. In marine, its coatings are aimed at protecting vessels against corrosion and fouling in the sea, but its hull performance solutions also aim to increase energy efficiencies. Protective paints are supplied to protect structures such as building, bridges and oil platforms against fire and corrosion, whilst the powder and decorative

Penguins succeed together, Vicky Haines, Emma McArthur, Matthew Curtis, Amy Brightmore

Teamwork between sales and operation

divisions provide solutions for interior and exterior protection against corrosion and environmental factors. Notable applications of Jotun paints and coatings include the Burj Khalifa, the Eiffel tower, ‘Freedom of the Seas’ cruise ship and the Queen Mary. Whilst most research and development projects happen in Norway, regional departments are also in place to create a number of solutions.

Marianne explains that: “ Our colleagues in the R&D department have developed new-state-ofthe-art intumescent products. I am very proud and happy to share that these new products are produced and delivered from us in Flixborough. To make this possible we have invested in dedicated production and filling equipment.” It is clear then that the UK operations of Jotun make a significant contribution to the organic growth strategy shared across the global company developing innovative products to expand new sectors.

Jotun’s strategy is to grow organically to develop new and existing markets, with a global view and a regional focus. In the UK, the company fully embraces this spirit as it continuously invests in and develops its facilities and people to achieve growth. Jotun prides itself on employee care and has created the Jotun Academies scheme, an umbrella of internal training programmes covering aspects of management, sales, finance, marketing and operation within the business. “Our employees are our main asset and we strive to give them the best opportunities for training and development,” highlights Marianne. “It is a great experience and opportunity for an employee from the UK to

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Jotun Paints (Europe) Ltd

Top left: Happy operator in the factory, Nigel Martinson Above: Paint quality control, Paul Lee and Lee White Top right: Steve Eastman in the warehouse

travel to Dubai or Shanghai for training. It also gives us the best opportunity to share knowledge between regions and sites. This is also well aligned with our corporate values: Respect, Care, Loyalty and Boldness.”

Aside to this highly focused approach to employee development, the UK division also invests in improving its facilities to the benefit of its people. Marianne tells Manufacturing Today Europe: “In the last year, we have invested in our offices and admin building to make sure our people have a modern and nice working environment. In the upgrade we have tried to reflect our working processes and create a working environment that encourages and improves communication, co-operation and teamwork. It is great to feel how the atmosphere has changed – and to see a lot of happy faces.” It has also made investments into new HVAC technology within the production facilities to improve employee comfort. Other areas of investment are aimed at improving the production line. The factory in Flixborough was originally set up as a traditional paint production facility, but as time has gone by, investments in new technology have been made to increase automation. “We are now in the planning phase to

start using in-line technology to do the dispersion process more quickly and easily. This will give us great benefits by reducing our cycle times and hence increasing our flexibility to service our customers,” explains Marianne.

Over the span of its long history, Jotun has established itself as a leading player in the global paints industry. Today it uses this position to

naturally induce organic growth into new and existing markets; by nurturing its employees the company is able to achieve this. Marianne adds: “We are working very hard to grow our top line and sales to develop our business, but even more important, we want to grow our people. We want to provide opportunities to learn new things every day to make sure we develop. By inspiring everybody to take part in problem solving and ensuring that we are making small improvements every day, I believe we have a bright future ahead of us.”

colep

Colep is a leading supplier of three piece tinplate cans in Europe in both General Line and Aerosols. With manufacturing sites in Spain, Poland and Portugal, Colep’s Packaging Division offers a flexible and high quality service to its customers as well as innovative solutions.

Colep’s relationship with Jotun has been built over many years, starting with the Iberian subsidiary and enlarged to export business, and now we can say that Colep is an important supplier to Jotun in different geographies. Joint projects, knowledge sharing and a close co-operation have been crucial to build trust and a real partnership relation between both companies.

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A whole new

Märklin

world From its humble beginnings as a small factory creating tin toys 150 years ago, Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH has since grown to become a global leader in modern model railway manufacturing

Märklin Products: Model railroads Sites: Göppingen, Germany, and Györ, Hungary Employees: 1000+ www.maerklin.com/en

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eadquartered in Göppingen, near Stuttgart, Germany, since its inception, Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH (Märklin) boasts a long and illustrious history since it presented the first model railroad system in 1891. Over the years the company developed its knowledge of model-railway manufacturing and enhanced the world of model railroading as a whole with innovations such as the halving of 0 Scale to HO (half of zero), which allows for complete layouts on table top railroads, in 1935; it also added the first sound effects circuit in 1966 and presented the mini-club, the world’s smallest mass produced electric train system, in 1972.

During the first decade of the new century a weighty amount of Märklin products were manufactured in China,

however, over recent years the company made the strategic decision to reclaim its products and instead create almost everything in-house, as managing director of Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH Florian Sieber discusses: “Throughout 2014 we invested in the construction of a new facility in

Sontheim

Sontheim is a reliable system partner to numerous manufacturers and suppliers of the automation and automotive industry and has provided innovative hardware and software solutions for communication and diagnostic tasks for almost 20 years. The solutions are based on modular architectures to guarantee an easy integration into various systems and to guarantee future expansion. Sontheim is your competent partner for all questions of fieldbustechnology and supports you at all phases of your projects, starting at the development level ranging up to the serial product and beyond.

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Märklin

BOY-Strong Partnership

BOY has supplied the company Gebr. Märklin & Cie GmbH with its injection moulding machines for decades. This did not even change when company Märklin was in insolvency administration.

Today, a number of BOY injection moulding machines with latest technologies are in plants in Göppingen (DE) and Györ (HU). These machines achieve an efficiency classification up to 9+ according to Euromap 60.1.

There is a close collaboration with Märklin open house presentations and BOY exhibition appearances like Fakuma, where Märklin ICE housings were moulded on a BOY 100 E and deposited with a BOY handling on a conveyor belt.

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Györ, Hungary, which is next to our 20 year old production facility. We have increased our capacity a tremendous amount to ensure we have enough space to successfully relocate the production volumes from China. More than 80 per cent of our production takes place in our own production facilities currently, a percentage that was a lot lower five years ago.

“As our main sales area region is central Europe, it includes a lot of German speaking countries such as Austria, Switzerland, Germany of course, Benelux and Scandinavia; we also have strong customer markets in the UK and France.

We feel it is important to be near the markets we sell to. Time to market and logistic costs are optimised. Another benefit of producing locally is that we can set reliable delivery dates that will be met. On top of this, we are now in charge of our own quality control, which is a critical issue for our clients who want optimum quality products.”

Today the world leader for gauges in the model railroad market, Märklin is the only manufacturer to offer users the option of adding to existing layouts and collections over the years, thus linking generations through knowledge and technology. Elaborating on the process of creating high quality prototypes, Florian says: “It is very

time consuming and complex. First of all, we have many old models that aren’t on tracks these days, so we have a documentation department that gathers all material, such as footage and data information, on these models and prepares this for the design engineers in Göppingen. Everything is done in-house, so the construction team then designs the products with the CAD system CATIA; Every original has to be scaled down perfectly in accordance with its original measures; this is easier for modern locomotives and wagons as we can contact the train manufacturer and get the construction data that way. The next step takes places in our tooling department, where we plan and create die-cast plastic tools.

“Parallel to this we have the sounds and electronics departments; our sound specialists go to locations such as museums to record all of the noises of old trains before they then put the noises in the right place in combination with the functions our models have.”

Ever motivated by the opportunity to deliver charming and prototypical, true-to-life models to its customers, Märklin integrates tradition with impeccable standards and innovation to continuously fascinate and attract both dedicated collectors and beginners to its product range.

“Our main customers are men above 40 as not

many kids can afford our products; nearly all our models are made of metal and are highly detailed, so you must handle them with care. However, two years ago we began to introduce two new product segments, one is Märklin My World, which targets children from three to six years. The toys are made of plastic and have a high play value due to their robustness; they also have sounds and lights and an affordable track system that allows customers to build a huge layout if they wish,” says Florian.

He continues: “We also established Märklin Start Up in 2014, which is for children aged seven and above. The price is not as high as our regular programme but is fully compatible with it, so it provides an easy-to-use start for children in the model rail road hobby.”

Notable products within Märklin My World is the ICE and Eurostar pack model, which boasts three speeds forward and reverse drive, three audio functions and three headlights. The product’s quality was commended with the

2011 Top 10 Toys award. Meanwhile, a highlight within Märklin Start Up is the Fire Department Digital Starter Set, which includes class 212 diesel locomotive, crew car, low side car and tank car prototypes, all painted and lettered with optimum accuracy.

“Although we are continuing to create products for our main target group, we are putting more effort on our new client target group, children, because children that come into contact with model trains are more likely to return to us when they reach our main target group’s age; however, this can only be achieved when they have had the experience of Märklin models when young,” concludes Florian.

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MSL Engineering

Left: Large bore Carbon Steel pipework fabrication in progress in MSL’s fabrication facility Below: High spec stainless steel pipework MSL fabricated in its workshop facility and installed in a large dairy plant Bottom: Modular fabrication in progress, assisted by an overhead gantry crane, in MSL’s fabrication facility

Fully

fabricated

From within a large fabrication facility in Ireland, MSL Engineering Ltd has built upon an expertise that has seen its demand continually rise

MSL Engineering Ltd Products: Process and utility pipework fabrication and installation, platform and steelwork fabrication and installation, equipment installation Sites: One Employees: 150 www.mslengineering.ie

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he roots of MSL Engineering Ltd date back to 1979 and through its 36 years of trading experience, the company has built up gradually from an initial small scale fabrication yard to its position today as a large, multi-skilled contractor. Engaged in the mechanical engineering contracting industry it has successfully grown to emerge as one of the leading mechanical engineering contractors in Ireland in the delivery of both large mechanical construction projects and responsive maintenance support contracts.

“We specialise in process and utility pipework fabrication and installation, platform and steelwork fabrication and installation and heavy equipment installation. We utilise our fabrication facilities to produce and assemble process and utility piping before site installation and testing,” said Maurice McGrath, managing director, in a previous interview with Manufacturing Today Europe’s sister magazine European Oil and Gas. With the larger portion of its work undertaken in the Cork region of Southern Ireland, in 2012 the business invested in relocating to a brand new 20,000 sq ft premises, increasing its fabrication space for all types of pipe work from carbon steel to stainless steel and chrome, amongst other materials.

Its extensive, fully equipped workshop and

fabrication facilities today consists of a 17,000 sq ft carbon steel and stainless steel pipe shop with overhead gantry crane, lay down areas and storage compounds. This facility is conveniently located just off the M8/M7 Cork - Dublin Motorway. Adjoining these facilities, an additional 1,700 sq ft clean room facility is due to begin construction shortly. Following the construction of this purpose built clean room facility, workshop capacity will be increased to include high purity pipework projects for its clients in the biopharma sector.

The overhead gantry crane and bespoke height clearance of the workshop (12m at apex) provides the business with the capacity to fabricate modules at its facility before transportation to various sites throughout Ireland and the UK for clients such as Henkel Ireland (now BASF), Merck Sharpe & Dohme and GlaxoSmithKline. Capable of handling module constructions weighing up to 150 tonnes and over 20 metres in length, this method ultimately reduces the number of man-hours required on site, which has many advantages from a safety perspective, with work undertaken in a controlled environment.

Developing as a business, in 1990 it received recognition of its capabilities, winning a series of significant contracts that ultimately positioned it as an automatic choice on the tender list for

consultants working with multi-national clients.

Having received a contract for maintenance work on the offshore production platform with Marathon Petroleum on the Kinsale Head gas field, it continued to hold that contract for five years during the peak production period, undertaking a great deal of work that relied on an unblemished record in its production process. Through establishing relationships with clients that would last decades, the business has continued to execute numerous projects in this field. Subsequent projects in the oil and gas sector include taking charge of all its clients maintenance work at the Whitegate Refinery and the Bantry Bay Terminals, as well as ad-hoc contract extensions for which its fabrication expertise is a heavily relied upon asset.

Today, its client base features a combination of multi–national and indigenous companies across a spectrum of industry sectors including, pharmaceutical, chemical, oil and gas, power & utilities, transport infrastructure, food and beverage, process drainage, medical devices, data storage and recently, fire protection.

Reflecting strong growth within Ireland, the majority of the company’s work is with pharmaceutical companies, power generation businesses and agriculture/dairy industries, but

has also undertaken a number of large distillery projects such as that with Irish Distillers (Pernod Ricard), fabricating and installing over 16,000 metres of pipe over an 18-month period.

Working in industries that are inherently hazardous, the business has for a long time taken an uncompromised standing on safety, which has been a major element behind the company’s success, and that standing is reflected not only by the high standards and safety record but also by MSL’s Safety Management System attaining the IOSH Safe-T-Cert accreditation in 2012.

“In our business quality is something that can be very easily measured, with our welding and fabrication subject to thorough monitoring and NDE (non-destructive examination). The work is also very labour intensive and the personnel that we employ and depend on have a lot of knowledge and an excellent skill set,” highlighted Maurice, before he addressed the impact of the skills shortage on the business and industry: “As many of the older generations leave the industry they need to be replaced by new entrants. This potential shortfall needs to be addressed by the continuous assessment of industry needs and the introduction of suitable, relevant training and courses.” On a

global scale, there is a great demand for people in all trades across the industry, and as such a number of skilled tradesmen have emigrated as they search lucrative opportunities. In response, MSL Engineering has an apprenticeship training programme which takes on new participants every year. The emphasis MSL places on quality is underpinned by its Quality Management System, which attained ISO 9001:2008 accreditation in 2012.

The Cork region benefits from a long tradition of developing the skills required in this industry, leading to a great deal of valuable experience in the region. As a result, the ability to deliver quality, timely projects and responsive maintenance, has seen MSL regarded by its clients as an integral link in their supply chain.

This reputation is vital to the company’s ongoing success as it is faced with a very competitive market in which a number of companies are operating. However, as other markets in the UK and Europe continue to expand, the resources of MSL become ever more demanded and as such the business looks set to leverage off its experience and build on opportunities in new markets. Recent mechanical projects by MSL in Geel, Belgium and Glascow, Scotland may be just the beginning.

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Aztec Oils

The lubrication

specialists

Aztec Oils is one of the UK’s leading specialists in high performance lubricant manufacture and distribution

Carl Stahl Products: High performance lubricants Sites: Two in the UK Employees: 57 over two sites www.aztecoils.co.uk

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A

s company Managing Director Mark Lord began by explaining, the company’s initial offering evolved quickly to meet the needs of customers: “We started trading in packaged lubricants in 1998 and soon realised there was a need for a bulk storage facility for the products. Soon after the bulk storage was created, we then expanded into blending, which also required a laterally run laboratory function for testing of blended products. We now manufacture approximately 95 per cent of the products we sell from our own facility in Bolsover and we are one of the largest independent oil manufacturers in the UK.” David Ashard, Operations Director, added some further details about the capabilities of

Aztec’s Bolsover site: “This facility contains several key areas, three production, one blending, one laboratory, two warehouses, one engineering and our admin block,” he said. “We are currently working towards a more lean approach to manufacturing and have installed the use of work instructions and encourage our team leaders to record and communicate methods of ensuring our continual improvement.

The management team are also standardising our entire procedure portfolio ready to move into the next phase of our lean journey.

“As part of our determination to form a solid foundation for our growth we invested heavily into achieving ISO accreditation for our business.

We have now been running to ISO 9001, 14001 & 18001 standards for several years and are confident that our procedures and processes

are robust enough to support our future development.

“ISO accreditation has become almost a standard requirement for our customers and holding and working to these standards gives our customers the confidence that the high quality products they purchase are produced in a safe and environmentally conscious setting.”

The production facility receives over half a million pounds of investment each year in order to maintain its state-of-the-art approach, and furthermore, the company’s laboratory has recently received a £75,000 facelift. This investment has created, on average, ten new positions per annum at its Bolsover site. Mark pointed out the benefits the lab brings to Aztec: “Our laboratory quality checks our entire product range and also takes on a

‘‘

We now manufacture approximately 95 per cent of our sold products from our own facility in Bolsover and are one of the largest independent oil manufacturers in the UK

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Aztec Oils developmental role for customer specific requests, normally within the industrial sector.

We are also currently installing the processes required to test products that customers send us for profiling.” He continued: “Investing in our production, laboratory, warehousing, site and staff has allowed us to keep up with the high demand for our products we have experienced over the last several years. We have doubled our operation and installed a more robust manufacturing and admin software suite giving our systems the flexibility to grow alongside the rest of the operation.”

David added: “During the last 12 months all drivers have completed driver related NVQs, and the production and warehouse teams have also completed NVQs. Staff training is very important to us and we have seen some good results from these courses, the general understanding of the operation and their individual input to the success of the company has increased with the knowledge gained. The Operations Manager has also started an NVQ/ QFC level five leadership and management course.

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“As a company, we find investing in our team instrumental in the continued success of our business. Several of our key operational employees have progressed through the company and brought along their knowledge into their new roles, and we fully support all aspects of developing the skills our team require to continue into new roles within the company.”

Further investments at Aztec include new software, social media accounts, and a new website, which is under development. “We have invested in a sophisticated software package, which helps with forecasting, planning and stock usage,” added David. “We are also increasing our tank farm storage capability, as well as purchasing new production filling machines and blending tanks. Finally we are investing in food grade blending equipment, as we are creating a new product line for 2015.”

The new product David referred to is Aztec’s own range of food grade oils. “We already offered one of the largest ranges of food grade lubricants, greases and aerosols in the UK market place, and so the development of our own range of food grade oils was the

‘‘

We already offered one of the largest ranges of food grade lubricants, greases and aerosols in the UK market place, and so the development of our own range of food grade oils was the natural next stage

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Aztec Oils

natural next stage,” highlighted David. “We were delighted to have met the tough requirements to become NSF registered and achieving this certification provides our customers with the assurance that these products have been produced in compliance with the relevant regulations.”

As Aztec Oils moves into 2015, it has more exciting plans in the pipeline, including a major acquisition. Mark explained: “The purchase of Oiline Ltd will strengthen our position in the West Midlands giving us better connections and improving our product expertise in the metalworking sector. Oiline have a long history of trading in the West Midlands and have organically grown a significant database of customers who have confidence in their products and quality, which is something Aztec can continue to supply in the future.”

Looking longer term, Mark and David have more plans for expansion and investment, with the vision of a total redevelopment of the Bolsover site and the creation of more jobs:

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“Over the next five years we will continue to grow and develop our operation and set the foundation for a solid future in Bolsover for the company and the staff equally,” stated David, adding: “This vision includes the purchase of rented land and surrounding five acres to develop our production and warehousing operation, and further working with our new depot in Birmingham in April this year.”

It is clear from talking to Mark and David at Aztec Oils that the company’s success is due to not only hard work and innovation, but also a willingness to invest and an acknowledgement of the important role played by a hard working and well trained team of staff. This latter point was recognised at the Annual Derbyshire Times Business Awards in 2014 when Aztec was nominated for employer of the Year: “We were delighted at reaching the finals of the awards,” said Mark. “All at Aztec are a vital part of our current and continued success and we recognise the importance of this in our everyday operations.”

Mark Water Pumps

A flow of

success

Mark Water Pumps is proving that industry experience and strong branding is key to growing a business in today’s climate

Mark Water Pumps Ltd Products: Water pumps for OEM and aftermarket automotive industry Sites: Wales Employees: 20 www.mwpl.eu

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riginally founded in 1948 by Sir Quinton Hazell, the Welsh company that is now known as Mark Water Pumps Ltd, has experienced a dramatic journey to get to where it is today, having been passed around under a number of different owners. 2013 saw the then owner go into administration forcing the site to shut down, but six months later, Indian company Mark Exhaust Systems bought the company, renaming it Mark Water Pumps.

The site remained, as did the machinery, but all staff and customers had been lost, save the Plant Manager David Lewis. With intelligent foresight, David maintained contact with previous customers and key employees in the hope that the company would be saved. With these contacts the team at Mark Water Pumps was put back together and impor tant OEM

customers in Volvo, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Mar tin were quickly brought back on board.

With OE sales steadily growing, the attention of the company turned towards creating an aftermarket brand. As David expresses: “That’s where we see our quickest return.

It takes a lot of time and investment to get the OE side working, so we need to use the aftermarket side to get us back to this point.”

All branding was discussed in-house, and the team established the ‘Proflow’ brand to take to the aftermarket industry. “The key thing was our strategy at this stage,” explains David Lewis.

“We wanted to remain as a UK manufacturer so our strategy was to supply high quality parts very quickly. Where we’ve beaten a lot of our competitors is in that we can respond quickly to demand.” The brand appealed to a market

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Mark Water Pumps

‘‘

From our point-ofview one of our main successes is helping some of our customers increase their product availability. They can get it from us when they want it

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of customers who traditionally looked to low cost, international manufacturers whose quality could be poor and lead times were long.

In September 2014, the company represented itself at the Automechanika exhibition in Frankfur t with the view to market ‘Proflow’ as effectively as possible. “We wanted to be different so we marketed the product on something people would remember,” recalls David. Against a backdrop of the Welsh flag and a number of traditional Welsh products, the company’s presence at the fair turned out to be a successful launch pad for Proflow, generating over 120 enquiries.

Still being in the early stages of establishing the company, marketing is a crucial tool in order to grow the brand. David comments on the market conditions and challenges that the company faces when marketing the brand: “There is a good market there, but the biggest problem is pricing.

Trying to get the message across that its wor th paying a little bit more for quality, that its manufactured in the

UK and that the customer can get it when they need it, is tough. Par ticularly so in the UK market where customers are driven by price.”

However, by being able to provide short lead times Mark Water Pumps is able to overcome these challenges. “From our point-of-view one of our main successes is helping some of our customers increase their product availability.

They can get it from us when they want it, where as their usual low cost supplier would take too much time, which could result in a loss in sales.”

Par t of being able to offer this fast service to its clients is its relationship with its suppliers.

“One of our local suppliers, Vixen CNC, is well aware of our ability to respond quickly to customer orders and works with us as it knows it’s key to our business. Our main supplier, Kinex, is based in Slovakia. It is very flexible when it comes to ordering and although we are far from its biggest customer it does provide us with great service. It’s this sor t of supplier relationship that helps us be ahead of the competition.”

The strengths of the business also lays in its people. Despite being a very young company in official terms, Mark Water Pumps has a wealth of experience and exper tise in the industry, which allows the company to look outwards from the automotive industry for other oppor tunities. With the use of its high-pressure die-casting foundry, the firm secured its first non-automotive contract in December last year, with production of the cast

aluminium product beginning in April 2015. “A lot of the processes we have here mean we can cast a range of aluminium products, so it doesn’t really matter what they are,” explains David.

The majority of people at Mark Water Pumps have been there over 20 years. “We have really experienced people,” says David.

“We are like a family in that everybody knows what needs to be done. There is a real passion to get the business going again. This is where our strength lays, it’s the level of quality and passion that our people can deliver.” This passion and experience translates not only into high quality products and good customer service, but also into a powerful driving force behind the company’s growth strategy.

Looking ahead, the focus for Mark Water Pumps is set on growth, both in terms of developing the Proflow brand and establishing a larger OE market. By working with the parent company in India to set up a similar oil pump facility in Asia the company is expanding its global footprint, which can enhance its international image. Careful management has

enabled the company to grow rapidly in the first couple of years trading, and continued focus on quality and brand marketing looks set to reward the Welsh firm with future success.

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Bene

Designing thefuture Bene sees the office as a living space and its concepts, products and services turn this vision into reality

Bene Products: Office furniture and partitions Sites: HQ in Austria Employees: More than 1000 www.bene.com

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ccupying a modest space on the horizon, the headquarters of the Bene Group is shadowed only by the large green mass of earth behind it. Responsible for some of the biggest advancements in office furniture of the modern day, the business holds a position as a major European player with a sizeable number of subsidiaries.

In March 2015 Bene celebrated its 225th anniversary, extending from a history, which in 1790 saw Michael Bene establish a small carpentry workshop. As the workshop was extended more and more over the years, in 1951 interests switched from household products to industrial furniture production, and over the next nine years its specialism grew in the sector. “Since 1960 we have been solely producing office furniture and partitions, working with clients from early planning and design stages through to the installation of equipment in whole office buildings,” says Friedrich Hartner, technical director.

Working with a range of materials the business has been responsible for the development of several innovative designs and concepts, using its in-house designers, as well as collaborating with famous names, such as PearsonLloyd. “Together we work on a range of different products and ideas, from standard work stations and cabinets, through

to management programmes, and technological concepts. Using a mixture of in-house, external, local and foreign designers, we have been able to develop an exciting scope within our portfolio.

“We have a full understanding of what direction the market place is heading, and through our designs we are able to influence the way our clients will work in the future,” points out Friedrich.

Significant changes in its market over the last 50 years that have led to designs today that would be almost unrecognisable some decades ago, and this has been driven by the way that peoples working practices have changed. “The requirement for large tables has diminished, with the majority of people working from laptops or tablets, and therefore different working environments are required. One growing trend is developing areas where staff are able to concentrate on work, but also freely able to move into communication spaces, and that means that all the rooms are becoming more and more flexible,” he adds.

Collaborations with a whole range of suppliers, including organisations specialising in wall partition solutions has seen the company grow with a rich knowledge that is reflected by the wealth of successful projects that have been stimulated by its input. From adapting large rooms into smaller zones areas, and developing interactive software, each product or concept has a real and lasting impact. “Changes within media and technology

have led to us working together with an Austrian software company on the development of an innovation board,” says Friedrich, referring to Bene’s ‘Nice Wall’, a concept with cutting edge hard and software solutions for co-creation. Its uses include workshops, brainstorming, project meeting, technical co-ordination and more. “The ‘Nice Wall’ is the connection between analogue and digital work methods and promotes efficient team work. Users can illustrate, plan, present, and send documents, work together in a big group, but also communicate remotely with colleagues across the world in a professional and interactive manner,” he adds.

The core of the ‘Nice Wall’ is a freely scalable, interactive wall that enables up to seven team members to work together at the same time.

With the whole wall functioning as an interactive, creative space, seating and standing design areas further promote team interaction. “Popularity of this product has increased significantly, and we are selling to development and marketing departments across the world as customers drive more towards working together in a bigger room with a bigger constellation, working, writing and planning together,” points out Friedrich, continuing: “Our strength comes from the close working relationship that we share with our clients, and the time we spend studying organisations, addressing how they will work as a team, and what we can offer in the future that will make this practice more effective.

“Our aim is that people are happy within the spaces we design, and that they want to work.

Our products are not just chairs or tables, but the complete area, the complete room, the complete floor. By working with people together, we think about work and social influences, and clients are becoming progressively more interested in this area.” The company’s largest contract to date is currently at installation phase in Abu Dhabi, in the centre of the Middle Eastern market, a sector which for Bene has been growing for over two decades. “We have been commissioned to fit out

54 storeys with dividing walls for the head office the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) we are installing a total of 30km of partitions in glass and 70,000 m² veneered panels. From our 42,000sqm facility we worked for more than half a year on the production, preparation and assembly before delivery to site,” he adds.

In the last ten years the business has become a strong player producing products at a level far above the standard quality, driven by a demand for excellence, which is at its peak in the Middle East. “With the market in mainland Europe proving

unstable, we look to the future with positivity, seeking opportunities across the global market, promoting our expertise and building on successful projects in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia, and influencing our clients working practices for the better,” concludes Friedrich.

KVADRAT

Kvadrat is Europe’s leading manufacturer of design textiles with deep roots in Scandinavia’s design tradition. We create high quality contemporary textiles and textile-related products for private and public spaces. Our designs reflect our dedication to pushing the aesthetic, technological and artistic boundaries of our field and are characterised by simplicity, colour and innovation. For the Bene seating furniture collection alone, the Kvadrat range offers no less than 350 colours to choose from. Exclusively for Bene, Kvadrat produces the Greenwich fabric collection which has been designed by the British designer duo PearsonLloyd.

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Carl Stahl

Head for

heights

Working high above the ground, the global enterprise of Carl Stahl offers a full range of premium quality products for safe lifting and a wide range of rope, lifting, safety and lashing equipment

Carl Stahl Products: Lifting equipment Sites: Global presence Employees: 1520 worldwide www.carlstahl.com

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n outstanding expertise in the field of rope and lifting technology has made Carl Stahl one of the world’s leading and most recognised experts.

With 135 years of international experience the business provides an excellent after-sales services such as stationary and mobile inspection and repair services and a broad range of specialist courses from the Carl Stahl Academy.

Carl Stahl started out in 1880 as a small rope maker specialising in agricultural products serving only local customers.Today the business has become a global enterprise as one of the world market leaders in the lifting equipment section with 1520 employees operating from 59 subsidiaries in Europe, the US, Asia and the Middle East with a turnover of 274 million euros in 2013.The divisions within the family-owned company are lifting equipment, architecture, technocables, and personal protective equipment for the prevention of falls. Its products help users to safely transport, grip, move or lift goods weighing several tonnes during manufacturing or processing.

“We offer a wide range of high-quality lifting

products for the safe transport of goods such as crane systems, powered hoists, manual lifting equipment, load suspension equipment from own production, wire rope slings, chain slings, textile slings, wire ropes for many applications, hydraulic lifting and transport devices and cargo lashing, just to name a few,” says Oliver Hommel, marketing director and head of Carl Stahl advertising department. “We stock all current crane and industrial wire rope types in different diameters, available in OEM quality and high grade alternatives from leading European manufacturers, with many other items stocked and available for customers immediately. Being able to react quickly to clients needs with our experience and knowledge about all kinds of lifting problems reflect the advantages that customers enjoy when using our service. Our main catalogue ‘Carl Stahl Direct’, which was first published in 1990 is the reference for lifting equipment products, containing more than 10,000 items,” he adds.

Although Carl Stahl is predominantly a wholesaler, some products are actually manufactured in-house such as its load suspension equipment, chain and wire rope slings and small diameter wire ropes. In growing that capability, the company has invested in

a new swaging press from Talurit/Sahm. Commenting on the investment, which was handed over at the WIRE show in 2014, Oliver says: “The new 4000 tonne swaging press for wire ropes up to the diameter of 90 mm was the biggest one our partner Talurit/Sahm had ever built.The press was for our subsidiary in Norway where they manufacture wire ropes in one workflow for the offshore industry according to the current standards.”

As it continues to drive forward with innovative concepts, the business recently launched a new cable tie into the market incorporating an RFID-chip.

‘Chipster – the smart RFID solution’, was developed for unique product identification, possible through the use of a passive transponder (13.56 MHz) within the product.The high quality ETFE material guarantees a high flexibility, ageing resistance and a quick and simple attachment to many products outside the lifting equipment sector.The ‘Chipster’ is also resistant against vibration, UV radiation, most chemicals and temperatures up to 150° Celsius (302° F). “Even if heavily soiled the transponder remains readable,” highlights Oliver.

Around the globe, the Carl Stahl Group is committed to fall protection in all industrial sectors and the most diverse work environments.This commitment requires a close co-operation with specialised suppliers, offering state-of-the-arttechnology and finding custom-made solutions for

all safety standards.The combined performance of the international Group and the co-operation with the most recognised manufacturers of safety technology results in a comprehensive range of fall protection and personal protective equipment.

“Apart from the equipment and fall protection systems, we also have a ‘Personal Safety Equipment Division’, which offers technical advice, assembly of fall protection systems, expert inspections and special training,” points out Oliver. Placing a high focus on training and education of its employees ensures the permanent high quality of its technical advice, evident through its ISO9001 certification.

“Through our own academy we provide seminars that focus on all topical subjects of rope and lifting equipment, delivered by either our own trainers or by trainers of our suppliers,” he adds.

After many years of expansion, the businesses main focus today concentrates on serving all its customers with the full product range. “Besides the wide range of products, we are initiating a new service solution called ‘Integrated Services’.This is not just a regular test service but a comprehensive work flow, which allows customers, and us, to save time and money by simplifying many processes regarding inspections and supply chain management.

By means of the Chipster, our testing staff have access to information about the products much more rapidly and quickly. In combination with a

checklist we are able to inspect every product the same way and according to all applicable regulations.

These are only a few of the benefits that Carl Stahl Integrated Services can offer,” he concludes.

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Laerdal Medical

Giving

life

World leading manufacturer of medical training products and medical devices, Laerdal Medical, expands its portfolio and looks towards its manufacturing operations in order to save lives

Laerdal Medical Products: Specialist medical training and first aid equipment Sites: Four Employees: 1400 www.laerdal.no

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ounded in the 1940’s as a small Norwegian publishing house, the Stavanger based company has gone through a process of evolution to get to the leading medical supplies manufacturer it is today. In the early part of the 1950’s the company began manufacturing realistic play dolls from soft plastic, but it was a dramatic family event that prompted Laerdal to apply its experience to the medical industry. At two years old, the son of original founder Asmund Laerdal nearly drowned. This was to be an event that drew to Asmund’s attention the general lack of knowledge of resuscitation techniques. Today the son is the chairman of Laerdal Medical, a company that manufactures medical training and first response medical devices including CPR and trauma simulation mannequins, a range of birth, new born and infant simulation technologies and supporting systems. The company remains committed to expanding its portfolio through continuous innovation in order to achieve its vision that no one should die or be disabled unnecessarily during birth or from sudden illness or trauma.

At present the company operates across the globe employing over 1400 people with

sales offices in 23 countries, and R&D and manufacturing at four sites. It manufactures an extensive range of products serving primarily professional health care, volunteer, first aid, education and military sectors. Undoubtedly the most famous example of Laerdal’s portfolio, and one of the first, is Resusci-Anne. The mannequin is supplied throughout the world and is based on the principle that if students of first aid were faced with a life-size and life-like mannequin, they would be more inclined to learn the lifesaving procedure.

Over the years since, the mannequin has formed the basis for a range of variants from small, more portable versions to highly advanced simulators capable of replicating a number of responses. In support, all can be monitored by remote simulator systems for highly focused medical training.

When Manufacturing Today Europe last featured Laerdal back in 2008, the company’s vision was to invest in new technology, worldclass methodology and operational competence.

One important technological advancement, which has had a significant impact on the market, is the development of the company’s SimCenter, which was launched in 2011. The system works alongside patient simulators and provides a fully integrated simulation management platform to be used in

advanced medical training procedures. The system includes an online store, which makes a range of training scenarios available and a developer centre for software developers to create more scenarios.

A management centre allows for the complete monitoring and development of individual training programmes, and a SimView platform integrates audio and visual systems to provide instantaneous monitoring increasing the effectiveness of a focused debrief. In 2012, in adherence to its focus on continuous improvement, the company followed SimCenter with SimPad, which integrates the system into tablet form. Crucially, the pad can be used alongside less advanced training systems making it much more accessible to sectors outside professional healthcare training, and also makes it easier for educators to tailor training programmes to the individual requirements of their students. The introduction of these systems not only proves the leading position Laerdal has in driving the industry forward, but also serves to illustrate the advanced state of its operational and manufacturing processes.

The vast range of models and simulation tools covered by Laerdal is indicative of the rest of its portfolio. What makes the company unique is this focus on both high and low end products, catering for a broad spectrum within the market from first aid basics, right up to professional medical training and trauma management and also medical devices.

However, this spectrum means that Laerdal has to operate a very streamlined manufacturing process across all facilities. By providing highly specialised equipment, alongside mainstream training devices the company experiences both low and high demand levels. By manufacturing only orders that have been sold, the company has developed a refined system of lean manufacturing techniques with the aim to produce high quality products at low volume and with short lead times. Aside to this there is also a strong focus on Strategic Sourcing, supplier development and partnerships as well as outsourcing. Due to the diverse portfolio there is a need to creating better flexibility and a more agile response and support to the demands driven by the extensive product development activities. Leveraging of the buying power through global Category Management of

selected component categories is also imperative and is a good basis for developing an even stronger supplier base.

Over the last years, the company has also invested in rapid prototyping and rapid tooling systems and technology, including in house 3D printing. The manufacturing units are participating directly in the product development projects, and makes prototypes for the project teams.

The prototypes are used for design assessment and reviews as well as thorough design for manufacturing assessments and planning of manufacturing set-up. In doing so products are developed quicker and design and manufacturing solutions were found more efficiently.

Laerdal has got to where it is today because

it is able to identify the right needs in the global healthcare market and is able to use its streamlined and efficient design and manufacturing process to respond. Despite this world leading position, it remains aware that the market must be continuously improved in order to achieve its life saving mission. Looking forward, it focuses on two things: the continued development of manufacturing operations with a strong and streamlined supplier base, and increasing business in Emergency care and Resuscitation through focus on solution selling and products and systems to make medical training more accessible and effective across the world. By doing so the future not only looks bright for Laerdal, but also for the state of the healthcare across the globe.

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NMHG

The best in the

business

Since 1989, NACCO Materials Handling Group (NMHG) has provided the strategic leadership and global support behind Hyster and Yale lift trucks

NACCO Materials Handling Group (NMHG) Products: Lift trucks Sites: Global Employees: Approx: 600 in UK www.hyster-yale.com

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ACCO Materials Handling Group (NMHG) is the operating company of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. The primary NMHG brands include Hyster and Yale lift trucks, two of the most respected names in the materials handling industry. Together, the Hyster and Yale brands maintain one of the leading market share positions, both in the Americas and worldwide.

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NMHG’s history has been marked by innovation in the Hyster and Yale brands that have helped power the industry forward.Yale was responsible for introducing the industry’s first battery-powered, low-lift platform truck, the first fluid coupling transmission, and the first hypoid drive axle. Hyster Company’s MONOTROL pedal for speed and direction control was revolutionary when patented and introduced to the industry in 1959 and is still in production today.

Today at Hyster-Yale that spirit of innovation is alive and well as NMHG works to bring new and better technologies to market. This includes the use of hydrogen fuel-cell batteries and a new generation of electric counterbalance trucks.

The products created by NMHG are crafted at 12 world-class, ISO-certified manufacturing facilities located in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Its global manufacturing network enables NMHG to remain responsive to regional and even local needs in the materials handling markets.

Each NMHG manufacturing site uses stateof-the-art fabrication and testing to ensure all lift trucks exceed application requirements. The processes the utilised by the organisation to ensure world-class manufacturing include: l Certified ISO 9001 – Global Registration l Certified ISO 14001 – Environmental l Demand Flow Technology (DFT) l 100 per cent product audits l Corrective and Preventative Action Process (CAPA)

Using computer-based and physical testing, each finished lift truck must conform to a rigorous standard of excellence that checks for stability, noise and vibration, ergonomic functioning, service access, performance and much more. In addition, each lift truck is subjected to an exhaustive battery of physical and field tests designed to ensure that every component is built to last.

In order to maintain a leading position in the market, NMHG appreciates that it has to ensure its products continue to meet the increasingly demanding needs of its clients. As a result, the company’s product development strategy is informed, on going and proactive. Its wide global presence, among the largest of all material handling manufacturers, enables NMHG to commit the resources necessary to ensure its lift trucks are some of the most innovative in the industry.

Strategically located technology development centres in the United States, Italy, India, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Japan, enable NMHG to be responsive to regional product needs. NMHG’s talented and experienced design and test engineers have the industry’s most advanced design tools and processes at their fingertips.

At each development centre, input from Hyster and Yale brand managers and regional industry consultants is combined with global trends and voice-of-the-customer research. From concept to launch, every new product follows a carefully structured and rigorous six-stage development

process. Each step must confirm that the product will deliver all the intended benefits to its future users. The result is a level of toughness and reliability clients can count on, from one of the most capable and innovative material handling lift truck manufacturers in the world.

As a result of its dedication to innovation, the portfolio of materials handling equipment that NMHG designs, engineers, manufactures and sells is among the most comprehensive in the industry.

It covers hundreds of end-user applications in more than 700 industries. The product range now includes a full range of electric and internal combustion engine lift trucks for nearly all indoor and outdoor applications. From narrow aisle warehouse trucks to the toughest cargo handling equipment, the organisation’s counterbalanced lift trucks are recognised as some of the most productive in the world.

Furthermore, NMHG recognises that lift truck users don’t always have identical needs. There are hundreds of different industries and applications and different intensities with which users must operate their equipment. For that reason, NMHG offers the choice between utility, standard and premium in some of its lift truck models.

Premium trucks, now offered in a number of internal combustion engine (ICE) and electricpowered lift trucks, offer performance and

durability designed for the toughest and most demanding operations. These trucks, such as the Hyster Fortis and Fortens and the Yale Veracitor, offer a wide array of special attachments and customisable features.

Standard trucks, now offered in some lifting capacities of ICE trucks and electric trucks with basic battery sizes, are designed for the most typical applications and lift truck usage.

Finally, NMHG began introducing UTILEV brand utility forklift trucks in 2011. These lift trucks, offered currently in limited lifting capacities of ICE trucks with pneumatic tires, offers a truck for lower intensity operating environments, particularly without the need for special attachments.

Whether Hyster,Yale, or UTILEV, it is the independent dealer that is a key link between NMHG and the customers it serves. This diverse network includes independent forklift dealers throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and China. Through their partnerships with NMHG, the businesses dealers have access to the most comprehensive support and services in the materials handling industry: from the most recent information regarding regional pricing and marketing, to assistance with product and service training. NMHG views the relationship with each individual dealer as vital and all parties work to ensure mutual success.

In addition, when it comes to product support for forklifts, NMHG also prides itself on providing unmatched service after the sale. The aftermarket service begins with demand-flow technology, a customer-driven manufacturing process that enables NMHG to anticipate clients’ parts and service needs. Once produced, individual parts are then shipped to NMHG’s parts distribution centres, which are located in the US, Brazil, Australia, the Netherlands and Japan.

This well-stocked global supply chain gives NMHG dealers and their customers virtually instant access to a worldwide inventory of aftermarket forklift parts and accessories. The organisation provides replacement parts for all makes and models of forklifts.

NMHG is continually upgrading and improving the quality of its parts and the efficiency of its distribution. As a result, it is helping customers save time on forklift repair while lowering the overall cost of total ownership.

Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, NACCO Materials Handling Group continues to drive the industry forward. Its partnerships with experts in areas such as hydrogen fuel cell and advanced battery technologies are helping bring more sustainable and greener technologies to the market while increasing productivity and decreasing operational costs.

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Munck Cranes

Wired

up

With quality and customer service sitting at the centre of its operations Munck Cranes is one of the main producers of crane and lifting systems in Scandinavia and it sees continual development and innovation as key to its future success

Munck Cranes AS Products: Cranes and ifting equipment Sites: Norway Employees: 150+ www.munck-cranes.no 50 www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com

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unck Cranes AS has come a long way since Sverre Munck founded the company in Bergen back in 1924. In that time the company has been a trading company dealing in everything from light bulbs and fuses, to elevators and electric wire rope hoists and manufacturing trolley busses for the Norwegian market in 1946. Evidently, however, it was the development of its own electric wire hoists that formed the foundations for what the company looks like today as one of the main producers and suppliers of cranes and lifting systems in Scandinavia. This development sparked the full production of hoists and industrial cranes, which coupled with pioneering exporting activities to Sweden and England in 1948, enabled the company to quickly grow into one with customers all over the world. Activity in the fifties and sixties saw Munck Cranes expand into more markets as it established subsidiary companies and a network of agents, which it

still works very closely with in the present day.

It now proudly boasts sales in more than 70 countries around the world and part of this successful growth can be put down to the company’s mission statement which foregrounds customer satisfaction, continuous development, quality, value and safety as its defining points.

Today Munck Cranes is still based in Bergen with a production and storage facility of 8000 square metres, plus five service centres spread across Norway. The workforce is made up of professional engineers who work closely with customers to provide solutions to almost all lifting situations and provide technical assistance along the way. The company’s product line features hoists, light crane systems, industrial cranes and automatic crane systems, plus a number of special crane projects. The nature and scale of the professional workforce means that many of the products can be adapted and personalised to meet the specific operating requirements of the customer.

At the heart of Munck’s product range

stand a set of values critical to the service the company delivers to its customers. The development of wire electric and chain hoists are developed with optimum safety, durability with a limited need for services and low maintenance costs. The standard electric wire hoists can be used for loads up to 108,000kg and have been put through extensive testing to ensure safety. However, specialised solutions are available to lifting capacities up to 500,000kg whilst maintaining the same economical advantages as the standard hoist. Chain hoists are suitable for lighter loads up to 20,000kg and can either be manual or electric operated.

The same safety and customisable standards are also central to Munck’s light crane systems which includes jib cranes, Prosystem light crane systems and vacuum lifters. These systems are designed ergonomically to increase productivity and safety, and again are made with flexibility in mind. The Prosystem cranes are self-centring to reduce swing and are modular, providing flexibility to modify in a range of assembly, production and maintenance applications.

Munck is internationally recognised for quality wire rope hoists and overhead travelling cranes, and produce industrial cranes with applications from light duty to steel mill and offshore industries. The most widely used configuration supplied by Munck is the monobeam system, which uses state-of-the-art design technology and modern fabrication techniques to result in a high quality product. Customisable options include frequency drives and travel limits for all motions, electronic weighing systems and a radio remote control system, which the company is keen to further promote and develop within the crane industry.

Perhaps the greatest example of Munck’s ability to offer fully customisable services to customers is the number of special projects it can list. Individual projects include magnet cranes, telescopic masts, winding turntable and goliath cranes with which it can supply a number of industries. Other industries Munck has a proven record with are the heavy, pulp and paper, fishing, shipyard and power generating industries. The latter of which they have earned an international reputation in, winning a large contract for Bhumibol Power Station in Northern Thailand despite keen international competition.

The company is also keen to promote its automatic crane systems which can be applied to a number of industries. Specific advantages to using automatic systems include increased security, low operating and maintenance costs and the ability to replace forklifts in the

conveyance of hazardous materials overhead ensuring that crew on the ground are safely removed from danger. Munck believes specific industries that can benefit from automatic systems are glass processing, composting plants, galvanisation, zinc production and incinerator plants, but highlights the fact that it is possible to upgrade existing cranes therefore extending the lifetime of equipment.

As part of Munck Cranes’ focus on customer service it has a comprehensive after sales and support department set up to deal with parts and components. The company keeps a complete record of every crane supplied to ensure that the correct parts are supplied to the customer when needed. Availability and competitive delivery times are given highest priority by the company ensured by good stock levels and the ability to produce additional parts and components on site enhance this.

Munck Cranes’ value lays in its ability to offer a fully customisable service coupled with

high quality and competitively priced products.

Notable customers who have benefited from this value are Nexans, Conoco Phillips, Aker Egersund and V-Tab, for which Munck has been able to provide a solution for their specific needs. Its commitment to innovation and development pervades its goals for this year as it looks to upgrade and update existing client’s cranes and continue to promote and develop its radio controlled crane concept. Last year the company celebrated its 90 year anniversary providing a moment to look back at the history and development of Munck Cranes. It is clear that a continual commitment to its mission statement has been part of the company’s success and steady growth. Munck states its aim as to develop in line and in accordance with the norms and needs as called for within the industry in Norway and abroad, a realistic goal that keeps the company grounded in its commitment to its customers and which suggests a promising future.

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Prestolite Electric

Right: Lucas CAV manufacturing up to 1998 and then Prestolite moving forward

Taking

charge

Built on a history of engineering excellence and innovative products, Prestolite Electric is a global manufacturer and supplier of rotating electrics to the transportation, industrial and military industries

Prestolite Electric Products: Alternators, starters, electrical equipment Sites: US, UK, China and South America Employees: 120 www.prestolite.com

52 www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com

“W

e are a global company, manufacturing in locations around the world, with sites in the US, China, Mexico, Brazil, and the UK,” says Steve Trulock, sales manager, speaking from the UK. The company was formed through the combination of a number of businesses whose manufacturing histories date back to the early 1900s, and operating with an international presence. Prestolite today provides customers with their application needs for products and service under the Prestolite Electric and LeeceNeville brand names. In the UK, Prestolite has been manufacturing since 1988 when Butec Electrics’ Leyland site was purchased from British Leyland.

Ten years later further expansion took place when the heavy-duty electrical division of Lucas (CAV) was acquired.

Specialising in the design, development, and production of alternators, starter motors and electrical systems Steve points out: “With over 40 original equipment customers in Europe alone we are original equipment suppliers to the truck, bus and coach, construction, marine, refrigeration, rail, marine, military and engines and genset

Above: Engine room

industries. In fact, we make and sell starters and alternators for almost everything except cars. In the aftermarket, our truck range of starters & alternators offers a coverage of up to 95 per cent of the European truck parc, all of these brand new units with none reconditioned and no old units to return. From a growing global footprint Prestolite products are found in almost every country of the world and through its wide global network of distributors, it facilitates product availability, service support and vehicle electrical education.”

Prestolite is the leading manufacture of heavy duty starter motors and alternators in China. It holds its position as market leader with an 85 per cent market share for bus and coach alternators, and 60 per cent share of starter motors. For China-built trucks it enjoys a 38 per cent original equipment market share. In the USA, where its products are sold under the Leece-Neville brand, it has for many years been a dominant supplier to the truck and military markets, as well as heavy equipment, school bus, transit bus, off road equipment and power generation markets which use both diesel and gasoline engines.

Calling upon its 100 years‘ experience in the development and manufacture of alternators, Prestolite takes a lead in know-how that is

Bottom left: The AVi150 (24v 180amp) and below: 24v600amp alternators

extremely beneficial to vehicle manufacturers and end users alike. Its product offerings are excellent examples of the company’s competence and innovative ability, used across varied applications from automotive through to heavy commercial truck and bus, off-road equipment and even battle tanks. “We have traditionally been a military manufacturer and our products have gone into military vehicles worldwide, including on the Challenger 2, the battle tank of the British Army, as well as other military equipment used by the Armed forces around the world today. We have recently launched a new 24 volt, 600 amp alternator, which stems from a new design, and although we have only been producing this for under two years we have seen good sales volumes and interest from around the world, including most

of our existing military customers,” announces Steve.

Supplying high quality alternators and starter motors to military set-ups, the business adheres strictly to tough military standards, insuring quality throughout. To remain at the forefront of all its markets, Prestolite continually strives for ways to leverage the knowledge into creating superior products for the commercial markets.

Recognising the differences in requirements across its geographies, each division has its own R&D department, developing product lines relevant to their specific markets. “Vehicle manufacturers are looking for more and more powerful alternators and starters, but with the emphasis on weight reduction to save fuel the units need to be smaller.

That is one of the main drives that is pushing our designs forward,” says Steve. The company’s position is testament to the quality of not only its products, but also the service it offers too, as he continues: “It is really important to maintain close relationships with customers, and continually provide good products that people want. These are two of the most important strengths of the business.”

Not only do the company’s alternators boast impressive power-outputs, but also furthermore, they are highly efficient, which means improved economy and lower emissions for the end users.

These are results of technical innovations to families of alternators designed for modern

applications. The combination of experience and superior technology produce starters capable of withstanding the toughest environmental conditions, which has translated into being the chosen OE manufacturer of starters for commercial and industrial equipment and vehicles.

As the business looks ahead, its focus is to consistently exceed the expectations of its customers, providing them with best in class technology solutions for their vehicles, and generating new business. Through continual communication with its client base, the company is able to learn from its customers, ultimately improving both its products and services, and by keeping on top of today’s and tomorrow’s technology, no matter how fast the industry moves, customers of Prestolite will always have the best products available to them.

www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com 53

Revolve Technologies

Resolve to

evolve

Following a management buy out in 2007, the engineering service provider, Revolve, successfully rode out the economic storm, evolving with an expertise that would benefit the entire transport industry

Revolve Technologies Ltd Products: Engineering service provider Sites: UK www.revolve.co.uk

54 www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com

O

ur primary activity is designing various transport related solutions, working with key customers such as Ford, Jaguar, Landrover, the MoD and London Underground,” says Paul Turner, technical director. Maintaining a comprehensive portfolio of services, over the past year projects have ranged from an enhanced seating (ES) system for military vehicles, developed to protect personnel in transit, to a whole raft of reverse engineering tasks for London Undergrounds’ maintenance trains, as well as the design and development of the ‘cross-track projector’ system, seen on the tube.

With roots that go back to an ownership by the Roush family of companies, it is of little surprise that the firm has also maintained a domineering influence on the world of motor sport. Through its performance division, Mountune, it continues to build highly competitive

race engines, playing a fundamentally vital role in the ongoing development and build of Ford’s ‘Eco Boost Engines’, used heavily in touring car championships. Furthermore, ongoing success in the design, development and build of an engine for use in the World & FIA Rally Cross Championships has seen the company establish an increasing level of respect in the performance sector of the automotive industry. The Mountune brand has also been promoted through the development and supply of powertrain upgrades for Ford’s ST and RS vehicles. Mountune are rhe only approved tuner for Ford and the upgrades are fully supported by the Ford Warranty.

“Our success has been heavily reliant on R&D, ultimately ensuring that we are able to stay ahead of the game. Our customers come to us when they have problems that they can’t solve, either due to time, resource or knowledge. Through having a raft of R&D projects constantly on-going our engineers are fully in tune with the direction of the industry,” explains Paul, adding: “Reflecting

that importance, we invest a lot of money each year in running R&D projects, many of which are supported by Innovate UK, the governments’ technology strategy board.”

Improving efficiency, lowering consumption and lowering carbon emissions are three factors that are synonymous with Revolve. Paul discusses the importance of maintaining that reputation: “Many developments that originated in the automotive sector have been transferrable into truck, rail, and off-highway applications. By carrying that status of competency in developing and integrating technologies into vehicle platforms, it has allowed us to pick up business outside of the traditional car and van applications and into the other industries.”

Revolve is currently working closely on a project with Vivarail on the production of a drive system, incorporating existing electric motors, which have proven to be amongst the most reliable on the Underground. The business is responsible for the design of new underfloormounted low-emission diesel engines, equipped with the latest automotive ‘stop-start’ technology, which will power the motors. “One of our core strengths comes from not being tied to any one technology, calling upon the adaptability of our engineers to be able to pick up new products, understand how they work and interact with existing products, and to be able to develop systems that meet customers requirements,” says Paul. The contract with Vivarail is a classic example of the businesses capability to apply products together in novel applications.

Since the company first entered the UK market in 1995, it has worked closely with a number of clients developing hybrid and electric drive vehicles, including Intelligent Energy, Emerald Automotive, Smith Electric Vehicles, Teva Motors, and most recently Geely. Following the acquisition of the electric car start-up firm Emerald Automotive, Geely is under a period of expansion of its electric car production that includes the development of the ‘next generation’ taxi vehicles.

“In the contract with Geely, we are providing our expertise and facilities as we work together to develop a new London taxi. Our portfolio is

testament to the flexibility and ingenuity of our engineers.

“To ensure the right calibre of specialism remains in the business, we have an ongoing apprenticeship drive, as well as a graduate programme, with which we are able to train individuals into the way we work,” points out Paul.

Moving forward, the business is focused on its planned expansion into the rail industry, looking to further develop applications upon conclusion of the Vivarail contract. “If we can secure engagement in the ‘FutureRailway’ scheme, we expect to be able to expand these technologies into a full hybrid application, using engines, energy

storage systems and electric motors,” he adds.

Whilst technology under the Vivarail contract is purely diesel-electric, with multiple diesel units it effectively has a large capacity but with variable displacement, only providing the power needed, with no wasted energy. “Through the use of these low-cost high performance diesel engines we can keep the costs down and provide a very good and efficient power source, which importantly is clean. We look to be the leading company in the de-carbonisation of transport, so being heavily engaged in both electric vehicles and hybrids, as well as hydrogen is a key part of our business strategy,” concludes Paul.

www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com 55

Robertson Timber Engineering

The

wonders of Part of the Robertson Construction Group, Robertson Timber Engineering has been providing precision engineered timber frame solutions for more than 25 years

Robertson Timber Engineering Products: Engineered timber frame solutions Sites: One Employees: 42 www.robertson.co.uk www.timberkit.co.uk timber@robertson.co.uk

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A

wood

s Barry Armstrong, technical sales manager, explained, the Robertson Group is comprised of several different divisions, including construction, property, facilities management, civil engineering, mechanical and electrical, and house building, and as such offers a multi-disciplinary service to clients.

Focusing on the Timber Engineering side, Barry noted that the factory was originally created to feed timber and joinery solutions into the house building division of Robertson, but it soon expanded and evolved into a specialist in providing precision-engineered timber frame solutions for clients from a variety of sectors. “We are now one of the market leaders, and have a very strong brand and name within the industry,” Barry confirmed. “We not only supply our own in-house products to our construction and house building divisions, but we also do a lot of work with external contractors, large construction companies and national house builders as well.”

These blue-chip clients turn to Robertson Timber Engineering because its products offer a range of benefits, one of which is particularly topical at the moment, as Barry noted: “If you look at our competition in brick and block, there is a huge demand for materials and not enough capacity to handle it, so house builders are

looking for alternatives to bricks. A lot of builders have also been forced to go down the route of timber frame due to the lack of bricklayers and labour available, and what we are finding is that once they have used our solutions, they embrace it and wonder why they didn’t do it years ago.

“These clients can also now appreciate the further benefits of timber framed solutions, such as the fact they are made off-site, under controlled factory conditions, and are therefore extremely accurate and can be erected very quickly. They offer a very low CO2 footprint, better air tightness, better insulation, and there are lesser defects on a timber frame house as well.

“Our timber buildings also have the same life span of masonry buildings, but they have lower running costs over that time,” he added. “So while there is still an element of reluctance in England about timber frames, especially when you compare it to the world market where 75 per cent of all houses are timber framed, I think it is a bit of a mind set and a fear of change, and with our superior products we are starting to transform this.”

As Barry highlighted, many of the benefits of Robertson’s timber solutions stem from the fact that they are created in a state-of-the-art factory.

“Our facilities utilise a lot of automation, and this saves both time and increases accuracy – in fact,

our factory manager is a real stickler for quality and detail.”

Robertson controls the process from sale to production, and the company is keen to partner with clients at the early design stage: “The earlier we are involved, the longer we have to plan out the job, iron out any problems and that makes everyone’s life easier,” said Barry. “Our process has been carefully created to ensure that our products are of the highest quality and our clients and installers frequently comment that they are the best in the industry.”

Indeed, such has been the recent success of the products that the company is planning on extending its capacity, through the re-opening of another factory. Said Barry: “This was purposebuilt by us around four years ago, but we had to cease production for a couple of years while the construction market recovered from the recession. It was a huge investment for us at the time and it is still one of the most state-ofthe-art factories in the UK, featuring some very sophisticated equipment. It covers an area of around 40,000 sq ft and is located in a position that has excellent access to the motorway and distribution network. The re-opening of this factory will bring numerous new jobs to the north east of England, so we anticipate our workforce significantly increasing from its current level of 42.”

The impetus to re-open this factory has been partially based on the success Robertson Timber Engineering has seen in the hotels sector. “Over the last year or so we have worked on 14 or 15 hotels, for a range of clients,” said Barry. “The advantage for these projects is our speed of build – for example a 100 bed hotel can be ready to accept guests in just six months from first

putting a spade in the ground using our solutions, compared to nearly double that with traditional, masonry, steel or concrete techniques. We just supply the timber frame, and work in partnership with other companies on these projects.”

www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com 57

SPP Pumps

Pumped up SPP Pumps has established a reputation that reaches all corners of the globe. By focusing on service and quality the company is set to expand rapidly over the coming years

SPP Pumps Limited Products: Manufactures centrifugal pumps and associated systems Sites: Global Employees: 320 www.spppumps.com

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N

ow occupying a world leading position in the centrifugal pump industry, SPP Pumps has experienced a long and successful history defined by growth and expertise. Founded back in 1875, The Pulsometer Engineering Company Ltd established itself as a significant player in the UK market. After nearly a century of activity, it merged with Sigmund Pumps of Gateshead in 1961 and SPP Pumps was formed as one of the largest pump companies in Europe. Today, under the Indian Kirloskar Brothers (KBL) group, the company occupies leading positions in a number of industrial sectors including, fire protection, water, oil and gas, and energy. SPP Pumps has a main R&D, manufacturing and testing purpose built site in the UK, along with a number of local sites in all five continents.

The company has a very strong presence with the oil and gas industry, in which it manufactures fire protection pumps, seawater lifting systems and other offshore processes. Its spread across the global industry is vast. With many of the major oil companies as customers, SPP has installed over 450 pumps in 70 oil fields, serving to prove its high regard within the industry. Its industrial

fire protection division has a similar reputation, serving a range of sites from high-rise buildings to warehouses. Of note, many buildings in London’s Canary Wharf complex, as well as the Shard are all protected by SPP fire pumps. The Shard represents a significant highlight for the company: “We had to come up with some innovative fire pump solutions, with a multi-stage, multi-outlet pump, to service the needs of the building in a very cost effective and space saving way,” says Bob Tichband, general sales manager for SPP Pumps.

Acquisition by KBL in 2003 was a major point in SPP’s history. “It was the catalyst to propel the business to the strong position where it is today,” expressed Bob. Equal to the support provided by such a large company, however, are the many strengths within SPP’s own operations. Adherence to producing the highest quality and reliability standards in the industry is at the core of the firm’s business and with a range of bespoke systems being produced at the site, lean manufacturing processes are crucial to achieving these standards.

The staff that it employs and the service that it delivers are also central: “It’s all about the people and the attitude of those people,” emphasises Bob. “That’s our biggest differentiator; we look to provide world-class service from start to finish.”

SPP Pumps is focused on remaining a UK manufacturer, and highly values its presence at Coleford in the Forest of Dean. Here, the company is one of the region’s largest employers and it is committed to providing support and growth to the area. However, whilst being a valued UK business, the company is a very strong exporter.

As Bob explains: “Between 60 and 70 per cent of what we manufacture is exported abroad.”

One example of the company’s successful export horizon is its position in South East Asia. Recently, SPP Pumps won two contracts to supply fire protection systems to a luxury resort in Bali and a manufacturing facility for Suzuki. “We have got a very strong business in this region,” highlights Bob. “Winning contracts in that area is common.”

The future for SPP Pumps is all about growth and expansion, and recent developments within the company exemplify how it is gearing up to achieve this. A strong arm of the business is its aftermarket and service division. Previously it operated three separate businesses for field service, UK service centres and parts. Bob explains how this was ineffective: “They were all individual businesses and in some cases they were competing against each other. To fix it, we rationalised them under one management team – refocused and realigned them into a much more collaborative organisation. We wanted our aftermarket division to be more innovative and proactive in terms of providing solutions to our clients’ problems, whatever they may be.”

It also has investment plans to expand the manufacturing facilities in the Coleford plant.

Investment comes from winning part of the regional development fund last year, and is crucial to the company making sure it has the facilities to cope with its increasing growth as well as providing more opportunities for the local community.

The company also looks to install a world-class research and development facility there to further establish its position as a pioneering player in the industry. Moving inside, the facilities investment will also be directed towards new machinery, hydraulic and mechanical design software and capabilities.

“Hydraulic design is something that is dying out in the UK and we’re looking to reinvigorate that,” says Bob. SPP also looks to follow in the footsteps of its parent company being one of the only pump manufacturers to use 3D printing, meaning bespoke designs and manufacturing within the plant can facilitate more innovation.

SPP Pumps has a commitment to its people and to the quality it delivers to its large customer base across the globe. With a focus on rapid expansion, both in terms of facilities and export markets, the company is positioning itself to continue the success it has achieved over its vast history.

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ZGH Bolesław

A high grade

company

Zinc producer ZGH Bolesław looks set to maintain its leading position by staying completely aware of the increasingly modern industry in which it operates

ZGH Bolesław Industry: Mining and smelting of high grade zinc and zinc alloys Employees: 3000 www.zghboleslaw.pl

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F

ounded in 1958 after the merger of Bolesław Mining plant and Bolesław smelting plant, ZGH Bolesław has grown to be one of Europe’s most modern mining and smelting companies. Dealing primarily in the production of around 155,000 tonnes a year of high quality zinc and zinc alloys, the company emphasises its focus on modernisation and commitment to service as responsible for its continued success. In recent years Bolesław has also taken large strides towards becoming a greener company in line with growing public awareness of environmental issues, this includes lowering emissions, taking part in government initiatives and developing technologies to process secondary materials left over from mining activities.

The company uses a combination of smelting processes and technologies that allow it to treat a variety of materials yielding a wide range of products. Two smelting sites provide hydrometallurgy and pirometallurgy (ISP)

smelting processes, and the new Waelz Oxide Washing and Leaching Plant, commisioned in 2013, which treats secondary materials, is the first installation of its kind in the world and forms part of the company’s environmental initiative. This wide range of products lends itself to number of different industries. Zinc alloys and Wegal MOD are used in the galvanisation process of steel. Wegal MOD has earned a certification of innovation, proving that Bolesław plays a significant leading role in the industry.

Electrolytic zinc is widely used in a number of industries including automotive, processing and construction. The automotive and household appliance industries both create a demand for Zamak casting alloys. Other products include lead concentrate, sulphuric acid, casting and rolled zinc anodes and bulk zinc and lead concentrate, all of which can be applied to a number of different industries.

Where Bolesław really stands out as a producer of zinc is in the high degrees of quality it strives for. Commercial director, Andrzej Szary

tells Manufacturing Today Europe: “The content of impurities in zinc we produce is significantly lower than special high grade requirements. To achieve such a result we have to keep our production parameters fulfilling high quality requirements and procedures, while qualified employees working in co-operation with the specialised scientific and research units ensure continuous improvement of our products and methods of production.

We understand that customers’ satisfaction is prerequisite for our company’s development and therefore we improve the quality of our products and business processes.” The certification of ISO9001 also guarantees that the company is producing the highest and stable quality of product.

When Manufacturing Today Europe last featured Bolesław back in 2008, Andrzej explained that an important step for the company at that time was to become a greener and more environmentally aware company.

Seven years on it is clear that steps have been made; Adrzej assures that the company complies with all applicable law with regards to pollution and emissions, and aims to decrease emissions as low as possible. He also explains that: “Bolesław’s green side of the business is mainly visible through energy purchase and consumption,” with about ten per cent of energy used by the company coming from renewable sources. Another key aspect of the company’s commitment to the environment and one that it is keen to promote is its involvement in the ‘Time for Forest’ project run by the Polish Ministry of Environment. “In May 2013, 50 trees were planted in the area,” Andrzej highlights. “It is an innovative undertaking that enables companies to participate in the global action of environment protection, including climate protection in terms of neutralisation of carbon emissions through forestation and reforestation of the whole country.”

As for the future, Bolesław has a clear focus on continued modernisation, growth and maintaining its position as a leading manufacturer of zinc-related products in Eastern Europe.

There is a current demand for zinc products in

the photovoltaic industry, which is connected to nano-technology, in cosmetics and sun protection applications for which nano zinc oxide powder is a key component. A new production facility for this powder is on the list of short-term major investments, as is the installation of a semiautomatic stripping machine for zinc cathodes, the construction of new power sources, plus a range of modernisation and expansion projects across the sites. Andrzej maintains: “Our facility needs to be continuously upgraded to meet market, technological and environmental requirements.

We have got an investment plan which includes many operations such as: modernisation, development, upgrade and maintenance actions.”

In the long term, Andrzej explains: “The mission of the company is to expand its market share through meeting the customers’ needs and expectations, which guarantees the company’s success.” For Andrzej it is the company’s employees that carry out this mission: “It owes its brand and market position to the work and attitude of its employees, who constitute its most precious capital.” Bolesław is clear about where it wants to be, and how it is to get there.

By continuing to produce high standard product with a commitment to modernisation and environmental responsibility the mining company looks set to enjoy more of the success it has earned up till now.

www.manufacturingtoday-europe.com 61

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