Housing rare rhinos

concrete panels and 15 tonnes of galvanized steel, which allows staff to safely access the rhinos and undertake a range of vital animal welfare activities.

Six sliding gates, each weighing 500kg, were also installed along the fence line to allow keepers to transfer the rhinos safely from paddock to paddock, including a keeper porch designed to provide them with close access whilst remaining fully protected by a solid partition.

“One of the most innovative parts of the overall design was the vet area, which weighed five tonnes and included two manual and fully adjustable sliding gates to safely contain rhinos, allowing staff to adapt the size of the area based on the individual rhino’s size and conduct hoof inspections and weigh-ins,” Matt added.

“It’s always beneficial to use galvanizing for an environment like this where steel is open to the elements, and often harsh weather conditions. It can also be washed down with ease and without worry of damaging the structure, helping keepers to maintain a clean habitat and ensure the continued welfare of animals. The team at Merseyside Galvanizing once again delivered on the brief and provided us – and the safari team – with the reassurance that the steel structures will last for decades to come.”

8 wedge-galv.co.uk

A new manufacturing cell, including an AgieCharmilles wire-cut EDM machine, will help HV Wooding target a £2m opportunity in electric vehicles.

The company offers busbar manufacture, wire erosion, laser cutting, CNC machining, metal stamping and assembly, with all work carried out to exacting quality standards governed by ISO9001:2015, ISO45001 and the environmental ISO14001 accreditations.

The company employs 98 people at its Range Road Industrial Estate facility in Hythe and has spent more than £250,000 on creating a dedicated manufacturing cell for producing bonded stators and rotors, as well as optimising its rapidly expanding busbar production capabilities.

The investment boost has seen it install new ovens and benches and the acquisition of the stateof-the-art AgieCharmilles Cut E 600 wire erosion machine. This will help the company deliver highly precise and accurate results in metal cutting and shaping, reducing turnaround times in the process and supporting orders to aerospace, automotive and the medical sectors.

Matt Lacey, Sales and Marketing Manager at HV Wooding, commented: “There’s so many opportunities for us in the EV market and this investment gives us the capacity to go after millions of pounds of new work.

“The unit refurbishment, coupled with the new AgieCharmilles wire EDM, will