Clearview 253 - December 2022 | Page 66

Machinery

Paint plant extended with six-figure investment

» EPWIN WINDOW SYSTEMS HAS just completed a sixteen-week , six-figure investment in an extension to its Stellar aluminium powder coating plant . The meticulously-planned build was phased with no impact on production output or supply .
Phil Parry , Business Development Director at Epwin Window Systems , said : “ This new extension increases our powder coating footprint by 40 % and allows us to keep pace with growing demand . It ’ s a powerful reflection of the way the industry has embraced what our Stellar Aluminium Window and Door System has to offer .”
Martin Westwood , Production Manager at Epwin Window Systems , said : “ The emphasis we place on quality was always evident in our facilities and was central to us achieving our QUALICOAT licence . Our commitment to quality has continued in this new extension .”
The new powder coating line is a continuous looped track system that delivers a high level of consistency through the powder booth and oven . When combined with the improvements to the pre-treatment seven-stage bath / tank system , Epwin Window Systems has significantly reduced scrap levels , while maintaining the same high standards throughout the process . Martin commented : “ As an example of the consistency of the operation , we recently ran 700 Stellar parts through the system with zero scrap , which is great from an environmental and a waste management perspective .”
The extension to the powder coating facility reflects Stellar ’ s increasing popularity . Aluminium systems are increasingly popular in domestic projects and Stellar was designed to give fabricators and installers a competitive edge by setting a new standard for the sector .
It offers outstanding aesthetics thanks to its slim sightlines . It is also the only system on the market to offer a genuinely fully flush option thanks to the patented reverse butt joint that means there is no need to use dummy sashes or reverse rebate adaptors .
As well as state-of-the-art production facilities , every component is also visually inspected at a distance of one metre rather than the industry standard three metres . This ensures the level of quality today ’ s consumers expect .
www . epwinwindowsystems . co . uk

£ 200K EXTENSION INVESTMENT KEY TO GROWTH

» LEADING DOOR MANUfacturer Hurst Doors has invested £ 200K in a new 430sqm extension to its 50,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Hull to enable a greater consistency of service in its dispatch of PVC panels and composite doors .
The investment is in response to five years of growth that has seen the business almost double in size , moving from manufacturing approximately 1700 panels per week to over 3500 and from around 200 composite doors to 500 .
The new building , which will reduce the energy required for heating and lighting , will house the finished goods storage and distribution area , providing up to 1000 panel spaces and 500 composite door
spaces and a dedicated loading area to load Hurst ’ s dedicated fleet of 24 vans overnight .
The extension will also house the maintenance department and a small machining area featuring two CNC routers for preparing MDF cores and PVC skins . Other benefits include an improved 3m production line layout , both for storage of raw materials and linefeed access , improving health and safety and production efficiency , and the relocation of the packaging of Composite and Panels to nearer the dispatch area .
Kevin Wheatman , Hurst ’ s Director and General Manager , explained :
“ Creating the additional space has enabled us to increase our finished goods storage
capacity for both panels and composite by over 25 %. The freed-up space will also allow for an additional 30 bay storage area as well as further capacity in composite production for 100 more doors per week .”
“ We have built our reputation on our OTIF and have recovered to an OTIF of 99.8 % on panels and 97 % on composites , and , while we have hit those targets , this investment
will make it easier to achieve them .
“ The additional space will also allow for future investment in the plant and equipment to facilitate the composite production process , improving both efficiency and reducing costs , giving us scope to grow capacity and the business even further .”
www . hurstdoors . co . uk
66 DECEMBER 2022 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM