CONTROL & AUTOMATION
£1M INVESTMENT
VELDEN
VELDEN IN PRIME POSITION
TO SUPPORT EV MARKET
Specialist busbar manufacturer, Velden,
have pledged their intention to become the
premier UK supplier of busbars with a £1
million investment in their state of the art
busbar production facility.
Critical elements within electrical
distribution, busbars are often made
from copper or aluminium and conduct
electricity in high power environments.
They can be in the form of simple strips
of metal to fully complex 3D shapes
depending on the application and product
design.
Over the last thirty years, Velden has
established itself as a high-quality supplier
of electrical connection components,
such as busbars to the wind/solar/diesel
power generation and power distribution/
switchgear industries. The last five years
has seen the company develop into more
specialist markets for these products
including automotive and motorsport. This
led to the company securing a contract to
be the sole supplier of specialist busbars for
the Formula E series seasons one to four.
The success of this project led Velden to
work with a well-known UK automotive
company on manufacture of battery
busbars for their prototype electric vehicles.
Understanding the critical nature of these
power carrying components through the
depth of their experience, Velden have
earned an excellent reputation for quality
and service, evidenced by their receipt of
the EMEA PGBU Supplier of the Year award
by Cummins.
With a global focus on greener energy,
the spotlight is now on manufacturers to
reduce carbon emissions and to develop
more sustainable forms of energy. With
the UK set to ban new conventional diesel
and petrol cars from 2040, the race to
develop low emission vehicle technology is
speeding up. Velden are in prime position
to move ahead in this market. Investment
in a dedicated busbar manufacturing cell
comprising of the latest automated CNC
machinery, laser inspection capabilities,
electrical conductivity testing and an
in-house plating plant, allows complex
busbars to be produced cost-effectively,
with shorter lead times and to certified
standards.
manufactured. Where appropriate, the
team have also made recommendations to
improve supply, including design of bespoke
busbar foam packaging, which supported
controlled build of Formula E batteries and
efficient manufacture of data centre cabinets
for Facebook.
“You have proved over the last 12 months
that you are one of a handful of companies
capable of providing the levels of service we
require in this industry and for this particular
product range”
“The addition of this highly automated
technology, will ensure Velden are operating
in a highly cost- efficient way, allowing us
to offer competitive pricing with first class
quality and improved lead times.” Austin
Kitchen, Managing Director
The company are now collaborating with
several leading car manufacturers and tier
one automotive suppliers on specialist
busbar developments for use within
batteries and inverters. Plus, with the UK
looking to implement an infrastructure
of charging stations, demand for copper
products, including busbars and other
machined components is surging. Velden’s
expertise in manufacturing these items
allows them to provide valuable input
and, in some cases, influence the design
of certain components to ensure that they
can be both consistently and efficiently
With leaner manufacturing becoming
more prevalent, Velden’s capability to
supply sub-assembled, sleeved or coated
products to specific delivery requirements
including Kanban, ensures the company
is emerging as a reputable single source
supplier. Advanced ERP software and
technology, live machine monitoring and
cloud-based systems allow reliable and
live communication to be fed back to their
customers. Velden are currently enjoying
an unprecedented order book and a high
level of enquiries from both the UK and
Worldwide. A well-established service
combined with vast experience ensure
Velden are at the forefront of busbar supply
and in prime position to support the EV
market.
www.velden.co.uk
Issue 35 PECM
61