Surface World April 2019 Surface World April 2019 | Page 70
PRODUCTS & PROCESSES
Major expansion delivers
biggest facility in Yorkshire
A leading galvanizing
business has completed a
multi-million pound project
to create the biggest bath
in Yorkshire.
Humber Galvanizing has increased capacity
by as much as 50 per cent thanks to a major
expansion that also includes the installation
of other new tanks and a substantial
extension of its yard.
The company’s new-look site, at Citadel
Way, will be officially opened by Karl Turner,
MP for East Hull, next month.
“We’ve been at this
site for 22 years and
never up scaled
before so we’ve
moved with the
times and it’s an
historic moment
for us. It is also
a commitment
to the future of
the business.”
The plant has also
invested in two new
‘triple acid’ baths
and made a string
of changes in
support of its
commitment to
health and safety.
General Manager,
Richard Speake
General manager Richard Speake said:
“This is a major investment that will have
a significant impact on the business.
“It will increase both the number and size
of the jobs we’re able to do and that extra
capacity will also boost our turnover.
“It’s a project that will give us the
infrastructure we need to ensure we’re
‘Fit for the Future’ and the kind of platform
from which we can grow even stronger.”
Expansion of the site, including the yard
extension completed six months before,
included major groundwork to extend
an existing pit for the new main bath,
which measures 7.5m long, 1.2m wide
and 2.7m deep.
Mr Speake added: “Our old bath wasn’t
always big enough for some of the work
that customers wanted and we’d have to
send projects to one of our sister plants
within the group.
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“Now we have the
size of bath that
can cope with much
longer lengths of
steel and that
will have fantastic
implications for us
moving forward.
APRIL 2019
The creation of a
new exit to the rear
of the site has paved
the way for the
establishment of a
one-way system to
improve the drop-off
and collection
process – enhancing safety for both yard
staff and visitors – while dedicated loading
bays will ensure the transport operation
runs smoothly.
Upgraded handling equipment, together
with the introduction of an innovative transfer
system and new forklift trucks, will increase
safety within the site too, while the plant
has also reinforced its commitment to
sustainability.
A state-of-the-art digital furnace will improve
efficiency and reliability – and lead to
predicted maintenance procedures –
while a heat exchanger will harness heat
that was previously lost, enabling it to be
used elsewhere in the process.
Hull was the UK’s City of Culture for 2017,
an initiative supported by Humber
Galvanizing and which has prompted
major investment in the area.
Mr Speake added: “A number of major
renewable energy firms have built new plants
here this year as part of the ‘Green Port’
campaign linked to City of Culture status.
“It encourages businesses to invest in
the region and that’s something that
will hopefully have benefits for us too.
“Our expansion gives us the ability
and capacity to work closely with
these companies and that’s an exciting
prospect for everybody.”
Visit: www.wedge-galv.co.uk
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