Testing process - Caswells ' pneumatic and fluid technical sales engineer Mark Malone operating the large crimping machine .
ENGINEERING
Division relaunch
I
Caswells ’ industrial hose division well placed for expansion .
t ’ s a relatively small part of the firm so far – but as workplace supplies specialist Caswells prepares to celebrate 50 years in business , its fledgling industrial hose division is well positioned to flourish .
Formed in 1972 as D R Caswell , the Caswells Group has become the “ go to ” one-stop-shop for all workplace needs , with customers throughout the UK and Europe .
Based on Billingham ’ s Cowpen Industrial Estate , it employs 70 staff and has an annual turnover of around £ 15m .
The industrial hose and hydraulics division , however , is relatively new , having lain dormant for years after Caswells bought Middlesbrough firm Whitfield and Partners .
In 2019 , Caswells opened a purposebuilt hose and hydraulics workshop , stores and dedicated trade counter , staffed by industry experts .
Under the guidance of Mark Malone , the last two years have been spent perfecting the processes needed to make its hose operation second to none .
With two new apprentices now on board , it ’ s ready to grow .
But how does the testing process work ?
With hoses requiring annual recertification , Caswells can collect from site , or receive deliveries .
Each hose received is thoroughly cleaned out in a dedicated trough , with any contaminated water sent to a fully licensed waste treatment partner to ensure a low environmental impact .
The hoses – which can range from an eighth of an inch to eight inches in diameter – are then individually tested in their secure test rig to ensure they don ’ t combust on reaching a certain level of pressure .
The entire process is recorded and the results are fed through the Caswells Hose Management System register , which can be accessed at any time by the client through the online portal . There is a full audit trail which shows the date and duration of the test .
The Caswells Hose Management system has a dedicated reminder function which informs clients when the next inspection of the hose is due .
The hose division expansion is an exciting development for Caswells , which stocks a vast product range and whose in-house associated services also include workwear and embroidery services .
However , Caswells doesn ’ t only test and service others ’ hose assemblies – it manufactures them too , as well as stocking an extensive variety of hoses , fittings , assemblies , and ancillary products .
And again clients can be confident , with each hose assembly individually and meticulously tested and certified to one
WORDS : DAVE ROBSON
and a half times its working pressure .
All of which , Caswells believes , puts its industrial hose and hydraulics division in a good position to expand .
Commercial director Paul Murphy said : “ It ’ s not a big part of what we do at the moment but we ’ re confident it will be . We ’ re rekindling it and it ’ s going well so far .
“ What really sets us apart from our competitors is the high level of service – the full audit trail , from the initial inquiry to test certification , and the very professional test facility .
“ It ’ s for any firms using hoses , really , anything from tanker companies to shot blasting and painting firms , industrial cleaning services , all sorts .
“ Not too many people know about it so far but hopefully they soon will as business increases .
“ We believe we ’ ve got a golden goose here . It ’ s about £ 40,000 turnover a month at the moment but the vision is to get it to £ 100,000-plus .
“ Now we ’ ve got the foundations in place and the software is available , we ’ re wanting to promote this department . And with the two apprentices we ’ ve got on board , we have the capacity to expand .”
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