Enhanced colour options with Gilberts investment

4 Jun 2018

Gilberts Blackpool has made a £400,000 investment in a new state-of-the-art powder coating facility, set to double the capacity compared to the company’s previous installation.

It also delivers enhanced reliability of paint adhesion and finish, through all planes, with this combination meaning improved reliability in lead times and delivery of any of Gilberts’ grilles, diffusers or louvres.

The new plant will be a revolution in efficiency compared to its 20 year old predecessor. Using computer controlled spray nozzle arrays the application process can apply powder in any BS or RAL colour.

The line track not only moves twice as fast (effectively doubling capacity) but is also configured to allow both larger units to travel and more components to be coated per metre of track.

Full powder recycling is also now included for all colours minimising waste and improving the environmental footprint.

Gilberts’ technical director Roy Jones said that practically every component produced now has a powder-coated finish, jesting this is even the case if it’s white.

“Our reputation is to deliver quality products, standard or bespoke, to specification, and within lead times. Powder coating was a real bottleneck and even with 3 shifts on the old plant we were barely able to keep pace with output. This investment corrects that issue and will help enable us to continue to justify our reputation,” he said.

The new powder coating line is the latest investment at the Blackpool company, which has seen a warehouse extension, new laser cutter and 2 number 4 axis press brakes installed, all in the past year.

Gilberts MD Jonathan Haslam talked about the positive times the company is currently experiencing, which includes a record year for turnover in 2017, with the order book is showing no signs of easing.

“Any forward thinking business knows you have to spend money to ensure that we maintain or better our ability to compete. Hence our continuing investment in capacity and capability. We can only be successful by giving our customers what they want, when they want it, to the high quality they expect,” he said.

Contact:

Gilberts of Blackpool,
Gilair Works,
Clifton Road,
Blackpool,
FY4 40T

Phone: 01253 766911
Fax: 01253 767941

Visit Gilberts of Blackpool's website