Norco Composites announces new investments 

At the start of 2017 Norco began working with Princess Yachts to manufacturer canopies for their V40 and V50 crafts. To improve efficiency, Norco has adopted and amended the customer’s previous procedures, resulting now in a seamless stream of products from lamination, finishing through to the paint shop. The new workflow has put Norco in a position to deliver six canopies per month, which has given the business confidence to invest in its spraying facilities.

Norco has installed a significantly larger spray booth, measuring 10m x 6m. This will allow the business to process both larger and multiple structures for initial priming. Painting of GRP and composite structures has increased significantly in recent years, as manufacturers seek to differentiate their finished products. Each structure will receive several layers of primer, paint and lacquer, taking between 75 and 150 hours to complete, to ensure the high-quality finish demanded for luxury super yacht manufacture. In addition to marine applications, the larger spray booth will also enable Norco to work on aerospace components including flight simulator hoods. The new booth will compliment Norco’s existing spray booth, more than doubling capacity.

To accommodate the arrival of the larger spray booth, Norco has expanded its facilities with two additional units on the Holton Heath Industrial Estate in Poole. The current cutting facilities have been relocated into one of the new units and the company will shortly take delivery of a new cutting and kitting machine. The production of material kits for certain composite manufacturing applications is essential, enabling Norco to guarantee consistency and maintain quality. Kits are produced from plywood, foam or GRP laminates. The addition of the new cutting machine will enable Norco to produce kits both faster and more efficiently for customers within the marine and aerospace industries.

Mark Northey, managing director of Norco, is delighted with the new investments, commenting: “Adding this vital equipment will enable us to significantly increase our capability in two key areas of our process flow. We are seeing an increase in demand for painted components and the new spray booth will allow us to manufacture components quicker. The new kitting machine will improve our efficiency and allow us to produce kits to a tighter tolerance. We have invested in this equipment as we have seen a growth in demand across several market sectors and we are now positioned to take full advantage of this growth potential.”

www.norco.co.uk