Reach into the future

reach-into-the-future
reach-into-the-future

Industrial laminates specialist Attwater & Sons may be five generations into its journey as one of the leading names within its industry, but the company only ever looks forward.

In recent years, Preston-based Attwater & Sons’ family business has reinvested hundreds of thousands of pounds into purchasing new machinery, refining its processes and up-skilling its team of expert staff. That dedication to advancing its accuracy, quality and capability is a necessity when you’re the company trusted to provide the key components that keep planes in the sky, trains running up and down the country and power stations churning out the population’s energy. Managing director, Richard Attwater says keeping at the forefront of the industry is also a passion for him and his team. “Our components go inside the tools, machines and vehicles that keep this country - and many others around the world - working at peak performance,” he states. “What we do makes those things work. Knowing we play such a crucial role is what keeps us hungry to find the next step forward, and why we’re not afraid to invest in the technology and innovations of tomorrow.” One of Attwater’s recent large-scale investments was the £200,000 spent on a suite of software including a new ERP system and SolidWorks specialist 3D modelling software. The new CAD tool will mean that jobs can be rendered in advance of production. SolidWorks can also greatly reduce the time spent in quality assurance further down the line, cutting both costs and lead-times. Even many of Attwater’s less pricey innovations are yielding fantastic results. Technical manager, Matt D’Arcy says: “Although the outlay on our lab area was relatively small compared to some of our other recent projects, it’s had a huge impact on what we do. “Investment in the lab and equipment led to improvements to the high voltage electrical testing. As just one example of work undertaken in our new lab, we’ve succeeded in reducing our maintenance costs, energy costs and downtime on a key piece of equipment as well as becoming more environmentally-friendly in the process.” Make the grade Many of Attwater’s innovations make working life easier for its army of loyal customers too, enabled by the trusted reputation the company has built up after decades of solid work in the industry. Earlier this year, the company published an ‘equivalent grades table’. It was devised and made available for the first time to everyone. The table can be viewed at http://www.attwater.com/Equivalent-Specifications-and-Grades Covering 19 grades of cotton, paper and glass laminates, it is available to anybody via the company’s website and helps navigate current BSEN manufacturing specifications, superseded specifications, American NEMA and MIL equivalents and also Tufnol product names. Sales director, Rachael Kennedy, who published the equivalents table, says: “We know that the product names and specifications are a complete maze to some, especially as manufacturers have specifications for grades of laminates that no longer exist or for ones that have been superseded. We are known within the industry for our technical knowledge and we regularly have companies calling us and asking for help, so we pulled together an easy-to-use table of equivalent specifications and put it online where anybody can use it.” Attwater is to launch its range of gasket materials at this year’s Composites Engineering Show, including its flagship product an epoxy/steel laminate. An insulating material for gaskets, it is capable of withstanding the high pressure and high temperatures demanded of the oil & gas industry. Richard Attwater, managing director and great-great-great grandson of the founder, explains what makes this development so interesting to the industry. “Very few companies have been able to create a super strong product which is a laminate with a steel core and epoxy glass on either side but we’ve managed it. The innovation is the result of years of development by Attwater’s technical team. Typically, the last thing we want is laminate sticking to steel – especially the steel plates of our presses, but we have a reputation for being able to resolve customers’ queries, so when we were approached for this product we rose to the challenge. We devised a way to create a bonded steel and laminate sheet, and there is considerable demand for it.” Fly the flag Attwater continues to blaze a trail in the aerospace sector, as Richard Attwater explains: “It’s proved to be a fruitful industry for us and we are working with many of the biggest names out there. For the tenth consecutive year, we’ve achieved AS9100 quality management certification - proving our commitment to aerospace quality, composite laminates manufacture and machining. This proves to be a huge selling point for us.” D’Arcy agrees, adding: “Not only do we have a string of these accreditations - in addition to AS9100 we have MOD AQAP4, BS5750, ISO9002:1994 and ISO9001:2008 - but we also have the knowledge and experience to help customers work towards their own sustainability and environmentally-friendly objectives. In the foreseeable future, the composites sector will place much greater focus on the materials themselves, such as organic fibres and resins created from plant derivatives, as well as more traditional composites that are lightweight and allow for energy savings in use. And our innovation and technical expertise is enabling us to maximise the effectiveness of these alternative products.” Richard Attwater concludes: “We will always be able to cater for our customers’ needs, no matter in which direction they evolve, because of our approach to working with our customers. Much of the work we do, particularly in the early stages, is with designers and engineers and we help educate buyers to understand the products, possibilities and constraints. At the end of the day, we’re a family business with roots in the past, but we have only been able to survive and thrive for this long because we always move with the times, and work hard to meet the ever-changing demands of manufacturing.” www.attwater.com

Tags
Related Articles

Grow your own

Environmental impact is always a concern for manufacturers, but can naturally grown fibres - always popular at trade shows but niche in application – become a viable alternative for
12 years ago Features

Performance without compromise

In the quest to produce materials that improve on all the benefits of carbon composites without the associated weaknesses, there has been a lot of interest in manipulation of fibres
13 years ago Features
Most recent Articles

Exel secures deal with Chinese bus builder

Finnish composite manufacturer Exel Composites has secured a new project with Chinese automotive manufacturer Foton Bus and Coach Company to supply pultruded glass fibre composite profiles.
10 hours ago News

Zünd establishes branch in Australia

Zünd Systemtechnik has announced the establishment of its own branch in Australia. Zund Australia will be based in Melbourne serving existing and new customers from all areas of application in which Zünd is active.
1 day ago News

Login / Sign up