For Engel, Brett Martin, a leading, family-owned manufacturer of plastic building products headquartered in Northern Ireland is a customer of long standing. Since buying its first Engel machine in 2010, the company has added another eleven to the fleet, including a machine specifically tailored to the production of its StormCrate55 - an injection moulded, modular, stackable cellular crate used in storm water retention, attenuation and infiltration applications.
“We worked with Engel and Agentdraw Ltd on the specification and design of a machine to manufacture our new StormCrate55 product which saw an investment of £2m and has been a huge success,” said Noel Gourley, production manager at Brett Martin
Now, as rising demand for components and products across drainage systems, plumbing and rainwater systems at the Co. Antrim site increasingly tightened the pressure on the 12 existing machines and pinch points developed with critical products, a solution was needed and Brett Martin fell back on what it knew: Engel.
An extension to the working period across the week had been considered but even then there would not have been sufficient capacity. The company then decided to invest in another three Engel production cells, which include viper robots. The viper is a high-performance linear robot with an innovative design that offers improved load-carrying capacity and a low deadweight.
The newer machines, said Brett Martin, are more energy-efficient, have lower running costs and produce less scrap, increasing efficiency and productivity and promoting a more sustainable production.
As an additional benefit, the company has found the these more technologically advanced machines allow lead times to be maintained and in some cases, even to be shortened.
“With this investment we are also working towards a more sustainable industry by boosting our resource and energy efficiency," noted Gourley. “Importantly, our machine operators enjoy working on the Engel machines and like the user interface.”
The new machines will also provide scope to expand their range and investigate new product lines.
“We are confident that continuing to work together will secure our future growth and competitive edge in the marketplace,” Gourley said.