In 2004, our summer newsletter featured Richard Briggs and Greg Hopping from the then, newly formed GB Asset Finance Limited.

Richard, via his employment in the finance industry, had already built a strong presence within the plastics sector, having helped both new and established Negri Bossi customers to find the best finance facilities for their particular circumstances. The formation of GB Asset Finance Limited helped to further cement what has become a very useful and productive long term relationship.

Today the company are well recognised by funders in the UK  as specialists in providing asset finance to the plastics sector. The company offers a diverse portfolio of finance products from a wide range of providers.  Their extensive knowledge of our industry, coupled with a flexible and speedy approach, allows them to secure the best possible solution for each individual client.  A prime example of this would be their understanding of machine residual values, which are typically much higher than other types of capital equipment. In the case of Negri Bossi equipment, they can assure lenders that there is a buoyant market for second-hand equipment that further bolsters resale values.

Richard Briggs commented:

“ Our relationship with Negri Bossi has been the foundation on which our business has grown, and we continue to be very proud to be part of the Negri Bossi team. I believe the key to our success over the years is not only our knowledge of the asset finance market, but also making sure we understand our clients business”.

“This expertise allows us to quickly identify the most appropriate funder to match an individual finance requirement. We always prepare and submit our own funding proposal and ensure we obtain the best available terms and rates. The end result is that we save our client time, frustration and lost opportunity, and of course provide a first-class service.”

You can call Richard Briggs to discuss any Refinance or Hire Purchase requirements involving your machines or any other capital expenditure.  Telephone: 01159 699340 or email enquiries@gbassetfinance.com

Part of the OnePlastics Group, Tamworth based AAC Structural Foam is a large, modern, trade moulding production site.  As part of a combined expansion and machine replacement programme, a circa £1.5 million order for five machines and automation was recently placed with Negri Bossi. 

Following the decommissioning and replacement of older equipment, the mould shop will now be 100% equipped with Negri Bossi machines.  As always, machines supplied to the site are extremely well-specified, including options for the moulds such as special water distribution systems, valve gate control and integrated soft-start hot runner controllers.  The machines are also equipped with Sytrama automation cells and the AMICO Teleservice facility. This enables advanced remote connectivity for diagnosis and worldwide assistance.

A new 1100 tonne Vector machine was the first machine of this recent order to be commissioned and is primarily producing 40% glass filled fan blower bodies.

The machine is located in an area of the facility with reduced headroom, making it an impractical location for the majority of larger moulding machines on the market.  Fortunately, Negri Bossi’s Vector series machines have a low-level design as standard, which when combined with sister company Sytrama’s S20-s telescopic enhanced stroke robot, provided the ideal solution.  

Letter Tray Cell.  As part of a modernisation and efficiency drive, two new CANBIO ST 500 tonne machines will produce letter trays using two brand new mould tools.  The machines are specified for high levels of productivity and material throughput, with barrier screws for improved melt quality and increased plasticising rates. Mould/product cooling is also critical to the achievement of new target cycle times, so is assisted by the specification of platen mounted large-bore chilled water distribution manifolds.

The two individual machine cells sit side by side, with robots stacking mouldings on a dual central conveyor system.  This means that one robot is offloading to the operator side.  To maintain easy access to the operators/control side of the IMM, additional robot traverse stroke supported by a vertical leg is provided. The floor-mounted guarding includes a roof for operator protection.

This configuration of the cells allows large quantities of trays to be produced without operator intervention. When the conveyor system is almost filled to capacity, the operator is signalled via a visual and audible alarm to empty the belts.

Each Negri Bossi cell incorporates a fully integrated label applicator to which the robot presents moulded parts with a positional accuracy of +/- 0.2mm. The applicator applies a waterproof barcoded adhesive label into a dimensionally critical window.  The system also verifies the presence of the label in the window, as bar code presence is critical for tracking the tray and its contents in use.

Continual high operational efficiency, with minimum labour content, is the end result of this economical, autonomous solution.

Two additional 330t servo-hydraulic Negri Bossi machines will replace older and less energy-efficient equipment.  The machines will be fitted with Sytrama robots with associated conveyors and guarding.

A total of 7 Sytrama robots are being supplied, as two older machines also benefit from upgrades to their automation cells.  Negri Bossi’s UK based robot specialist ensures that all associated downstream automation and guarding/safety systems are correctly specified and quality monitoring systems between the injection moulding machine and robot are optimised and implemented.  This means that robots are supplied to AAC’s exacting requirements and able to optimise floor space and work in areas of restricted headroom.

One Plastics Group Managing Director, Conor Sugrue commented,

“We did not take the decision to make the Tamworth Industrial Moulding division a ‘single machine shop’ lightly.  There were a number of factors considered, including proven reliability over many years, energy efficiency and the benefits we have seen from Negri’s preventative maintenance schedule.”

“We also appreciate the merits of being provided with a complete solution, so the fact that Negri Bossi has its own in-house specialist robot manufacturer, in Sytrama, is a major advantage.  Their UK team are able to specify a complete, tailored solution and fully manage its installation and fine-tuning.  On an ongoing basis, we are also aware that all of their service engineers are fully trained on both product lines.”

We firmly believe that excellent service is directly related to product knowledge combined with the job satisfaction of key personnel.  A good measure of our success would, therefore, be the length of service provided by members of our office-based spares and service team.

25 Years continual employment is a major landmark event, and two members of our team have already surpassed this mark.

Based at our facility in Rugby, Ian Thorpe and Andy Neale demonstrate their ‘encyclopaedic’ levels of product knowledge on a daily basis.  Whether it’s an early NB series machine, or the latest All-Electric model, customers are able to tap into this valuable resource, most issues being diagnosed and/or fixed over the phone.

As we all know, 2019 is proving a challenge, with many external factors trying their best to derail the UK manufacturing resurgence.  Whilst we have a record number of projects in the pipeline, these factors are clearly making people nervous about pushing buttons. Fortunately, we’ve received some tremendous large machine orders from multi-site companies, which will enable us to complete the year positively.

This newsletter features a number of case studies that help to demonstrate our ability to supply customers with a complete manufacturing solution.  Negri Bossi is quite unique, having their own ‘sister’ automation equipment manufacturer, Sytrama.  We also have UK staff dedicated to the project management of sophisticated automation solutions, and our highly trained engineers are all fully conversant with the Sytrama product range.

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Matthew Holyoake to our team. Matt arrives with a fantastic pedigree, having served successfully for many years at one of our highly respected competitors. Initially, Matt will join us as National Sales Manager and will also be helping us fill a gap in the South of the UK. Ultimately the plan is for Matt to take over as General Manager in 2020.

We’re all looking forward to the K-Show next month, and I’m particularly keen to see the latest addition to our new NOVA range, the  s600T model. The small footprint and large tie bar spacing of this range will give our customers more flexibility than anything else on the market. I hope to welcome many of you onto our stand. 

I want to thank our customers for their continued support, which I hope we repay with excellent machines and outstanding service support.

Alan Dodds, General Manager