Holden Aluminium Newsletter - October 2008

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Leading West Midlands aluminium extrusion company is awarded top environmental standard (9th March 2008)

A West Midlands aluminium extrusion company based near Bromyard has recently been awarded the top International environmental standard, ISO 14001.

Holden Aluminium Technologies Ltd. (HAT) has grown to become one of the leading companies in the UK to provide the manufacturing sector with innovative technological developments in the fabrication and forming of aluminium extrusion. The company services a range of industries although primarily automotive, transport, electronic and construction. Their products are in evidence in Aston Martin, BMW, Lotus and Morgan Cars, railway rolling stock including the Channel Tunnel, BT’s electronic exchanges, London Underground escalators and the Hong Kong Railway as well as GCHQ and many other structures and buildings around the world The Company is also involved in providing technology for the manufacturing of medical equipment.

HAT, led by their Quality Manager Dean Lewis, implemented a number of initiatives to achieve what is now regarded as the main international environmental standard. ISO 14001 sets out the method for implementing an effective Environmental Management System which enables an organisation to reduce its environmental impact whilst reducing costs. At a time when businesses are looking to provide environmentally sound products and services, this standard offers answers. 

According to Mr. Lewis,
“Everybody at HAT worked together to implement the changes. We have sound systems in place for the removal of waste from the site and we now recycle a lot more. Everything from paper, packaging, shrink wrap and coffee cups find their way into specific recycling bins. We also recycle our raw materials such as off cuts of aluminium. To achieve the standard we also spruced up the inside and outside of the buildings. Not only do these changes help to create a better and safer working environment for all, they also help to reduce wastage and ultimately our costs.”

Richard Williams, Managing Director of Holden Aluminium said,
“We are absolutely delighted that we have been awarded this standard. As a company we are now increasingly more involved in helping to improve the environment from manufacturing component parts to build lightweight chassis cars which reduce CO2 emissions as well as  providing components to build environmentally friendly delivery vehicles such as the Modec range, through to the simple recycling of everyday waste products.”

Accelerating to a double victory for Hereford and Worcester manufacturer Holden Aluminium (9/11/2007)

One of Hereford and Worcester’s most progressive automotive suppliers has demonstrated its class-leading performance by landing two of the industry’s leading regional honours.

Holden Aluminium, which employs a total of 177 people at plants in Bromyard and Worcester, took not only the Accelerate Large SME award at a prestigious ceremony at the International Convention Centre, but was named best in the West Mercia region, too.

The specialist manufacturer of quality engineered aluminium components beat off tough competition from across the West Midlands, with the judges particularly impressed with a growth strategy that saw Holden buy its largest customer, Norsk Hydro Aluminium in April.

The high profile panel, which featured the RAC’s David Bizley and the DTI’s Matt Faultless, also singled out the company’s ambitious plans to further develop the business on the back of its newly-acquired Tier 1 status with some of the industry’s biggest names.

Holden Aluminium Worcester, which is based in Shrub Hill Worcester, makes full body structures and crash management systems for iconic companies including Aston Martin, BMW, Jaguar and Lotus and is Europe’s leading independent, bonded automotive structure company.

Holden Aluminium Technologies is based in Bromyard. The company supplies products to the transport, medical and construction industries.  Products are in evidence within Aston Martin, Renault, Morgan Cars, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Channel Tunnel Rolling Stock, Escalators, Stair Lifts, GCHQ and many specialist architectural applications globally.
Additionally, HAT was recently awarded a parts supply contract for Coventry-based commercial vehicle manufacturer Modec. The Modec range, potentially the future for urban delivery with vehicles that are environmentally friendly, was launched earlier on in the year by David Cameron MP.

2007 has been a year of victories for Holden Aluminium as both companies (HAT) and (HAW) contributed to building the chassis for the Aston Martin car that won this year’s Le Mans 24 hour race. The winning car was on display at the awards ceremony accompanied by one of the winning drivers, Darren Turner.

Commenting on the growth of the business, Jeremy Holden Chairman of Holden Aluminium and Richard Williams Managing Director said,

“We see the requirements of the weight conscious automotive sector are rapidly expanding and whilst historically the market has been driven by the needs of high performance sports cars, we now have the additional pressures of CO2 emissions reduction. We see a growth in the number of light weight structured cars in the future and our company will be best placed to meet this demand. Holden companies have been grown from a base of design and development and, with these global challenges increasing, we are accelerating our technical developments, investing in new equipment and, most importantly, enhancing our skilled workforce.”  

Rachel Eade, Programme Manager for Accelerate, was delighted with the event:

“This evening is about celebrating who we are and what we mean to the manufacturing industry in the heart of the UK.”

She added: “Last year we looked to the future and this year we celebrated the past and the history and experiences that make us who we are today. At the Accelerate Awards we celebrated the spirit of our fathers; their solidarity, their true grit, their winning spirit and their ability to work together.

”This ethos is crucial to the success of our industry and these characteristics are still as important today as they ever were.”

The awards were presented by author and TV presenter Christine Hamilton.

Holden Aluminium host McMillan Cancer Charity coffee morning in vintage style (1/10/2007)

Leading aluminium extrusion and fabrication company Holden Aluminium, recently hosted a coffee morning at their Bromyard plant and offices. The Bromyard base is also the home of Holden Vintage Classic, a giftware and showroom specialising in vintage motor memorabilia, gifts and clothing.

To bring a touch of vintage style to the event, attendees were given the opportunity to see range of classic cars which included a 1930 Austin Seven Gordon England and an Aston Martin racing car that competed and won first in class and fifth overall in the 1932 Le Mans 24-hour race.

75 years on from that Le Mans victory, Holden Aluminium supplied parts and the chassis for the winning DBR9 Aston Martin that triumphed at the 2007 Le Mans 24-hour race festival. The wining Aston Martin team included David Brabham, Tomas Enge, Johnny Herbert, Peter Kox, Rickard Rydell and, Darren Turner.

The coffee morning raised £137 for the McMillan Nurses Cancer charity.

Award-winning Midlands Engineering Company secure major contract to supply parts for new revolutionary Modec range of commercial vehicles (26/2/2007)

Herefordshire-based aluminium extrusion company and recent winner of an Accelerate Manufacturing Award, Holden Aluminium Technologies Ltd., have secured a major contract to supply parts for a new range of commercial vehicles from Coventry-based manufacturing firm, Modec.

The papers in the past few weeks have been full of stories concerning the Government’s plans to introduce road charging  as an attempt to relieve heavy congestion in our towns and cities. With concerns over climate change also very much in the news and with a series of global pop concerts planned to raise the awareness of green issues, the environment has once again been thrust into the spotlight.

As part of an attempt to tackle congestion and environmental issues, Modec have introduced a range of commercial vehicles which they believe make both environmental and commercial sense. These purpose built vehicles which are due to be officially launched by the Leader of the Opposition, The Right Honourable David Cameron MP on 6 March, are built from the ground up for maximum efficiency. They are not just standard vehicles with an electric engine.

The vehicles are quiet, pollution free and offer great carrying capacity with each vehicle able to carry two tonnes for up to one hundred miles at fifty miles an hour with zero emissions all from one charge.

The Modec range which has been viewed as the future for urban delivery is available in a number of variants including a bare chassis cab. The vehicles make sound commercial sense for most businesses with zero congestion charges, zero road tax and zero operator licence.

Holden Aluminum Technologies (HAT) were approached by Modec for their expertise in aluminum extrusion forming to help them produce a complex 3D shape for the Glass Guide Channel and the Division Bar which appear on the side windows of the vehicles.

According to Haydn Risby, Technical Manager at HAT,

“The traditional method of stretch forming was offered initially, but for the low to medium production volumes required by Modec, the stretch forming tooling costs were not cost effective for the project’s budget.

“Following some in- house investigation and trials by HAT, Modec were offered the more cost effective tooling option of 3 roll forming on HAT’s newly acquired CNC controlled machine.  The prototypes that were supplied in January were made using the machine’s current two dimensional forming capability only.   With some clever use of the machine’s functions and with the vast forming experience of our Research and Development Engineer Mr. Steve Spragg, the prototypes were produced on time and well within the required tolerances.

“Further investment into the forming technology on the 3 roll machine is about to be installed at HAT which will give the necessary 3D forming capability that these components will require for the production solution.”

HAT have also undertaken the supply and fitting of all of the brackets and their fixings to the channels as well as supplying the parts powder coated ready for assembly to the cab.

The design and in-house manufacture of the checking fixtures that are required to verify the three dimensional form of the Glass Channel and the Division Bar utilising the in-house 5 axis machining capability has also been undertaken by HAT.”

Other parts supplied by the Bromyard-based firm include aluminum decking for the Modec Van.

Richard Williams, Managing Director at HAT said,

“By committing engineering resources to the project HAT achieved the very tight lead time from the order being placed on the 21st November 2006 to supply of parts of on the 12th January 2007. We are extremely excited to have been involved in this project and we wish Modec every success with the launch of their new vehicles.”

Jamie Borwick, Chairman of Modec, said:
 "We're delighted to be working with Holden to achieve the Modec mission: To build an exceptional commercial vehicle that happens to be environmentally friendly.

"The Modec body has been designed from scratch to maximise potential for a revolutionary look. Holden understood that ethos straight away and helped us achieve the iconic look and superb ergonomics that  make Modec stand out from the crowd."

 Hereford automotive supplier engineers Accelerate Award
15 November 2006

One of Herefordshire’s most progressive automotive suppliers has demonstrated its world class performance by landing one of the industry’s leading honours.

Holden Aluminum Technologies, which employs 38 people at its Linton Trading Estate site in Bromyard, secured the Accelerate ‘Best in Region West Mercia accolade at a glittering ceremony held at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham.

The specialist manufacturer of quality engineered aluminium components beat off tough competition from across the area, with the judges particularly impressed with its ability to improve on-time delivery performance and its already high levels of quality.

The high profile panel, which featured the RAC’s David Bizley and the DTI’s Matt Faultless, also singled out Holden Aluminium Technology’s willingness to target new business through the creation of a specialist sales and marketing department.

David Malpass, Senior Operations Manager at Accelerate, was delighted with the evening:

“The competition just keeps on getting better and better, with the eventual winners having to beat off over 80 of the UK’s best automotive suppliers to land the prizes.

“It is vitally important that we celebrate the strength of our manufacturing capabilities to the rest of the world and let people know that we are leading the way in technology, added value engineering and quality.”

He continued: “Holden Aluminum Technologies is a prime example. The management team has taken a continuous improvement approach to meeting customer requirements, with the company’s products now in evidence on Aston Martin, Bentley, Lotus, Morgan and Renault cars as well as structural aluminum sections on prestigious buildings such as GCHQ in Cheltenham, London Underground escalators and French Railways.

“The Accelerate Award is a fantastic achievement and recognises the hard work of everyone involved in the business,” explained Richard Williams, Managing Director.

“Our industry is extremely competitive and we have made sure we are in a position where we can win business and continue our expansion into new markets. The Company has recently invested over £400,000 in new technology to help meet current and future demand for our products including an Italmac Zeus 7000 five axis CNC machine centre which offers capacity in excess of 7 meters long. We have also recently invested in a new CNC controlled profile rolling machine.   This will enable the company to produce complex formed components up to 300 mm in depth to the highest quality and cost efficiency.

“This investment in technology and skilled people will help us to compete globally” concludes Richard.

The latest edition of Inside HAT can be downloaded in PDF format by clicking on the front cover of the magazine on the right.

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Alternatively, you can scroll down and read all the articles in the latest edition below.

HAT TURN A CORNER WITH NEW DEVELOPMENT IN SPIRAL FORMING

Earlier this year, Holden Aluminium Technologies Ltd. showcased a new development in spiral forming at Interbuild 2006 at the NEC. This exciting new product within the stair lift market has already received a great deal of interest from visitors at the show.

FIVE YEARS IN DEVELOPMENT
This technique has been developed over the last five years and is now in daily use for the manufacture of stair lift rails. This allows an aluminium section to follow the inner path of a spiral stairway (the area not normally used by foot) and not encroach upon the main area of tread.

HAT LEADS THE WAY IN HELPING TO MAKE PLATFORMS SAFER FOR PASSENGERS

In light of recent world events and a desire by metro operators to increase passenger safety and security, building contractors are increasingly installing platform screens on new lines as well as extensions to existing lines across Europe and the rest of the world.

INCREASE IN DEMAND
Since 2005, HAT has been carrying out the machining of aluminium extrusions that create the structure, doors and frames for the screens. Such has been the demand for component parts from one of our major customers, Stewart Fraser, that HAT has recently installed another new Italmac Zeus 7000 five axis CNC machine centre which offers capacity in excess of 7 meters in length.

First introduced in St. Petersburg on the metro to reduce heat losses on platforms of underground stations, platform screens have been introduced in many other countries for a whole variety of reasons. They have been used in Lyon in France to stop passengers from getting onto the track where there was no driver to stop the train. The screens also allowed a better degree of climate control on the stations which was the main reason for their introduction on underground stations in Singapore.

USE ON THE LONDON UNDERGROUND
London Underground introduced doors on the underground platforms of its new Jubilee Line extension for safety reasons as the suicide rate in London had gone up as high as 150 attempts in some years. Although the cost of the installations was high it was more than made up for in the cost of saving to human life. Each time platform screens have been installed in countries such as the UK, China, Denmark and Singapore the safety and reliability of installing such systems has been demonstrated.

IMPROVING PASSENGER SAFETY
Recent reports indicate that for the passenger, screen doors provide a cleaner, safer and less stressful way to board and leave trains. Air turbulence is reduced on the platform as trains enter and leave stations. As well as creating a barrier between passengers on the platform and the train and track, they also make platforms look more attractive, quieter and cleaner and help to regulate climate control.

For the driver, screen doors allow the possibility of approaching a station at a higher speed in the knowledge that the line will be clear. Pulling away is also trouble free as there is nothing to obstruct the doors. This allows operators to maintain schedules and allows passengers to enter and exit trains in a more orderly way.

Finally for the metro operator, platform screens increase passenger flow and help them maintain schedules leading to greater efficiency.

THE FUTURE FOR PLATFORM SCREENS
It is unlikely that there will be a large widespread increase in the use of platform screens in the UK in the foreseeable future. Despite their use on the Jubilee Line, Transport for London has no present plans to increase their use on London Underground. The cost and disruption to the lines as well as the Victorian architecture would not make the installation of platform screens to existing stations viable. This is not to say however that in the future if modern lines are built and as operators look to find new ways of improving passenger safety and security, platform screens will not become more commonplace in the UK.

At Holden Aluminium Technologies Ltd. we can foresee this type of product being used more throughout Europe not only for health and safety issues but also for crowd control and efficiency as well as for improvements to air conditioning.

INVESTING IN NEW TECHNOLOGY

EXPANSION IN CNC MACHINING CAPACITY

Such has been the demand for Architectural section long length machining that HAT commissioned a new Italmac Zeus 7000 five axis CNC machine centre which offers capacity in excess of 7 meters in length. Commissioned in March the machine has been running 18 hours a day ever since producing glazing bars for station safety barriers destined for France.

This additional capacity will enhance the services offered and help to provide HAT’s customers with a faster turnaround of product at a competitive rate.

HAT has recently invested in a £50,000 new CNC controlled profile rolling machine. This will enable the company to produce complex formed components up to 300 mm in depth to the highest quality and cost efficiency. One of the major advantages of this new facility will be the low cost of tooling which in turn will allow the low to medium quantity contracts to become more accessible. Other advantages are rapid tool change and quick programming. With 35 years experience in forming aluminium the company has the ability to form extremely complex profiles that would not normally be associated with ring rolling.

HAYDN RISBEY JOINS EXPANDING TEAM

As part of an expansion programme at Holden Aluminium Technologies the company has appointed Haydn Risbey.

Haydn joins HAT from Travers Metal Products where he worked for over 33 years. Haydn started as an engineering apprentice and eventually became Managing Director of the company. Travers Metal Products was sold to Wagon plc in 2002 and Haydn continued as Plant Manager for Travers Metal Products under its new ownership.

Haydn was involved in the design, manufacture and installation of production lines producing car bumpers, door frames and glass channels for worldwide companies such as Ford, Jaguar, Honda, Land Rover, Saab and Suzuki. Under his management, Travers Metal Products was registered and compliant with the quality standards ISO 9001/2000 and the environmental standard ISO 14001.

Travers Metals Products was founded in 1962 by two partners, Tony Davis and Bill Holden who incidentally is founder and Chairman of Holden Aluminium Technologies. We are absolutely delighted to have Haydn on board. His technical background and experience will be a great asset to the company and we look forward to furthering our expansion plans with his help and support.

ON YOUR MOPED! – HAT’S EXECUTIVE VICE CHAIRMAN HELPS TO RAISE MONEY FOR MACMILLAN NURSES APPEAL

Jeremy Holden, HAT’s Executive Vice Chairman recently took part in a ‘cannonball run’ with a difference together with twelve other volunteers in order to raise thousands of pounds for the Herefordshire Macmillan Nurses Appeal.

The group left these shores on their 50cc mopeds on 5 July and travelled to the classic 24-hour race in Le Mans. The riders known as the “Pedsters” departed from Bromyard after a barbecue breakfast and a series of interviews for BBC Hereford & Worcester radio and TV channel and then headed for Poole in Dorset. The following day, they caught the ferry to Cherbourg and after an overnight stay in Montmartin-sur-mer, motored on to Le Mans.

The city of Le Mans in northern France is well-known for its motor sports connections and has been home to the famous 24-hour race since 1923.

The distance approaching 400 miles took them 24 hours in the saddle to complete. The “Pedsters” hope to raise over £10,000 for the charity.

Jeremy Holden HAT’s Executive Vice Chairman said, “The Macmillan Nurses Appeal is a charity which is very close to our hearts. A friend’s brother (one of the Pedsters) was lost to cancer recently, Macmillian Nurses were incredibly supportive to the family”.