Wittmann Battenfeld UK works again for P&D Manufacturing
At P&D Manufacturing Ltd, it’s been all about progress for several years now. The company – part of the Avon Group – moved into its world-class manufacturing facility in Calne, Wiltshire, five years ago. It has continued to invest not only in the best equipment but also in its people and their teamwork.
Troy Roberts, who has been with the company for over 25 years, has recently been promoted to Operations Director for the site and now leads the P&D manufacturing team. Troy started on the shop floor and worked his way up – developing a formidable knowledge of injection moulding and materials along the way, together with a detailed technical understanding – all of which has helped forge the unique P&D manufacturing brand.
Troy also continues to build relationships with suppliers, such as Wittmann Battenfeld, with whom the company has worked for over 20 years.
Indeed the Calne site celebrated its very first month of business with the successful commissioning of its first Wittmann Battenfeld SmartPower Injection Moulding Machine (IMM)
At that time, the new SmartPower 350-based production cell – using hot and cold runner technology – joined a P&D line-up of many other Wittmann and Wittmann Battenfeld moulding machines. This installation was then shortlisted for the prestigious Plastics Industry Awards.
Wittmann Battenfeld UK sales engineer Adrian Walters says that; “given the history and the understanding between our two companies, it was a relatively easy decision to help P&D replace an aging machine that had served them well this year. The solution and the upgrade came in the form of our Wittmann SmartPower35. This injection moulding machine has a much smaller footprint, a larger platen area, and – in keeping with our manufacturing mission – uses a fraction of the previous machine’s energy to run at full capacity.”
The current year sees P&D capitalising on and expanding its unique mix of manufacturing services: Victoria Curtis joined the company in May 2022 as business development manager and has been busy meeting customers and bringing many into the factory to see best manufacturing practices at work and to meet the rest of the P&D team.
Today P&D now runs a total of twenty-two injection moulding machines – ranging from 22T – 400T locking force and arranged on a shop floor of over 2,500 square meters.
One outstanding feature of the factory tour is P&D’s 250 square metres of dedicated mezzanine space designed to sit just above the main production area. This area is home to the Wittmann materials handling system – made bespoke for P&D and deploying a fleet of Wittmann Aton dryers and ancillary equipment to keep the shop floor running smoothly. P&D operates its in-house tool room, offering all facets of prototype, soft and hard tooling from design to production and delivery. The company’s manufacturing services include nylon extrusion; laser, spin, friction, ultrasonic welding, insert moulding, over-moulding, and multi-component assembly.
The company is accredited to IATF16949 / ISO 9001 / ISO14001 Standards and Level 3 PPAP submissions performed for all customers.
Read more about Wittmann Battenfeld here.
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