June 2009
UK fast forward for the Kliko wheelie bin
by Adrian Lunney
Everything about the Craemer UK’s injection moulding operation in Telford spells quality – from the design and operation of the buildings to the clear and structured layout of the moulding shop.
The German based Craemer Group invested £9 million in 2006 establishing this manufacturing site in Hortonwood, Telford, which has achieved a BREEAM “very good” rating with its design, cleanliness, systems of visual management and other production features.
The timing was right since its prime market - the UK waste management industry – needed – and still needs to - increase its activities and achieve parity with the rest of Europe in its recycling activities. Craemer’s best selling Kliko wheelie bin brand is at the heart of that waste management supply strategy – that brand name, coupled with the rigorous and meticulous production methods at the UK site has resulted in a successful two years trading in the UK that now sees the business considering expansion opportunities and the construction of a new visitor centre on site. In this facility, Council and Local Authority representatives will be able to see for themselves how the Kliko production is carried out – and what methods of design and testing ensure that it promises the user the best possible fitness for the job.
Andrew Green, Craemer UK Technical Director, points out that ‘if you go to Holland, waste managers are likely to point out a Kliko bin in the way that some consumers might refer to a vacuum cleaner as a Hoover. Kliko to date has built its European market share on the foundations of quality, durability, reliability and design – and UK Councils are buying into the same attributes.’ The Kliko wheelie bin is moulded in HDPE, contains no recyclate and is tested not just to the EN 8480 standard, but to others; including the more demanding RAL German product standard.
‘Any UK householder cannot fail to have noticed that there has been a noticeable increase in recycling activity in recent years,’ says Green, and ‘according to EU legislation, the UK still has some way to go before reaching its targets by the year 2015. In health and safety conscious times – and in a new market - the Council buyers need all the assurance they can get. Through our systems of weighted drop testing we are able to demonstrate the Kliko quality in practice. UK buyers also appreciate the extra safety built into to the product through the application of other standards, such as the RAL one. Our new visitor centre in Telford will show all these features and more to our customers.’
Local authority visitors with some experience of plastics moulding will also appreciate that the home of Kliko UK in Telford is no ordinary production site: Four massive 190 tonne capacity Braby-supplied silos stand adjacent to the main production hall and are testimony to the large scale of the bin manufacturing operation and the sheer volumes of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) needed for day-to-day manufacture of the Craemer product range.
Inside, three state-of-the-art Krauss Maffei injection moulding machines of 1000, 1600 and 2700 tonne locking force are the workhorses of the Telford operation, running 24/7, moulding a variety of Kliko bins – as well as other Craemer proprietary products such as fish boxes and plastic pallets. Application of SMED and other lean manufacturing techniques helps ensure that the plant runs at optimum efficiency and also helps keep lead times for new orders down to a reasonable level. Craemer takes its own recycling very seriously: The combined heat from the production operation serves to heat the surrounding offices and other buildings and all Telford production scrap is channelled into the production of certain plastics pallet types.
For the UK Market, Kliko production needs need to be flexible – from production orders of a few hundred to very large runs. Recent work has included some of the work being prepared for private waste collectors involved in the forthcoming Olympics. ‘We try to turnaround most new enquiries within six weeks’, says Green. If business continues to grow at this rate then we have to look at the possibility of adding in new capacity. Within the main hall we have options to double our machinery and we have an option to build a further 50% of capacity onto the existing site footprint.
Green says that the production style at Craemer UK is ‘very democratic’ and that his technical direction job is always about being out on the shop floor where his team of twenty-plus is rich in polymer-specific skills – having previously worked in some of Telford’s other plastics-based businesses. “If the team’s happy, I’m happy.” Green says. He adds that the Management of the Craemer Group makes regular visits to the UK moulding operation and– is most often out on the shop floor and on first name terms with the shift operatives. It’s the way it works here – and the formula is succeeding.”
The German parent company’s pedigree in injection moulding and commitment to innovation in this technology also gives its Telford operation a distinct advantage in producing for the UK market place. Says Green, Paul Craemer GmbH has been manufacturing in the area of metal forming and tool making for nearly a hundred years and has been injection moulding since 1958, starting with large containers – one of the first in Europe to do so.
Craemer, for example, was the first to develop the front panel section of the wheelie bin for extra strength and robustness. It’s now called our MGB Plus profile and has been copied by competitors the world over. When buyers come to view, we load our bins with a weight conforming to the EN840 specifications and then drop text them from 20ft showing no sign of strain or damage. It dramatically proves a point and gives an assurance that this kind of buyer needs.’
The decision to locate the business in Telford was key for the German company and has already paid off. In 2006 Telford’s reputation as a centre for plastics-related production was already known. The greenfield nature of the infrastructure, the local supply networks and the open scope to create a state-of-the-art production facility was also appealing to the investor – as was the central UK location and the transport and motorway links. Craemer also recognised the rising tide of new business expansion in Telford and the enabling role of the Telford Development Agency – now called Transforming Telford.
Transforming Telford helped Craemer in the manner of a total service ‘one stop shop’ - providing details on local polymer-related know-how; training, companies, resources; labour and operator availability and other data. Transforming Telford also introduced Craemer to local service companies such as solicitors and land agents and helped the company liaise with the local authority and the land vendor. Green notes that ‘whenever we needed a contact or some information, Transforming Telford were at hand to help.’
Claire Brown heads up the Transforming Telford – Polymer Central initiative and says that ‘Craemer UK and Kliko are a fantastic show-case for the polymer and recycling industries and are also a vital part of Telford’s growing and healthy Polymer Central community. We are always delighted to support Craemer UK with our various business networks – and look forward to Craemer’s new Visitor Centre bringing new business interest into Telford this year.’
