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Sapa Tibshelf takes centre-stage in UK profile production
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| Sapa Profiles UK Limited continues to invest heavily in its manufacturing resources as they re-enforce their commitment to UK manufacture. Sapa are convinced that, even during the latest economic down-turn, that investment and modernisation are necessary in order to maintain a competitive market position and give their customers the confidence of long term local supply partner. Their latest major investment is the installation of a new 2,000 tonne extrusion line at its works in Tibshelf, Derbyshire. This article provides an insight into this £2 million development and several other investment initiatives. |
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The Sapa Group, part of the Norwegian Orkla organisation, continues to evolve. It was only in March, 2007, that the company entered into a joint venture with Alcoa to set up the world’s largest soft-alloy extrusion business which resulted in a combined capacity approaching 900,000 tonnes per year. The group’s key strategy of moving from an extrusion supplier to a solution provider is strongly reinforced by their investment in Technicians and Engineers to help customers in all stages of product development. In addition, the group has invested nearly € 3.2 million in its new Innovation Centre, a development resource, based in Vetlanda, Sweden, accessible to both clients and Sapa companies worldwide. |
| Locally, in the UK, Sapa operates from two locations in Cheltenham and Tibshelf, Derbyshire. The Cheltenham plant is equipped with two presses, one employing 9-in billet, the other 8-in billet. The facility also includes an anodising surface finishing plant. This extrusion operation is mainly employed in the manufacture of high surface finish profiles in 6000 series alloys. |
The Tibshelf factory also operates two presses — one processing 9-inch diametre billet, the other 7-inch billet. In this case, the final product is largely destined for the general engineering and transport markets. The plant also houses the organisation’s remelt/billet casting operation which re-enforces Sapa’s commitment to the environment in scrap recycling. Together, the plants have a capacity of approximately 50,000 tonnes per year.
The restructuring and modernisation of Sapa’s UK operation, which primarily supplies the United Kingdom and Ireland, places the |
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organisation in a strong position to weather the current economic storm. The Tibshelf and Cheltenham plants can be considered as a single entity, with the flexibility of running dies on more than one press which, in turn, gives confidence to customers that the company always has a flexible lead time. This is seen as key to providing a local supply service at the highest possible level.
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Article printed in Aluminium Times Jan/Feb 2009 : MMC Publications
To find out more about Sapa Profiles and their aluminium extrusion capabilities please visit: www.sapagroup.com/uk/profiles
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