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ALUMINIUM
With its UK plant aiming to double output to 18,500 tpy by 2001, Netherlands-based Boal's additional extrusion press in the UK will soon be operating while the group has its sights on new markets.
Heavy reliance on a rather limited number of industries is one criticism that could readily be levelled at many involved in aluminium extrusion, particularly in Europe, where over 50% of output is absorbed by the construction sector, as opposed to little more than 30% in North America. The remainder find applications mainly in transport and engineering (see MBM December 1998), and when considering the obviously varying fortunes implicit in an industry targeting these sectors, the drive on the part of some extruders to press for shares in new markets is both logical and overdue.
Entering new markets, according to financial controller Barrie Dowsett at Boal Aluminium, the Loughborough-- based UK subsidiary of the Dutch-- owned Boal group, is principally what the group intends to achieve through its recent investments. The group has spent some L7m (US11.5m) on a second production line at its UK plant encompassing a 3,250-tonne gin (229mm) press, housed in a new 5,200 sq metre building adjacent to its existing 4,700 sq metre plant housing a 1,600-tonne 7in (178mm) press. Building began at the end of 1997 and the press is scheduled to begin operating by May.
The new press will entail a considerable rise in capacity. The plant's current output of 9,000 tpy, according to Dowsett, will rise to 12,700 tpy in 1999, 17,000 tpy by 2000 and will reach its target figure of 18,500 tpy, operating on a three shift, five day week, by the year 2001.
Within the new building Boal has also invested in an 80 metre long ageing oven, as well as installing a patented automated handling system supplied by Turla of Italy. The firm states that the press frame was purchased from semis producer Remi Claeys of Belgium, with machining carried out by Intoco of the UK, while the hydraulics have been supplied by German/British group Oilgear and the control system comes from Belgium's DeBolster Automation....