Dales Gain Syntha Pulvin Approval

As part of its long-term growth plan, Dales Fabrications identified the need to install an improved in-house Architectural Polyester Powder coating plant for its aluminium eaves and rainscreen products. Following close liaison and discussions with the University of Derby, partial funding was secured through the university’s Invest To Grow department.

 

Although Dales’ had a small existing powder coating facility, its limited functionality and capacity meant the majority of its powder coating was undertaken by external suppliers. As much of the company’s work involves Architectural Polyester powder coating, this reliance on external organisations limited the control, speed and capacity of its activity.

 

The new powder coating plant was installed at Dales second factory unit at Crompton Road by Haviland Ovens of Ilkeston and became operational in November 2018. It has significantly increased in-house powder-coating capacity and is used for the most important and time-sensitive jobs. This has provided immediate benefits by increasing the level of control and reliability that Dales Fabrications has over the speed and quality of its work. It also means the business can avoid the significant minimum order charges for its many smaller jobs by undertaking these in-house.

 

The quality of the plant has since been recognised through the business becoming one of only around 30 organisations in the UK to receive the prestigious full Approved Applicator status from industry coating leaders, Syntha Pulvin. Craig Wilson, Business Development Manager of Sherwin Williams (which owns Syntha Pulvin) commented:

“Dales’ very tight tolerances and quality control was evident during the tests – the metal oven temperature gauge used in the Dales’ plant is the most accurate I have ever seen…allowing consistent quality at all times. I actually took the temperature trace graph away with me to use in our training to demonstrate what is possible!”

Karl Prosser, Managing Director of Dales Fabrications, also commented on the plant’s high quality and the benefits this provides:

“After the first few weeks we realised the high levels of quality and consistent finishes coming from the plant. By undertaking key jobs in-house we can also monitor our quality, identifying and rectifying any defects immediately.”

More information is available at: https://www.derby.ac.uk/business-services/funding-services-and-support/access-to-funding/case-studies/dales-fabrications/