September/October 2022

Machinery Investment
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE
Nigel Boothby, Distinction Doors’ General Manager, discusses the company’s recent
machinery investments, which includes two new additional CNC machines, an edgebander
and an extraction unit to help solidify its position in the market...
certainly been a busy year, and
we’re not done yet!” said Nigel Boothby,
“It’s
General Manager at Distinction Doors,
speaking of the company’s extensive planned
investment programme.
Starting with the expansion of its paint facility and a
new spray booth in summer 2021, Distinction has so
far this year commissioned two new additional CNC
machines, an edgebander and an extraction unit.
“As a business our common goal is providing the
very best possible customer service. To achieve
this, we must ensure our production processes
are as robust and efficient as possible, keeping
downtime to a minimum. And so, this year we
are focussing on reducing single points of failure
by installing new, additional equipment and
managing out obsolescence.”
Two additional CNCs
By the end of November eight CNC machines will
be operational. The seventh was commissioned
four months ago and is already achieving high
levels of productivity and machine efficiency. The
eighth is due to be installed in November.
“Our CNCs are integral to our prepped door service.
By adding two new machines into our operation, we
are boosting capacity and reliability which enables
us to offer our customers even better service.
“The new machines are also part of our
obsolescence programme, at some point in the
future they will replace the oldest machine/s.”
Increased edge band capacity
Another machine integral to the prep service is the
edgebander. One step ahead of the CNC machines
in the production process, the edgebander edge
bands the sides of the door blank in PVC (stable
doors are edged in the middle too).
This summer, Distinction invested in another
edgebander, taking the total to four. This will enable
The new extraction unit installed.
Inset: Nigel Boothby
Nigel and his team to create two
cells of edgebanders – a dedicated
area which will increase capacity and ensure doors
are edge banded on-time.
Additional extraction system
Critical to the Distinction Doors operation is its
ability to extract dust and shavings from the
working environment. Once again, to reduce
vulnerability and minimise the impact of any
breakdowns, the door supplier has installed a
second extraction system.
After gaining planning permission, the two-storey
extraction unit was installed in a safe and speedy
manner by an external contractor. The installation
took place during normal working hours, plus the
odd weekend, and did not impact production.
“This new extraction system affords us greater
resilience and increases up-time,” continued,
Nigel. “It is located away from our original
extraction unit, in another part of the site.”
As an added precaution, Distinction also invested
in spark detection technology to protect the
extraction system from potential fires.
Planned and preventative maintenance
For greater peace of mind, Distinction has
maintenance partnerships with suppliers of both
the CNCs and extraction system. This regime
complements the company’s expansion of its
maintenance team with the appointment of a new,
dedicated Maintenance Manager, Mark Keeler.
“Previously, this role was attached to another
function,” continued, Nigel, “…but we have
recognised the value that a committed leader will
bring. Mark’s primary focus is to continue to improve
our machines up-time to ensure better service.
“Mark has introduced a proactive maintenance
schedule which focusses on preventative
maintenance. His crew work predominantly
on the night shift, with cover during day-time
manufacturing hours. While this approach has the
potential to disrupt production, something which
we must account for, we all see the benefits that
Mark and his team bring in terms of up-time.”
Improved infrastructure
The company has also invested heavily in the
infrastructure at its Barnsley-based factory.
“We have increased our hard-standing external
storage areas,” said, Nigel. “This has enabled us
to improve our stock-holding – increasing capacity
and storing product safely and efficiently.
“We are a trusted and dependable partner, and
we are proud to offer our customers the support
and reliability that they expect from the UK’s
largest supplier of composite doors, and so, as the
UK enters another period of uncertainty we will
continue to plan and invest to the benefit of our
business and our customers.”
Contact Distinction Doors:
0345 2000 816
www.distinctiondoors.co.uk
@DistinctionDrs
34 T F SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 CONNECTING THE WINDOW, DOOR & ROOF FABRICATION SUPPLY CHAIN