4 NEWS www.finishingmagazine.co.uk Major redevelopment Manchester Galvanizing, part of Wedge Group Galvanizing, has undergone major redevelopment at its Heywood site which has seen it replace its old galvanizing bath, and introduce new equipment aimed at boosting productivity, quality, and sustainability efforts. Mark Waters, commercial manager at Manchester Galvanizing, explained: “Over the last few months we’ve been working on these improvements to ensure we can continue to keep up with growing demand and deliver a high quality, sustainable service. “Our new bath replaces our old one which has come to the end of its life. This enables us to process steelwork for projects as varied as small sculptures and commissions, through to large structural steelwork and components for industries as diverse as rail, marine, and construction. “Our new furnace and heat exchanger will also enhance our efficiencies and further improve the quality and capabilities that we can provide to customers. It’s been a long few months and much hard work but we’re thrilled to now be back up-and-running as normal. We’d also like to thank our customers for their continued patience, and to our sister plants for stepping in and supporting our workload during our downtime.” Environmental commitment Interpon powder coatings from AkzoNobel have received an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for a third time, confirming the company’s continued commitment to full transparency in the sustainability of its products and aligned to its own sustainability goals including a 50% carbon footprint reduction by 2030. An EPD is an independently verified assessment of a product's environmental impact across its whole lifespan, from initial production to end-of-life disposal or recycling. It contributes benefits to some of the leading green building schemes, such as LEED (Materials and Resources) and BREEAM (Materials) certified building projects. Interpon D became the first powder coating to achieve an EPD in 2015; this was renewed in 2018. The latest EPDs are valid for a further five years with global geographical scope considering 11 representative powder coating production sites. Bob Dirks, global segment manager architectural AkzoNobel Powder Coatings, says that Interpon continues to be the stand-out performer in every sense: “This EPD renewal shows how we are committed to providing total transparency concerning the sustainability credentials of the raw materials, manufacture and transportation associated with creating Interpon D,” she explains. Innovation boost Innovations are boosting sustainability in a wide range of industries and processes – and along the entire value chain. Customers of Henkel’s Adhesive Technologies business unit recently recognized this important positive impact by presenting three prestigious awards for metal pretreatments to the company: the Paint Sustainability Innovation Award from ArcelorMittal, the Global Supplier Award from Novelis, and Best Project of 2022 from B/S/H. International steel producer ArcelorMittal presents its Paint Innovation Award to celebrate projects that open up exciting opportunities for innovative future products. Novelis, a company that produces flat-rolled aluminum products, honors outstanding partnerships and high-quality solutions that drive sustainability with its Global Supplier Award. And the Best Project award from household appliance manufacturer B/S/H recognizes outstanding suppliers who support progress toward its ambitious sustainability goals. For many years, Henkel Adhesive Technologies have been working to optimize processes in the metals industry and to reduce the sector’s impact on the environment. Even in the future the company aims to lead with technologies enabling sustainability. “We are proud to receive recognition for our contributions to our customers’ process efficiency and sustainability,” says Volker Mansfeld, vice president metals EIMEA at Henkel Adhesive Technologies. “We see these awards as a motivation to keep improving our CO2 footprint, as well as to enabling our customers to rethink their applications, processes and products – to become even more sustainable in the future.” The bank’s all here HMG Paints recently had the privilege of welcoming representatives from the Bank of England to their Riverside Works headquarters in Manchester. The visit, held on 12th July, provided an opportunity for an insightful discussion on various aspects of HMG Paints' operations, SME’s role in the economy, manufacturing and the broader economic landscape. Mike Jennings, HMG finance director said of the visit “The visit provided a valuable opportunity for us to share our perspectives and experiences and gain insights into the broader economic landscape. We appreciate the Bank's interest in our operations and look forward to further collaboration in the future." During the visit, the Bank of England representatives explored a range of topics that held significant importance for both HMG Paints and the wider economy. Following HMG’s recent recognition as Manufacturing Family Business of the Year by Family Business United, the representatives were keen to get HMG’s insight on the current manufacturing landscape and future outlook. <strong>Finishing</strong> – <strong>September</strong>/<strong>October</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
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