UK site relocation reaches a successful peak thanks to Summit

When Stewart, a UK manufacture and supplier of technical plastic moulded products for the gardening, home and professional catering sectors, chose to re-locate their facility from Croydon to Banbury, they called in Summit Systems to manage the re-positioning of their considerable materials handling technology.

In order to facilitate the move as seamlessly as possible, Summit loaned Stewart 17 loaders to maintain production whilst they decommissioned the machinery to be re-located. At the same time, Stewart removed the existing pipework and couplings and, after cleaning, it was shipped to the new Banbury site. Liaising with cooling specialists, IsoCool, in order that the new pipework was acceptable to both systems, Summit engineers installed approximately four kilometres of pipes around the upper reaches of the extensive factory.

Commenting on the project, Summit Systems Project Manager, Graham Wooldridge, said: “The process was staged carefully over a period of 26 weeks to match Stewart’s production requirements.”

Summit was also tasked with designing a state-of-the-art product conveying system for the new premises. Working closely with Stewart, Summit’s technical team designed in the region of 200 metres of bespoke conveying systems transporting moulded products from the large number of processing machines to the packing department. This installation has the ability to convert between a one or two carousel system.

In addition to the re-commissioning of all the existing materials handling equipment into the new site, including three silos, Summit also provided and installed new investment machinery purchased by the growing Stewart company. This included big bag frames for the support and discharge of bulk materials, additional material distribution mechanisms and blenders.

Richard Butler, CEO of Stewart, said: “This move has been highly important to Stewart. It is enabling us to invest in world beating manufacturing processes and to consolidate our position as a UK manufacturer of quality products. Choosing to work with Summit Systems on the re-location of machinery and the design and purchase of additional technology gave us the assurance that whatever the issues such a large endeavour might throw up, ultimately we would complete with the minimum of disruption.

“The quality of the new equipment we have installed at the Banbury site is unquestionable and definitely a long term investment which additionally offers us flexibility as our processes develop.

“Summit Systems engineers are an efficient and resourceful team who have worked to our schedules and produced quality work. I am hopeful that we will continue to work with Summit in the future,” he concluded.