A Midlands-based manufacturer is set to reap the future-proofing rewards of investment, as a result of a major project with Romi Machines UK. Dave Gray caught up with Neil Bathard, national sales manager, Romi Machines UK, to find out more.
The recent investment in new tech from Romi will see the manufacturer, which serves the building products market, benefit from the latest energy saving technology – a shrewd move against the backdrop of rapidly increasing energy costs.
The project began with the purchase of an EN300T from Romi’s EN Series machines. Machines in the EN Series, which range from 75 to 1500 tonne, are powered by a Siemens servo pump system. Bathard explained that Romi always use European specified part. The Siemens system couples an inverter drive with a fixed displacement pump – a combination which he says has a tried-and-tested history of delivering significant energy savings.
This initial investment brought about over 85% energy savings for Romi’s customer, compared with the older machine it replaced.
As a result, the manufacturer has now committed to replacing all of its older machines, the first three of which will be installed today (Wednesday 3rd August). This tranche consists of two EN220T machines, and another EN300T.
A further order of two EN100T machines will be installed in the coming weeks, as well as a further five machines to one of the company’s other manufacturing sites (consisting of an EN220T, an EN300T, an EN450T, an EN800T and an EN70T). The entire project will be completed within the month of August.
Watch: Romi's EN Series injection moulding machines with servo pumps
Asked how Romi able to deliver such a large project in a short window of time, Bathard explained: “Romi’s, manufacturing site in Brazil has the latest processes in place to produce machines quickly and efficiently. Couple that with the fact that Romi UK is one of the largest wholly-owned subsidiaries in the UK, it means we have the space to stock a larger number of machines, enabling highly competitive delivery times.”
Bathard added that the customer will now be able to benefit from over 85% in energy savings overall for both of its sites. Investment in the latest technology will also see the firm benefit from reduced downtime and lower costs for spares.
“Increased costs on energy now and in the very near future make it vitally important for plastic moulders to invest in the latest technology which will help them save on their future costs, with the added benefit of increasing their productivity while reducing/keeping their maintenance costs to a minimum,” said Bathard.
“They can also still benefit from the Super-deduction Tax, which enables companies to claim up to 130% of asset value within the first 12 months” he added.
This latest machinery upgrade is another positive sign of growth for the UK’s plastic and manufacturing sectors. Machinery suppliers are reporting increasing enquiries, in some cases as a result of renewed interest in reshoring after the supply chain challenges seen in the last couple of years.
Bathard said: “We have seen a renewed interest in the domestic market for our new machines, due to reshoring and increased taxes brought about by Brexit. Companies are fuelling the growth of British manufacturing. The high-quality products the UK market is capable of producing gives investors peace of mind, not to mention control over their supply chains, and, of course, over their cashflow.
“Romi Machines UK can help in the control of cashflow and manufacturing costs by supplying our range of hybrid energy efficient machines with the latest design technology. Our machines from 70T to 450T single pump are 8+ (“+” meaning our machines consume less than 1kW when idle), under Euromap 60:1 and 9+ for 600-2000T. I believe hybrid machines are the future, offering greater long-term savings on maintenance than other technologies.”