Dunraven Windows

Source: Manufacturing Digital

Date :26/10/2007 15:33:34

Investment in equipment, processes and facilities are taking Dunraven Windows beyond its original heartland into new markets.

Investment in equipment, processes and facilities are taking Dunraven Windows beyond its original heartland into new markets

Written by Ruari McCallion & Produced by Rahim Ali

Dunraven Windows celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2004 with justifiable pride. Based near Bridgend, South Wales, the company had recently launched a new trade division – Sun Trade – owned Bracey’s Builders Merchants, and had a large commercial division, which contracted with local authorities in South Wales and around Bristol. It had just signed a £17 million contract to supply and install replacement windows to the Valleys & Coast Housing Association, in partnership with Bowater.

Its principal business is replacement windows, with its only presence in new build being in conservatories – for which it also provides concrete for foundations. New machinery had boosted output and its Tritec line, developed for Dunraven by PVCu supplier Rehau, featured high levels of security that had been particularly well received.

Improvement drive

Time moves on and things change. In Dunraven’s case, the change has definitely been positive. “We’re now producing 1200 window frames a week and has targeted for an increase to 1500 a week within 6 months,” says Keith Carter, head of environmental services. The increased production has come about because of investment and restructuring of product flow.

“The new machinery enabled us to use our manpower better. We’ve replaced three saws with a single cutting centre, for example. It was operating on a single shift initially and now through two, and it’s producing enough to feed the entire factory. After cutting, the PVCu goes straight to a semi-automatic welding centre. We’re in the process of commissioning new machinery that will enable us to take the doors into their own production line. It takes a long time to cut and machine doors; it takes as long to process ten doors as it does for 30 windows. That will help us speed up, a lot.”

The drive for improvement is underpinned by the recent introduction of SPC (statistical process control) charts and measurements, along with quality audits and more ‘quality patrols’. Quality is a word that keeps cropping up in conversation with Carter; it’s important and the ability to deliver to customers, on time – or even ahead of time – has contributed to its expansion. As well as Bristol, Dunraven’s SunTrade division now has trade depots in Swindon, Barnstaple, Plymouth and Poole.

“People come into our trade depots with their surveys, order the windows and we guarantee to supply standard models within seven days. Customised fittings will be delivered in two weeks,” he said. Its main area of operations is still South Wales and some of its biggest customers are the big city councils – Cardiff, Swansea and Newport. Probably equalling them in importance is Integrate, a purchasing entity created by a number of smaller councils, working together. Dunraven has a strong reputation in its heartland because it delivers. The Valleys 2 Coast Housing Association contract was for five years but Dunraven has already delivered on everything it set out to do.

Focus on quality

“We have a good record of on time, in full,” says Carter. “We introduced TQM three years ago. I originally came on board to be quality, health and safety manager before going to operations and now environment. We began an 18-24 month project in that area 12 months ago.” With the help of MAS, Dunraven examined its production yield and had reason to feel a degree of satisfaction with the outcome: they weren’t far away from the optimum. But that is a two-edged sword. If the company couldn’t get big gains from shopfloor improvement, it had to look elsewhere. That’s where the environmental project came in.

“We focused on waste reduction in our processes and introduced SPC to flag issues up and trace them back to the root,” he said. “We also looked at reduction of waste further out, both what was coming out of the factory and what was coming back off site.” In factory-generated waste, it analysed its PVCu offcuts. They can be recycled and are a potential revenue source. The effectiveness of packaging recycling was improved by the purchase of a baler, which deals with polythene, the cardboard and steel is now sent for recycling. Dunraven installs windows, as well as making them, and undertakes to remove and responsibly dispose of the windows it’s replacing.

Waste not, want not

“With 15-20 fitting teams active at any time, we get quite a substantial amount of wood, glass and metal back from site,” said Carter. “Originally, it was all shipped to a disposal company, who either sorted the waste or sent it to landfill. We were shifting one 35-yard skip every day and it was costing us £1500 a week.” That’s a lot of money and was targeted for reduction.

Step one was, in essence, about housekeeping. The immediate action was moving the skip and waste collection point away from the production premises. Trade customers were coming to pick up their windows from the factory and the waste activity didn’t give the best impression – and it was difficult to get a proper reclaim/recycling operation going within the space constraints. Luckily, the company still owned its original premises from nearly 30 years ago, and it shifted the waste collection there.

“We got a bit of grant help for resurfacing and improving perimeter security,” he continued. Dunraven invested in training for its people and the site achieved licensing standards, even though it doesn’t actually need it, because of the scale of operations. The total cost was in the region of £110,000. “We got no aid for our training programme but we now recycle a lot of material that was previously going to landfill. The long view was that we’d be better off.” Indeed, it is. The benefit isn’t just a better-managed operating environment and reduction in waste: there is actually a revenue benefit, too.

Get on your recycle

“The products that come back are wood, metals, PVC and glass,” said Carter. “We recycle the glass to a glass manufacturer. Wood is now removed without charge. It has value but not to us; to be able to resell it, we’d have to remove all the metal, including the nails and that’s too labour-intensive. If we’re unable to break the PVC down to pure PVC, with no other materials, we are at least able to have it removed free. Any other materials are residual and have to be disposed of.” Simply sorting and separating material, for recycling or disposal, has had a pretty dramatic impact.

“We’re now filling maybe one ‘general’ waste skip a week. We’re getting income from some of the waste we get back from installation teams, in particular, the aluminium that comes from old metal-framed windows,” he said. “What we’ve achieved is getting the post-installation waste to break-even. Factory waste actually generates some income. We’ve moved the process from costing £1500 a week to actually earning some money.” The company is now recycling 80-85 per cent of its waste and has earned Dunraven the Green Dragon environmental accreditation. And it makes it easier to justify further capital expenditure.

“Rework tends to increase in the colder months, because temperature impacts on the behaviour of PVCu. We’re looking to put proactive measures in place to control that. We now are on top of every aspect of our operations and monitor everything we do,” Carter concluded. It’s making Dunraven a more and more effective operation.