Rotary Club of Shrewsbury VOCATIONAL VISIT to Salop Design & Engineering Ltd.
Members of the Rotary Club of Shrewsbury made a vocational visit to Salop Design & Engineering Ltd on 26 January 2016 and experienced a fascinating insight into a hive of noisy metalwork activity, involving giant presses and bright powder coating sprays, behind bland factory walls in Harlescott. Director Chris Greenhough proudly related the company’s successful 50 year history in Shrewsbury currently including about 15% of export business, for which Euro membership is vital, he said. Alongside their busy production workshops is In-Comm, their dedicated training facility for school leavers and others, which appeared on Midlands Today recently. After more than a few questions we were issued with essential ear defenders prior to exploring the training workshop followed by the main press shop where the regular loud thumps of the presses were followed by the almost musical tinkling of formed metal components dropping into collection bins. Before moving to the powder coating lines we were given a strict ban on photography because any flash would trigger the automatic sprinklers! We saw a suspended line of finished black coated, shaped housings emerging from a huge continuous oven and being bagged after cooling. At the entry end of the oven, operators were hand spraying vivid yellow powder (customer’s choice) on vehicle wheels before the slowly moving line took them into the oven. A positive electrical charge holds the powder in place while the intense heat of the oven bakes it permanently. Thanks to Rtns Gráinne Walters and Bobbie Fisher for facilitating our visit to this thriving business hidden away from public view yet only just across the road from Charlie’s superstore in Brixton Way. Summary report by Rtn Alan Wilding
The best dressed ‘apprentice’ demonstrates her machine