A big splash of colour
By Eddy Webb, Sheerline’s production director.
Ever since Sheerline was launched, the company has hit one strategic milestone after another, helping it achieve ambitious growth targets.
A key decision the company took almost two years ago was to bring powder coating in-house, with a state-of-the-art painting facility.
The purpose of this was two-fold; to speed up delivery of products to customers, saving time compared to relying on external suppliers, and second, to ensure the in-house team maintained Sheerline’s stringent quality control procedures so all products meet the highest quality expectations.
Powder coating on-site also means you move product about less, minimising the opportunities for damage to occur.
So, what exactly has changed over the past two years? And what does this mean for Sheerline’s customers?
What has changed?
When Sheerline revealed its state-of-the-art powder coating facility in August 2022, not only did it enhance the company’s fully vertically integrated manufacturing site, which is based in Derbyshire, but it also showed the company remains committed to long term investment.
It invested over a million pounds to bring the function in-house, enabling the team to have even greater control over the quality of the products. We’ve even instigated preparation by hand of all aluminium profiles to ensure the best possible finished quality.
The purpose of this is to remove blemishes that may affect the paint finish, while also ensuring a consistent level of quality across Sheerline’s ranges. Other aspects of the continuous improvement programme include internal training for the entire production team.
What are the results?
There have been multiple successes since moving Sheerline’s paint facility in-house, but some highlights include reducing paint scrappage from 16% to 3% over the past 12 months due to increased efficiency and refining best practice at every stage of the process.
The latter has enabled the production team to plan bigger paint runs, more frequently, which has also helped reduce scrappage and waste. Another highlight is the fact the company was awarded full Syntha Pulvin application status and the most stringent standard from Qualicoat, its ‘seaside’ approval.
Sheerline completed rigorous testing processes to achieve both approvals, which are regularly monitored to ensure these standards are maintained. This achievement reflects Sheerline’s commitment to continuous improvement, quality, and producing the best products possible.
What’s next?
Anyone who knows Sheerline knows there are always multiple projects being worked on simultaneously. Our in-house R&D team is always looking for new solutions to old challenges within the aluminium industry.
As well as new products, new services are always being added to enhance Sheerline’s existing products. For example, earlier this year, the company announced a new woodgrain foiling service, so customers can choose a wood effect aesthetic for their windows and doors, or match existing PVC-U frames.
A key priority for the production team is to maintain the standards they have achieved through continuous improvement. There are also plans for further strategic investment in the future, to ensure we continue to give Sheerline customers the best possible product quality to help them succeed.