October 2020 newsletter
Read our latest newsletter – hot off the press today!
To read a copy click here.
To receive a copy of the newsletter in your inbox each month, please
subscribe. Simply scroll to the bottom of the page and look for the
‘Newsletter Sign-Up’ button.
We’re always looking for interesting articles in the steel industry too!
Please feel free to get in touch with your news, and we’ll try to feature it.
Racks for Automatic Carton Freezers treated by Joseph Ash Galvanizing
In 2019, Westfort Meat Products started work building a brand new state-of-the-art modern meat processing facility, with an integrated cold-storage and freezing warehouse. They turned to NH3 Ltd to produce the freezers. NH3 Ltd commissioned Midlands Structures to fabricate the steel, who, in turn, booked Joseph Ash Walsall to treat the steel.
Westfort Meat Products is a Dutch family business, based in Utrecht, The Netherlands. With a long history in the pork industry, they are now known as one of the world’s most cutting-edge meat processors.
As part of a 2019 construction project, they embarked on a mission to build a brand-new cutting plant and deboning facility, including a built-in cold-storage and freezing warehouse. It was part of an initiative to bring all new facilities under one roof, to improve centralisation and logistics.
The construction project involved the need for two new Automatic Carton Freezers (ACF), and Westfort commissioned NH3 Ltd to make them.
Based in Suffolk, England, NH3 are industrial freezing and chilling specialists, who design, install, commission and maintain bespoke industrial refrigeration plants worldwide.
NH3 set to work manufacturing the two ACF’s for Westfort, which they believe are the biggest freezers in Europe, if not the world.
As part of the project they commissioned Midlands Structures to fabricate the steel racks, which weighed in at about 700 tonnes.
For such a large project, durability and longevity is key. Therefore, Joseph Ash Walsall was booked by the steel fabrication company to treat the steel with a hot dip galvanized coating.
Hot dip galvanizing is important because it provides a long-life, low-maintenance corrosion protection which safeguards steel from atmospheric attack.
In total, Joseph Ash treated approximately 1000 racks for the freezers, as well as other parts of the machinery.
The construction project at Westfort Meat Products is due for completion this year. To see the scale of the Automatic Carton Freezers, watch this NH3 video.
Next page
In September we published a story about the shortlisted entries for SSDA the Structural Steel Design Awards. Read it here. As we’ve moved into October, we’re pleased to reveal the SSDA 2020 winners, as announced by the British Constructional Steel Association (BCSA) last week on the Steel Construction website.
The winners are as follows:
- Tintagel Footbridge, Cornwall
- 52 Lime Street, London
- The Curragh Racecourse Redevelopment
- A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme
- Bath Schools of Art and Design
- Brunel Building, London
Commendations also went to:
- Mary Elmes Bridge, Cork City
- The Post Building, London
- Centre Building, London School of Economics
- Waterloo Station Roof Infill
- One Bartholomew Bart‘s Square, London
- The Standard Hotel, London
Merits went to:
Congratulations to all the SSDA 2020 winners! Great achievements!
A special SSDA 2020 brochure (produced by the BCSA and Trimble Solutions (UK) Ltd in association with Kovic Design Limited) is available.
Next page
Read our latest Joseph Ash Galvanizing newsletter – hot off the press today!
To read a copy click here.
To receive a copy of the newsletter in your inbox each month, please
subscribe. Simply scroll to the bottom of the page and look for the
‘Newsletter Sign-Up’ button.
We’re always looking for interesting articles in the steel industry too!
Please feel free to get in touch with your news, and we’ll try to feature it.
As today is World Cancer Research Day, we’re pleased to share a story about one of our team members – Mark Payne, Divisional Manager at Joseph Ash Chesterfield – who has set himself the target of cycling 300 miles in September to raise £1000 for Cancer Research UK.
In normal times this is a worthwhile cause, but it is particularly important right now as Cancer Research has lost a huge £44 million in funding and donations since the advent of COVID-19.
Mark has always been interested in keeping fit and is normally the person in the gym lifting weights. However, a cardio cycling challenge has been a big (and new) undertaking. Mark said: “This will be by far the greatest number of miles I have ever attempted in a month, so this is by no means an easy challenge for me.”
Despite his initial concerns however, Mark has been doing well so far. He has had some excellent rides and keeps challenging himself to beat personal bests. In one session he managed over 40 miles!
With just one week left in September, Mark has recorded 260 miles. He thinks he’ll be able to beat his target of 300 miles and push on through to 450! Amazing!
Go Mark!
If you’d like to sponsor Mark and donate to Cancer Research UK, click on the link below.
https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/marks-cycle-300-fundraising-page-265
Next page
We wish to employ additional hot dip galvanizing operatives for our Corby plant. Are you interested?
We’re looking for reliable, flexible, self-motivated and hardworking individuals, to be employed on a full-time basis (after successful completion of a probationary period) within a rotating shift pattern.
We offer a structured training programme for team members to become multi-skilled in all areas of the production process.
Applicants must be physically fit and work well in a team within a fast moving production environment, where excellent customer service and high product quality is the key to our continued success. Manual handling and fork-lift truck experience is desirable but not essential as full training will be given.
Direct message David Prattis at Corby for further details. Discretion assured. No agencies please.
A stunning sculpture of a horse and hare, hot dip galvanized at Joseph Ash Walsall.
A few years ago, sculptural artist Rupert Till sketched out a drawing for a sculpture of a horse and a hare. He added it to his to-do list as something to create one day. Lockdown provided the perfect opportunity, and ‘Never Alone’ was created. Joseph Ash Walsall was happy to galvanize it for him.
Rupert Till is one of the leading contemporary sculptors in the UK. He uses bronze, steel and copper to create stunning works of art depicting nature. Not only have the sculptures been featured in a number of galleries across the UK, but Rupert has also exhibited at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show every year for the past 25+ years.
The inspiration behind ‘Never Alone’
As a country boy at heart, Rupert has always had a love for animals, with his own horses acting as life models for many of his sculptures. A few years ago, he had an accident at work when installing a sculpture, and whilst he recovered, he continuously drew small hares. These drawings inspired him to combine both animals – horse and hare – into one piece of art. The result was a charming sculpture called ‘Never Alone’.
Protection for metal sculptures
Because Rupert’s sculptures are made from intertwined metal, they are often hot dip galvanized as a form of protection.
Hot dip galvanizing is important because it provides a long-life, low-maintenance corrosion protection which safeguards steel from atmospheric attack.
A valued customer
Rupert has been sending his works to Joseph Ash Walsall for years. Sometimes sending in 5-10 sculptures at a time, and averaging about 40+ large sculptures each year (alongside smaller ones too). As well as galvanizing ‘Never Alone’ earlier this year, in May, the team at Walsall also hot dip galvanized nine sheep, some hens, three horse heads and a pair of boxing hares for Rupert. The menagerie of steel animals made an amusing sight at the plant!
Rupert said: “I think the team at Joseph Ash Walsall look forward to a challenge when receiving my sculptures. And they respect my knowledge of galvanizing, as it’s a service that I’ve needed for over 30 years. I would like to thank everyone at Walsall for treating my art over the last 10 years!”
Find out more about Rupert
Rupert lives in the Cotswolds with his wife and three children, in a stone house with converted stables where he has set up his studio. You can read more about him (and see more of his work) on his website. You can also read more in an interesting article written in Homes & Gardens by Emma Page in 2019. Rupert exhibited ‘Never Alone’ at the Josie Eastwood Gallery in Hampshire and it was sold at preview to a well-known garden designer. In 2021 Rupert plans to recreate it and showcase it at the 2021 Chelsea Flower Show. He then wants to auction it to raise funds for a mental health charity.
Next page
We’re pleased to announce that our client – J.B. Corrie – has successfully trademarked the name ‘Corrie Padel’. This is excellent news for them as they have been a UK pioneer in developing padel tennis courts for the UK market since 2019. We’re also excited because we’re looking forward to galvanizing the steel for the Corrie Padel (TM) system going forwards.
What is padel tennis?
Padel tennis is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court, with a playing area roughly a third of the size of a tennis court. The sport shares and combines many characteristics with tennis and other racquet sports. For example, the ball used in padel is very similar to that in tennis – but the court’s walls can be played off in a similar way to squash.
What is the Corrie Padel?
As padel is mainly played outdoors, the UK climate – with its regular high winds and driving rain – posed a number of challenges for padel court design. However, as fencing specialists, J.B. Corrie came up with a new product for the UK market to counter the challenges. For example, to ensure longevity and to weather-proof the courts, all materials used are hot dip galvanized to BSEN ISO 1461:2009 standards. They are also powder coated to BSEN 13438, in order to offer customers a choice of colours.
Other elements of the unique design include the use of 12 mm toughened (BSEN 12150-1) and heat soaked (BSEN 14719-1) glass, complete with polished edges and countersunk fixings.
LED lighting can be added to allow year-round use, with static integrated posts and also automated retractable lighting.
The courts can also be personalised – for example by having club logos or designs printed onto the glass. This offers a more robust option to the conventional vinyl stickers, which have a habit of wearing over time.
Growing in popularity
At present, there are only 74 padel courts in Britain, but the LTA is on a mission to help this number grow – particularly as it’s a great game for families and tennis newbies. The LTA is fuelling growth by providing sports club with £250,000 grants to build new padel courts, which is payable interest free over a 10-year term.
One such club to take up the offer is Chichester Racquets and Fitness Club, and J.B. Corrie is currently supplying the Corrie Padel (TM) court for installation on their grounds. The steel was recently hot dip galvanised and powder coated at Joseph Ash Medway.
Watch this space
The padel courts are scheduled to be finished at Chichester Racquets and Fitness Club by mid-September, and now that gyms have reopened, it will be great to see the courts in use. It will also be a great way for people to get engaged in sports again and become active after months of lockdown.
Install your own courts
If you’re interested in installing padel courts at your sports facility, please get in touch with J.B. Corrie. The Corrie Padel (TM) will be your perfect solution.
Next page
We’re pleased to announce that all our Safety Officers across Joseph Ash Galvanizing and Premier Galvanizing have recently completed a ‘Safe Return to Work’ City & Guilds online course about COVID-19 safety.
The course covers correct hand hygiene, safe working practices, social responsibility, use of PPE and demonstrates that the holders understand the importance of safety practices and the methods used to control COVID-19 transmission in the workplace.
It’s great to continue to advance our knowledge about maintaining a safe working environment for all personnel and everyone who visits our plants.
Next page
Read our August 2020 Joseph Ash Galvanizing newsletter – hot off the press today!
It features stories about the 2020 Structural Steel Design Awards, ‘Conduct’ at Solihull School, our new website glossary and COVID-19 return to work safety training.
To read a copy click here.
To receive a copy of the newsletter in your inbox each month, please
subscribe. Simply scroll to the bottom of the page and look for the
‘Newsletter Sign-Up’ button.
We’re always looking for interesting articles in the steel industry too!
Please feel free to get in touch with your news, and we’ll try to feature it.
Have a great bank holiday weekend!
Next page