A new bath at Joseph Ash Walsall

Joseph Ash Walsall has recently had a new galvanizing bath installed at the plant to replace the previous kettle.

The new Pillings Kettle bath is 60mm in thickness – 10mm thicker than the previous bath – which should give the plant an extra 2-3 years on top of its normal longevity.

A new kettle is a large investment, so it’s good to be able to demonstrate our commitment to our employees, to show that we’re in this business for the long-haul, thereby providing the job security they deserve, as well as confirming that we are able to make the necessary investments to ensure a safe, lasting operation for years to come.

The installation

Whilst all Joseph Ash Galvanizing plants normally close down at Christmas to give team members a well-earned break during the festive period, Joseph Ash Walsall employees continued to work to manage the installation of the new bath. Team members – including the Walsall team, Protherm, Zinco and Julian Cox – worked tirelessly throughout the Christmas break to ensure the project was a success.

Charlie Singh, Walsall Divisional Manager said: “The timescale was short and demanding for all concerned, but with all the necessary logistical efforts being planned down to a tee, the team were able to ensure that project was completed on time, and the plant was able to open for business as usual on 2nd January. This lives up to our values, promises and commitment to our customers, demonstrating that we can provide a service all year round!”

Well done to the team at Walsall for making this happen. An amazing effort!

Here are some photos of the bath installation. You can see more on our Facebook account.

We’re pleased to announce that Joseph Ash Galvanizing’s Medway plant has again met the bronze level requirements of the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme.

Medway’s accreditation with FORS has just been renewed.

The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) is a voluntary scheme that covers all aspects of vehicle emissions, fuel efficiency, economical operations and safety.

It provides peace of mind to vehicle operators that legislative requirements are being met. It also enables vehicle operators to know they are helping to increase efficiency, win work, and reduce costs.

Finally, it enables operators to know they are becoming safer and greener.

Thank you to the FORS team for assessing us. Thank you also to the team at Joseph Ash Medway who worked hard to receive the award.

A few weeks before Christmas our Joseph Ash Bilston plant played host to a group of six students – aged 17 and 18 – from a local technical college, the Ormiston SWB Academy.

As students at the Academy are currently learning about metal surface finishes, including hot dip galvanizing, Daniel Brittle (the Director of D&T at the school) requested the visit, knowing it would be beneficial for them to see some of the treatments in action. We couldn’t agree more!

On December 13, the students and teacher visited us and were shown around the plant by Rob Nelson (Divisional Manager). They were able to see the galvanizing process in action and hear about some of the procedures we go through to ensure a good, clean finish for steel. Rob also explained the importance of health and safety at galvanizing plants because of the heavy machinery and lifting equipment, as well as the molten hot zinc used to galvanize the steel.

After the visit Daniel Brittle commented: “It was fantastic to see the plant in action, specifically the processes you go through and the types of products you galvanize. The students gained a great deal from the visit.”

Rob Nelson said “It was enjoyable showing the students around the plant. Galvanizing is used to protect steel for street lights to motorway barriers, bridges to railway infrastructure, flooring to fencing, and buildings to agricultural structures, so it’s great to highlight its importance and show the types of steel products we treat. We were also pleased to help the students increase their knowledge by turning the things they might read about in textbooks to reality.”

Ormiston SWB Academy: thank you for visiting us. It was a pleasure!

Joseph Ash Medway has a new General Manager. Meet Tim Palmer!

We’re pleased to announce that Joseph Ash Galvanizing has recently recruited a new General Manager for our Kent-based plant. Tim Palmer joined us in May 2018 and will run Joseph Ash Medway.

Tim has a long history in manufacturing, working for companies such as ParkerSteel, dhm Plastics, Firth Rixson, Corus and ATI Allvac. His recent roles have included Group Operations Director and UK Manufacturing Director and his experience covers concrete, plastics, metals, and building construction products. Tim has even notched-up experience working in Japan learning lean manufacturing techniques as part of a Manufacturing Technology Fellowship Programme.

Having settled into the role at Medway in the last few months, Tim has already identified changes that he’d like to make which centre around investing in new technologies and ensuring all team members on the shop floor and back office have the skills, training and equipment they need to perform their jobs well. Tim believes the right training and tools, as well as ensuring everyone feels they have a voice, ultimately leads to an excellent service and quality of product for Joseph Ash Medway customers.

We welcome Tim into the Joseph Ash Galvanizing family and look forward to seeing the plant and Medway team members thrive and seize new opportunities under his leadership.

You can find out more about Tim through his Linkedin profile. Or if you have any questions about Joseph Ash Medway or the plant’s processes, please feel free to get in touch at 01795 479489.

Safety culture at Joseph Ash leads to machinery innovations

As a five-time winner of the RoSPA Gold Award for health and safety in the workplace, Joseph Ash Galvanizing is always looking at ways to protect employees, customers and visitors to our plants. A recent health and safety initiative that we are proud of involves a new crane invention.

Osmond Crosdale is our Maintenance Manager at Joseph Ash Galvanizing, who has been working with the Walsall maintenance team to develop a new motorised crane hook safety catch system, with the aim of preventing accidental hook detachment in slack rope situations.

The team have designed and launched a wireless system which is integrated into an automated process (thus eliminating human elements), which automatically closes prior to the picking up of a load carrier (or jig) and opens only when ready for unhooking in a safe manner as prescribed by the automated sequencing.

A short video of the crane hook safety catch system can be seen on our YouTube channel.

This is a perfect example of a creative solution with safety at its core, and it is a great achievement by Joseph Ash Walsall.

We look forward to carrying this initiative through to our other plants in due course.

New tractor units at Chesterfield and Walsall drive environmental initiatives for Joseph Ash Galvanizing.

We’re pleased to report that our Walsall and Chesterfield plants have recently taken delivery of new Scania and DAF tractor units to upgrade our collection and delivery fleet.

The two new units at Joseph Ash Walsall are Scania Next Generation R Highline models, with 13 litre 450 horsepower engines and autoboxes. They have been equipped with all the latest technology, such as advanced breaking capabilities and lane departure warnings, which helps them to be more environmentally friendly.

The new tractor unit at Chesterfield is a DAF, a truck manufacturer which is setting new standards in transport efficiency (including a lower weight for increased payloads), and driver comfort.

Do you need us to collect or deliver your steel?

At Joseph Ash, we’re not only pleased to be able to offer improved customer logistics and service, but we’re also proud to have trucks that are better for the environment. Wherever you are, or wherever your steel fabrications need to be, we can collect and deliver it for you using our vast fleet of specially equipped lorries. Contact us today for more information!

We’re pleased to report a number of promotions and staff changes at Joseph Ash Bilston over the last few months. Please join us in congratulating Robert Nelson, the new Divisional Manager, who has been promoted from the position of Senior Technical Manager. Robert has taken over the role from Fred Haycock, who is retiring in April.

We also congratulate Lucy Foster-Bowen who became Bilston’s new Customer Service Manager in December.

Michael Worth was also promoted from Technical Manager to Senior Technical Manager; and finally Daniel Durn was promoted from Operational Support Manager at Bilston to the new Technical Manager for the whole of the Joseph Ash Group. Well done all!

Fred, we wish you well for your retirement after many, many years at Joseph Ash Galvanizing, and we’ll be sad to see you go. Best wishes for this next chapter!

Happy Birthday to Premier Galvanizing Corby – celebrating their 15th year!

The end of July marks the 15^th anniversary of Premier Galvanizing Corby – a division of Joseph Ash Galvanizing. The plant opened its doors in 2002 to become the second plant for Premier Galvanizing, which already had a plant in Hull.

When the business opened its doors, it had 13 staff. It now has 33, with the majority living in the local community. The original management team members are still working there as well as two of the initial workforce; Daren Stevens and Stuart Tailby. Daren is the Galvanizing Manager and Stuart is the Yard Supervisor which goes to show that a career in galvanizing is a real prospect at Premier Galvanizing.

The plant is managed by Robert Mohan, the Technical and Development Director who says: “Our Corby plant is a great place to work, full of hard-working, team-spirited colleagues who strive for the best, constantly meeting the exacting demands of our loyal customer base.”

Premier Galvanizing Corby and its extensive fleet of vehicles cover customers’ galvanizing needs from London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, as well as the Midlands.

Whether a fabricator needs a small amount of steel galvanized for a gate or railings, or 100 tonnes of steel for a new building development, Premier Galvanizing Corby can help. We pride ourselves on getting it right first time, on time, every time to meet the varied needs of our customers.

Premier Galvanizing Corby has a bath size of 7.6m x 1.4m x 3.2m, with a lifting capability of 6.0 tonnes. It provides a comprehensive galvanizing service and can also arrange shot-blasting, powder coating, as well as storage, bundling and packing. With a fleet of Lorries to suit the customer needs, delivery to UK sites can be easily arranged.

Corby, in Northamptonshire is an apt place for a Galvanizing plant processing steel because of the town’s heritage. Corby was once best known for its iron and steel industry, which shaped the growth of the town and influenced all aspects of life from the turn of the 20^th century until the closure of the steelworks in the 1980s.

Happy 15^th birthday to the team at Corby! Here’s to the next 15!

We’re pleased to announce that Joseph Ash Medway has just been granted approved applicator status for Syntha Pulvin architectural coating solutions and the plant is now an approved applicator of the following:

Syntha Pulvin Gloss System
Syntha Pulvin Satin System
Syntha Pulvin Matt System
Syntha Pulvin Fine Texture System
Syntha Pulvin Premium System.

This is exciting news for the hard-working team at Joseph Ash Medway!

Syntha Pulvin is the premier architectural powder coatings brand in Europe, offering a wide range of Architectural Powder Coatings formulated to decorate and protect architectural aluminium and galvanized steel exposed to ultraviolet conditions and extreme weather. Available in a multitude of texture and colour options, as well as performance specifications, Syntha Pulvin has the optimal powder coating for almost any building project.

Applicator approval has followed certification to BS EN ISO 9001, plant audits at Medway conducted by Valspar, and successful completion of 12 weeks worth of chemical, mechanical, and accelerated weathering tests designed to ensure that quality of pretreatment, surface appearance, colour, gloss, curing, corrosion resistance and adhesion to substrate all meet Syntha Pulvin’s BSEN13438 and their own criteria.

From this point forwards, Joseph Ash Medway will also be audited at regular intervals by Valspar inspectors to ensure continued compliance with the requirements supplied in the Syntha Pulvin Technical Manual.

Syntha Pulvin coatings are only available via approved applicators, therefore if you have a need for this paint, please contact us at Medway and we’ll be able to help.

It’s always good to put a face to a name… With this in mind we thought we’d introduce the Sales Team at our Joseph Ash Medway plant.

First up is April Challis, our Sales Administrator, and Gavin Van De Peer, our Sales Executive. April and Gavin are both office based, so if you have any questions at all with regards to booking-in galvanizing, shot blasting or powder coating jobs in the South East, you can reach them on 01795 419813.

Next up is Alan Mitchell and Troy Clark, two of our Medway Sales Executives. Both Alan and Troy are on the road Mondays-Thursdays visiting customers (and office based on Fridays). You can reach Alan on 0772 1219703, and Troy on 0773 4230286 if you’d like to meet with them, or ask any questions about the shot blasting, hot dip galvanizing and powder coating services.

Finally we have Matthew Hodges – the Sales Team Manager. In his 20 years at Joseph Ash Medway, Matthew has held various positions including Galvanizing Manager and Powder Coating Manager, so you can be sure that everything there is to know about steel finishing services, he will know it. Matthew can be reached on 0782 550 6976.

Alan covers areas south of the Thames, and Troy covers areas north of the Thames, apart from Kent and East Sussex which is managed by Matt.

Get in touch with Medway today to discuss any jobs you’d like to book in the Kent/South East region.

A new bath at Joseph Ash Walsall

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