Perthshire-based LoadFast Systems is a global Engineering and Manufacturing company that develops bespoke solutions to businesses in the construction and processing industries for the efficient handling of materials.
The Business Challenge
LoadFast Systems wanted to develop a technology for the vertical transportation of materials. Existing technologies in the field don’t sufficiently protect the materials being transported, creating significant amounts of dust and damage which can be highly problematic and lead to increased costs. Armed with strong and credible ideas, the team required support to see their initial designs refined into a superior market offering.
The Solution
John Fuller, President and CEO at LoadFast Systems, met Lorna Watson, Business Engagement Executive for Interface – the knowledge connection for business, at a networking event hosted by Perth and Kinross’ Chamber of Commerce. Interface facilitates collaboration between businesses and academia for the development of business ideas and support of business growth.
Following detailed analysis of LoadFast’s requirements, Interface facilitated a partnership between LoadFast Systems and Glasgow Caledonian. Glasgow Caledonian’s academics have already provided a degree of validation to LoadFast’s pursuits, and together, academics and the team at LoadFast will work to optimise LoadFast’s transportation device.
Interface has also supported LoadFast’s successful application for Innovation Voucher funding from the Scottish Funding Council.
The Impact
The benefits of Interface facilitated partnerships with Scotland’s academic expertise are clear. As a result of the collaboration, the company has projected £1M additional sales, 2 – 3 additional jobs, and 5 – 10 jobs safeguarded.
In March 2017 Loadfast employed two new members of staff: Loadfast expands the team.
John said: “There are many ways that SME’s can get help with their projects but the biggest issue is the time taken to do this when you only have a small team. Having a local, proactive source like Lorna has made the process easy and quick, with a high quality outcome.”
Please note that Interface administers the Innovation Voucher Scheme on behalf of the Scottish Funding Council. All funding applications are reviewed on a case by case basis by the Scottish Funding Council, guidelines can be found here.
Kanthal is the world’s leading manufacturer of resistance heating elements offering a broad spectrum of products for use in domestic home appliances to large high temperature furnaces. The company has a production unit in Perth and forms part of the multi-national Sandvik Group, a high-technology engineering group and one of the world’s largest manufacturers of resistance and electrical heating element materials.
Kanthal has manufactured silicon carbide heating elements for many years with two types – recrystallised silicon carbide and reaction bonded silicon carbide – dominating its product range.
The Business Challenge
Industrial users of silicon carbide heating elements place a great emphasis on the strength, and in particular, the bending strength of silicon carbide heating elements to offer greater robustness and versatility within the manufacturing process.
Stan Moug, Product Development Manager, Kanthal explains, “bending strength plays a key selling point for the company, particularly when vying for international business against strong competition in the USA and Japan.”
Strength of product is not just a requirement in the manufacturing process, but also in the global transportation and shipping of the product. For example, increasing demand for display glass used for applications such as plasma display panels, require longer and larger element lengths – anything from 2.5 to 3 metres are the norm, but longer rods, up to six metres in length are being demanded as the size of the panels used increases. Therefore, we have to be in a position to offer products that withstand the rigours of transportation and reach the manufacturer or specifier in one piece.”
Whilst Kanthal was able to carry out some areas of testing capability in-house, the company needed to conduct specific bending trials which measured the accuracy in three and four point bending strength of silicon carbide rods with diameters ranging between 20mm and 55 mm. This required fully calibrated materials testing equipment which gave accurate results. The fact that the measurements could be seen as impartial and independent was also seen as an advantage.
Kanthal initially contacted Scottish Enterprise Tayside, who referred the enquiry to Interface – The knowledge connection for business.
The Solution
Interface sourced assistance from across the Scottish academic community and made recommendations to Kanthal. The company opted to work with the School of the Built Environment at Napier University.
The academic, Alan Davidson, Lecturer in Materials Engineering, worked with Stan at Kanthal to evaluate the bending strength of the silicon carbide rods. A number of tests on over 300 rod samples were carried out and both Alan and Stan believed the results gave Kanthal encouragement to conduct further research into the manufacturing process of future silicon carbide rods.
Stan concluded, “Our industry is continually evolving and we need to look at ways of keeping ahead of our competition. Working with Napier University, with the help of Interface, has been a very worthwhile exercise and the working partnership we now have with Alan Davidson is proving very successful.”
“Personally, I found Interface very helpful. They asked the right questions and made sure they captured our specific requirements. Our search criteria can be very specialised and Interface managed to identify the best solution, on our behalf, before we commenced our partnership with Alan Davidson at Napier. This saved us a lot of time”.
Lorna is the Business Engagement Executive covering Tayside and Forth Valley. Lorna graduated from Heriot-Watt University with a BA in Business Management. Lorna’s previous role was as a Business Adviser with Business Gateway assisting start-up and growth businesses and facilitating Women into Business events. Lorna joined Interface in 2013 and she focuses on promoting the Interface matchmaking service to businesses and organisations in the Tayside area. Lorna lives in the centre of the beautiful Tayside countryside and has bagged a few munro’s, her interests are holidaying, hill walking, cycling, watching Game of Thrones and Outlander, reading crime novels and spending time with her three grandchildren.