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MACH INERY
Consistent quality
GGP Magazine talks to BDC Aluminium managing director, David Green, as the
fabricator becomes the rst in the UK to invest in a revolutionary new 4-head frame
www.ggpmag.com January 2020
It’s about eliminating error,
delivering better quality – but
almost more importantly,
it’s about consistent quality,”
comments David Green, managing
director, BDC Aluminium, on the
trade fabricator’s decision to invest
crimping machine from FOM.
in its new Ever Theta 4-head frame
crimping machine from FOM.
“We aren’t interested in fighting
it out on price. Everything we do is
driven by quality. We manufacture a
wide range of aluminium products
and to a very high standard.
The crimper is faster and we can
do more, but it also brings new
precision to what we’re doing,” he
continues.
The Essex-based aluminium trade
specialist was set up by Green in
1994 as the Bifold Door Company.
It now manufactures the complete
range of aluminum systems from
Smart, ranging from windows and
doors; to aluminium bi-folds, inline
sliding and lift-and-slide patio doors;
curtain walling and shop fronts.
“The range of things that we make
– and as a consequence the diversity
that exists within our customer
base – is why we’re different. We
do everything Smart does and that
means we work with small builders
through to the largest commercial
installers,” David continues.
Re-branding as BDC Aluminium
in 2009 to reflect its expansive
product offer more accurately, the
company has seen rapid growth.
“We started out in PVC-U bi-fold
door manufacture but have been
manufacturing in aluminium for the
last 10 years,” David explains.
“It’s the product of a five year
programme of investment. We could
see the potential in aluminium but
also the gap and under-investment
in aluminium fabrication. There
simply isn’t the automation – even
today.
“We saw that through investment
we could deskill our manufacturing
process and reduce reliance
on labour, introducing a more
consistent product and a better
quality one,” David says.
This has driven a major
investment programme so that it
operates two highly automated lines
with automated saws and machining
centres, both of which operate
continuously. It also operates a
fully barcoded production process.
Investment in its manufacturing
process has also been accompanied
by that in accreditation, including
Secured by Design and BSi
Kitemarking.
The addition of the FOM Ever
Theta 4-head frame crimping
machine represents BDC’s part of
this journey.
Supplied by Promac as FOM’s
solely authorised supplier in the UK
– and also the first machine of its
type supplied into the country – the
Ever Theta reportedly cuts full-cycle
times to as little as two minutes
and 31 seconds, with the potential,
according to the machinery
specialist, to revolutionise the
manufacture of aluminium frames.
Automating the crimping process,
it operates across 21 CNC axes and
has been designed for use in the
manufacture of all types of frames,
delivering a highly accurate and
repeatable crimp.
“If you look at how long it takes
to crimp a frame with a single head
CNC machine, you’re at five or six
minutes and a lot of handling and
rotation,” continues David.
“It’s also a process which is highly
reliant on the individual operative.
They have to set up, run a test, scrap
it if it’s not right, set it up again.
On a window you’ve got the frame
and sash, so that’s two set ups, two
potential errors, and the biggest cost
by a mile – time.
“The FOM platform recognises
each profile, its tolerances and
adjusts automatically, giving you
quality but consistency. We want
every product we make to be perfect.
If we’re manufacturing 10 windows,
it’s no good if nine are great and the
tenth isn’t.
“If we’re manufacturing one or a
100 windows I want them to all be
the same. Consistency is key.”
“We aren’t interested in ghting it out on
price. Everything we do is
driven by quality”
Continued on page 72
David Green
/www.ggpmag.com
