Derbyshire, UK-based AutoRIM is one of the smaller machinery makers on the world stage. It has its own range of low pressure machinery and is the UK agent for Hennecke. Simon Robinson went to investigate.
AutoRIM is a small polyurethane machinery maker based in Whaley Bridge, in a picturesque area which nestles in the folds of the UK’s Pennine Chain between the Roman spa town of Buxton and Macclesfield, a silk town on the way to Manchester.
Hindson, managing director, explains: “I visited every polyurethane exhibition and looked at the Hennecke stand. I thought the machinery looked good. I got on well with Volker Brueninghaus who came along when we were independent and said ‘can’t we make this work?’ and within three months we were signing contracts.”
What is Hennecke like to work with? “Hennecke is straightforward to deal with, you ask them for X, they deliver, you pay them, everybody smiles,” said Hindson.
Working with principals
AutoRIM acts as the UK service arm of Hennecke and supports the installed base of Hennecke equipment in the UK and Ireland including CSM, high-pressure resin transfer moulding, dual hardness cushion production, and slab stock, metal face production continuous lines as well as flexible faced insulation board.
Hindson’s firm also produces its own low-pressure foam and elastomer machines. These are called the Rim Mix and Elasto Mix series, and were launched in Germany at the K fair in 2013.
“Over 50 units have been produced for sectors from field joint application for on-board pipe laying vessels on the high seas, SIP panels for military shelters in Afghanistan, point of sale refrigeration across UK supermarkets and prototype robotic limbs,” said Hindson.
“Let’s keep it small, let’s know everybody personally, let’s understand them.” Philip Hindson
Hindson has many years’ experience in the UK polyurethane machinery sector.
He initially worked for Adidas and helped introduce polyurethane into sports footwear. He joined “the original Cannon agency in the UK, ESU,” based in Glossop, Derbyshire, UK. “It was a good training ground,” Hindson said.
In 1987 he left and formed OMS UK in Stockport, near Manchester, and established a UK-based engineering department.
At that time the UK market was looking for bespoke tailored engineering packages. Hindson used a small machinery manufacturer to build the dry side of his machines when he worked for ESU. When Hindson left ESU, Jeremy Band, joined him as Chief Mechanical Design Engineer As OMS UK business was made up roughly “50-50 split between UK manufactured dry side and wet side imported from Italy,” he said.
In 2004 as times and markets changed, we decided to split the business and the manufacturing part came to Whaley Bridge.
Hindson saw this as an opportunity: “When we came here it was a chance to say let’s keep it small, let’s know everybody personally, let’s understand them, let’s reward them properly.
“By doing that, you are in control. If a company gets too big, it stops being fun,” he added.
“So we’ve kept this, deliberately a little undersized people-wise, and building-wise, it isn’t quite big enough, but, it does you perfectly when things turn quiet, “Hindson said. “AutoRIM directly employs 11 people and a number of excellent local contractors we call on when we get busy.”
Automotive
Hindson’s exposure to the automotive industry it really started with a contract to supply machinery to IAC International in the 1980’s He explains “because of our production setup and with the ability to design press equipment, we were able to tailor the machines to the correct specifications for their production. Then we could take a mixing machine and interfacing with equipment.”
This was a good strategy for about a decade and Hindson “supplied a number of Tier 1 and Tier 2 Companies: Faurecia, Treves, TMat, Acoustafoam, IAC. Many of the machines were designed to put foam on the back carpets for improved vehicle sound absorption.
Since he established AutoRIM in 2005, the firm has also“worked on two dual hardness cushion lines for Lear in the north-east of England,” said Hindson. He added that the dual hardness cushion lines were supplied by Hennecke with AutoRIM providing technical support.
In partnership with Hennecke AutoRIM has also been involved in the relocation from Eastern Europe of CSM composite spray moulding technology for rear parcel shelves. and has also been involved in the successful conversion to pentane of an existing plant making closed panel building systems.
“Overseas has been equally rewarding working in close co-operation with Hennecke, including projects for full wall insulation panels for off-site construction in the Czech Republic, rigid pocket fill systems in the Netherlands and air conditioning panels in Switzerland,” Hindson added. Dividing the work between AutoRIM and Hennecke to some extent depends on the size of the order said Hindson. Some European companies often prefer to deal with Hennecke as a long established and well respected name in polyurethane, and we are pleased to respect that and work alongside our Hennecke colleagues.
Service partner
Auto RIM successfully launched the Hennecke Highline range of machines on the 14th and 15th of May 2015. The range includes mixing systems which accurate meter the components and self-cleaning mix heads to reduce chemical wastage, together with constant pressure injectors for a constant operating pressure. Energy demand is decreased by using the machine’s Blue Intelligence standby mode, said Hindson. He added that his firm “had already installed three units” in the UK by mid-May.
Awareness of full life costs has really changed to our advantage, now people know what energy costs and how much it cost to run this machine, five years ago people would much less interested in this aspect,” he said. Hennecke has quantified this for the new ranges of machines.
As well as decreased energy demands Hennecke machines are designed to use efficient mixing to require less chemistry, so users can also save chemistry in the component, this adds up across long production runs.
“Processors are trading up, to the better manufacturers,” said Hindson, “because people want the reliability from big three (machinery manufacturers). Customers are becoming more demanding of equipment, they want it to work reliably but if there is a problem to be repaired tomorrow, not a week tomorrow.”
