Prepared for launch into plastic pallets

The Krauss Maffei Injection moulding machine – capable of applying a 2700 tonnes of pressure and complete with robotic handling technology – underwent a 600 mile sea and road trip from Munich to Derbyshire and was delivered into the Swiss-owned company’s Alfreton manufacturing facility on five heavy-duty lorries.

It took two days to install the machine in Hall 2 of the newly-extended manufacturing plant because of the logistical challenges of manoeveing the 200 tonne machine into position.

This machine will be used for the manufacture of the iPal plastic pallet which is claimed to revolutionise the pallet market because of its durability, adaptability and green credentials. It is recyclable and manufactured largely using recycled materials. There is also a capability for tagging and they can also be manufactured in any colour a client requires which helps traceability and ‘repatriation’.

It is set to start production in the first quarter of 2016 and the main target markets will be the automotive and retail markets.

Garry Archer, production director at George Utz said: “This is a complete step change for the pallet market and we are already sitting down with our existing end user customers to design and bespoke how they want their iPal pallets. Working in tough environments such as the automotive supply chain, the new pallets also have the ability to be reinforced with steel to make them even more durable.”

The Krauss Maffei Injection moulding machine is not the first traffic-stopping equipment delivered to the Alfreton facility. In April four 20-metre giant aluminium raw material silos each weighing six tonnes, were put in place alongside the other 12 existing silos, again after undertaking a 600-mile, five day journey by river, sea and road from their place of manufacture in Germany.

It is part of a broader investment plan which has already seen the recent opening of George Utz UK’s £3.5 million extension to its Derbyshire facility and the recent spending of more than £3 million on two other 1000-tonne robotic injection machines as part of its commitment to long-term UK growth by 2020 that will create a further 50 jobs in the next five years.

Managing Director at George Utz UK, Carsten Diekmann said this week: “The Krauss Maffei Injection moulding machine will produce the levels of pressure we need to develop the exciting new iPal which in turn will bring pressure to bear in the pallet market which has remained static and relatively low-tech for many years. Most modern supply chains are built around the dimensions of the humble pallet, and this development brings 21st century thinking to what is a very familiar product.”