You will find many spurious patents filed under the genre of money-making machines. However, Will Haynes of banknote manufacturer De La Rue has delivered the real deal with his polymer unblocking device that could save more than £250,000 a year in the printing process.
Will, winner of the Employee-Led Innovation Award at Manufacturing Champions, created the machine after the Bank of England launched a particularly gloopy range of polymer-based banknotes. Paper banknotes use a printing process known as intaglio, which applies large amounts of ink onto paper under great pressure. On the polymer notes, the ink rapidly hardened the sheets and made manual unblocking difficult as well as potentially dangerous.
Other countries like Mexico and Australia had thrown manpower at the problem and employed extra people on the press to pull the sheets unstuck. However, Will sought a more sustainable and safer solution.
He began by studying the manual unblocking process alongside print assistants on the presses. Armed with this insight, he drew up a concept design for an automated unblocking device and persuaded senior managers to part with £3,000 to support his prototype. Will trialled the unblocking machine mark I with print assistants and then incorporated their feedback into an enhanced mark II machine.
The process was repeated and mark II was quickly superceded by a final mark III version. This machine, similar in stature to an industrial-sized rolling pin, was put to the ultimate test in trials against operators. Human hands went first and notched up a time of 180 seconds to manually unblock 200 of the new polymer sheets. Will’s unblocking device powered through the same volume in just 79.1 seconds. Yet speed wasn’t the only advantage.
The device negated the need to call in additional people to the press, a step that had caused overcrowding and inhibited workflow on the factory floor during testing. Safety standards improved as employees were kept away from the extensive manual handling involved in manual blocking. And quality standards soared as excessive human handling causes the polymer sheets to lose their stickiness which is essential during a later foiling process in banknote manufacture.
Will has delivered a priceless piece of innovation which makes him a worthy winner of the Employee-led Innovation Award.
Do you have an inspiring leader at your site? Find out how to enter them for this year’s Manufacturing Champions Awards. Email mgosney@findlay.co.uk
Name: Will Haynes
Job title: engineering technician, De La Rue, Loughton
The judges said: “Will delivered spectacular results by coming up with a truly innovative solution to a major manufacturing challenge.”
‘Innovation like Will’s is absolutely crucial to UK success’
Stuart Millar, Brammer National Sales Director
Innovation is absolutely crucial to the long-term sustainability of the manufacturing industry and is a concept Brammer places at the heart of its product and service development. British manufacturers are amongst the best in the world, and it’s all thanks to the depth of talent working in the industry and the employees who consistently go above and beyond.
We were proud to sponsor the Employee-led Innovation award and would like to congratulate Will Haynes on his accolade. Nurturing the talent and creativity of our workforce is key to our success, so we’re perfectly placed to support this category that celebrates individuals who have excelled. Individuals such as Will are leading the way in developing the sector for the better, helping to demonstrate the innovation and creative freedom that’s actively encouraged and displace the misconception that manufacturing is ‘behind the times’.
While new technology is constantly being developed, employees that are working with equipment and machinery on a day-to-day basis are better-placed to identify ways to improve, particularly in terms of efficiency and cost savings. Will recognised a challenge that was costing De La Rue, and decided to use his own initiative to develop a solution that will not only improve safety, but help the manufacturer save money through resources and manpower.
UK manufacturing is often perceived to be in decline. However output has increased and the sector is flourishing, helping to reinforce the economy and creating a diverse range of opportunities, from attracting more skilled workers to increasing productivity and developing new technologies. In addition, the workforce is more skilled than in previous years, and Will is a great example of how employees are shaping the future of the sector for the better.
