Draeger Safety invests in growth
1 min read
Draeger Safety UK, which specialises in safety equipment and training for the chemical sector, has announced the completion of a multi-million pound investment in operatoons at its Blyth-based plant in the North East.
Draeger, which employs 400 people in the UK, said the investment included a £1.3m refurbishment of the manufacturing plant, and £500k in new robotic equipment and warehouse management systems.
Work at the plant included a complete electrical rewire with upgraded lighting, replacement and upgraded heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, reformatted workspaces, fully redecorated and upgraded internal floor, wall and ceiling finishes, external wall cladding and a new roof covering on one of the buildings.
Head of operations, Malcolm Irving said the refurbishment would ensure that Dräger continued to develop and manufacture safety solutions as well as meeting and exceeding current compliance regulations.
He added: "The company has also purchased new robotics equipment which will support the manufacture of compressed air breathing cylinders, which are used in a range of industry sectors and specifically in applications where normal breathing becomes difficult or impossible".
In the manufacturing area, three new production cells will reduce the direct cost of composite cylinder production, lower the environmental impact of the cylinder production process and improve the working conditions for cylinder production operators as well as reducing health risks.
Picture: Kevin Brien, manufacturing manager and Malcolm Irving, head of operations region Europe, with the new robotics at the Blyth plant.
