Little and Large

Just so you can see how diverse our customer base is, take a look at the "little and large" photo below.

Adam is standing in a hopper and holding a fabrication, both of which are to be coated in one of our high specification fluoropolymer coatings.

New oven installed

Further investment in a new curing oven has increased our capacity again.

This 4 metre oven utilises the latest energy efficient burners which not only helps keep costs down but does it's bit for the environment.

The new oven is installed in our 1000 square metre extension.

www.impreglon.co.uk

Support for Movember!

Impreglon UK supports Movember!
Seven members of the Impreglon UK workforce are supporting Movember by having a charity sponsored grow a moustache competition. Movember raises funds and awareness for men's health issues. The competition started today, November 4th. Further updates as the month of Movember progresses!
For a photograph of the line up, see our Facebook page (link via our website, http://www.impreglon.co.uk/).

3rd quarter 2011 Group results announced

Third quarter 2011 results announced.

Sales are up by 40% to 55,166,000 Euros with EBIT up 77% to 6,100,000 Euros when compared with the third quarter 2010.

The 3rd quarter, which is historically week due to company holidays and reduced production time, Impreglon has presented excellent results. All numbers for the first 9 months of 2011 exceeded the full year result of 2010 and lead to the assumption of another record for the full year of 2011. The strong earnings per share of 0.47 Euro for the first 9 months should allow management to increase the dividend for 2011 as previously announced.
The good results are due to a better usage of existing capacities and a continuous order flow from the markets the company serves, machine manufacturers (OEM), production companies (Aftermarket) and Automotive. A major move from rented buildings into a new 6.000 sq. m. production plant with new coating lines in Lüneburg, which took place in the third quarter, should further increase profitability in the coming 4th quarter. And the latest acquisition of a new coating site in Milwaukee, USA, effective October 1, 2011 will also contribute to 4th quarter results 2011.
Concerning financials, assisted by GBC Kapital of Augsburg, Impreglon was able to place 150.000 of its own treasury shares with institutional investors and strengthen its liquid assets for new acquisitions.

Irish Printer article from JJ Stafford

Coatings for the Printing Industry Save Money and Increase Productivity

The printing environment presents many challenges that can sap the printer's ability to remain productive and to cut costs. There are mechanical issues with the flow of materials at various stages of completion through conveyor systems and chutes, against sliding plates etcetera. The environment is full of chemicals that are not only difficult and costly to clean, but sometimes corrosive and harmful to machinery and equipment.
However a vast range of coatings has been developed to deal with these issues. These coatings include polymers, ceramic and metal coatings that provide a choice of properties that can help to reduce costs and increase productivity.

Easy Clean

The increase of water-based technology and the variety of substrates, inks, coatings, and adhesives that form today’s packaging place great demands on press drying and cooling systems. Should press tolerances be exceeded, even momentarily, undried inks and coatings form deposits on roller surfaces, causing print defects and costly cleaning stoppages. The excellent release properties of plasma coatings have proved invaluable for increasing wear resistance minimizing deposits on print contact rollers.

Special Coatings For Metallic Inks

Metallic inks such as gold or silver are easier to clean off a coated surface than a bare metal surface, but my still leave a residue. Often this residue requires the use of solvent to remove it; not much solvent perhaps, but in an environmentally friendly factory the use of even small quantities of solvent will be avoided if possible. Fortunately there are available special coatings that avoid residues from metallic inks for a small price premium that pays for itself in savings of labour, materials and waste disposal.

Improved Colour Print Quality

A colour change is a major source of downtime. The ink dries on the pans, then the pans must be scraped and washed before a different colour ink can be used. This can take hours. The process can be reduced to minutes by coating the ink pans; thereafter, drain the pan of all ink, and simply wipe the residue with a damp rag. Not only is the pan cleaning time reduced, but so also is the surface tension, and this helps the ink to stay dissolved more easily for a more homogenous colour and a better print product.

Non-Stick

A Swedish label printer achieved “Zero Defects” by having a plasma coating applied to the idler and waste rewind rollers on their label printing machines. Now label stock which has adhesive on the edges can no longer stick to the rollers. The tolerances for applying the ink have become much tighter, and the improved ink registration and printing process have led to a higher label quality. Costly downtime due to labels jamming has been eliminated and the equipment is also more durable thanks to its hard release surface.

Quicker Ink Changes

In a sheet-fed offset press, ink is poured into the ink duct at the top of the inking system and flows from there into the inking system. Every time the ink is changed, the ink duct has to be cleaned. Sheet-fed offset ink is tough to remove. Even very small traces of the old ink cause waste because when the new ink is mixed with the old, the printing quality is affected. By applying the appropriate coating to the duct, less time is needed for ink changes and the risk of cross-contamination is minimized. Employees can change the ink quickly and with little effort, and the reduction in downtime increases productivity.

Hardness and Durability

Laminating rollers require non-stick properties and good traction attuned to the film to ensure safe and reliable web transport. It is also important that the surface structure of the roller does not damage the delicate film, and must also be resistant to wear even when very abrasive substrates are processed. Plasma coating can lend all of these properties.
Its outstanding non-stick properties prevent deposits of sticky substances. There is no residue on the laminating roll, even when it comes into direct contact with the adhesive. Product deposits around the edges can be removed with a damp cloth. The spherical surface structure of the coating ensures that the film material is guided precisely but is not scratched. The high degree of hardness (70 HRc) ensures a long operational lifetime.

High Traction

Because of the fragility of tissue paper, perfect traction is required on both the draw and winding rolls. These pull the tissue from the stock roll and feed it onto the cardboard core to create the final product. These two rolls are very high-wear areas due to the stop/start nature of the process. They also become less effective from the build up of hot melt adhesive within the traction area. Plasma coatings can solve the three requirements of perfect traction, high-wear, and hot melt non-stick.

Reduce Damage to Rollers

Ink and varnish builds up on idler rollers, and normally can be removed only by scratching it off. This leaves grooves on the roller surfaces. A high quality polymer coating can prevent such build-up almost completely. It is easy to clean the roller surfaces from time to time with a rag soaked in solvent, without scratching the surfaces.

Cleaning/Maintenance of Ink Pumps, Cross Contamination

Ink pumps tend to become clogged up with dried ink and the printer cannot strip off the dried ink to carry out maintenance. By coating the pump the ink doesn’t stick to it, which means no clogging up. This means a cost saving to the printer because any maintenance is easy to carry out and can be completed in house. Also, the ink can easily be hosed off with water, which means the pumps can readily be swapped from one colour to another without cross contamination.

Increase Up-Time on Varnishing Equipment

The cleaning of varnishing stations takes a lot of time and labour, and is not a popular task. To minimize this costly downtime one manufacturer opted for a polymer coating. The coating creates a wax-like surface, which prevents the build-up of residue on the surface of the varnish tray. This cuts down greatly on the time and effort needed for cleaning and therefore returns the equipment to production more quickly.

Reduce/Eliminate Cutting/Abrasion Damage, Increase Safety

A plasma coating can increase the hardness of roller surfaces, reducing abrasion damage and facilitating the use of cutter knives and other sharp instruments against the face of the roller. Use of these coatings for the production of plastic film can eliminate the need for costly renovations caused by knife scratches on the rolls. Production runs more smoothly as the occurrence of scratches used to cause the plastic film to twist and curl, resulting in operational interruptions. Prevention of injuries due to abrasions on the rolls has also leads to greater safety for the machine operators.

Increase the Efficiency of Conveyor Systems

An area not often thought about is the equipment used to convey the product around the factory. Polymer coatings are excellent for the conveyor side guides and rails for low friction, and plasma coatings are ideal for the driven conveyor rolls for traction without damaging the conveyed material.

http://www.impreglon.co.uk/printing.php

Thermally Sprayed Aluminium (TSA) for corrosion resistance

Corrosion of steel components in an offshore environment is an ongoing major issue for those companies who manufacture and supply the oil and gas industry with structural steelwork. The steelwork can be anything from a walkway between two sections of a platform to the riser pipes that come up to the ocean’s surface from the seabed. The size of the steelwork tends to be on the large side though Impreglon has yet to be presented with a component too large to handle.

There are many coatings within the Impreglon range that will give long term corrosion resistance but a key coating the oil and gas industry use is Thermally Sprayed Aluminium – known as TSA. TSA is 99.5%+ pure Aluminium wire that is arc sprayed into the steel. The benefit of TSA when applied to steel is that the Aluminium will corrode in preference to the steel should the coating ever be damaged down to the steel. This property is known as galvanic corrosion. The TSA is also usually sealed with either an epoxy or silicone.

Impreglon is not only an experienced applicator of TSA but is renowned for its quick turnaround capability, service and quality. Recent projects have included work for the Kizomba, Blackbird and Goliat oilfields.

Impreglon UK is part of a worldwide group of companies specializing in surface protection for applications where non-stick, corrosion protection, traction, hard facing and dry lubrication properties are required. If necessary a coating can be tailor made to help solve specific problems.  In addition to our PlasmaCoat systems we offer a complete range of Teflon^® and Xylan^® fluoropolymer coatings.

New coating plant in the USA acquired

Impreglon Continues to Grow
Coating Plant No. 21 in Milwaukee, USA
With the acquisition of Stork Cellramic, Impreglon has added Milwaukee to its US locations, after Atlanta, Boston and Baltimore. The new presence in the heart of the Midwest will provide Impreglon with a base from which it can serve potential customer across the entire Midwest as well as the greater Chicago area.
An added bonus: The four plants perfectly complement one another technologically. While Stork specializes in engineering solutions for high-performance metal and ceramic surfaces with subsequent complete processing including laser engraving, the Impreglon plants focus on PVD and polymer coatings. Now Impreglon's 'one stop shop' strategy for its customers is also available in the USA.
As of October 1, 2011, Stork is a 100% subsidiary of Impreglon Inc., Atlanta. All shares of Impreglon Inc. are held by Impreglon SE, headquartered in Lüneburg, Germany. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
Impreglon SE expects to increase sales in 2011 by 35%, to approximately 74 million Euro.

Car exhaust coating option available

Go faster coating....

Impreglon UK has started working with LOBA Motorsport UK in coating their exhaust manifolds in white ceramic.
The coating, applied here at our purpose built coating facility in Tamworth, is plasma applied to achieve high quality and is used to assist in taking heat away from the engine. This in turn can give an improvement in horsepower. The coating is also attractive to look at.

For those car lovers who fancy something a little more colourful we also have a semi gloss red coating capable of withstanding 450^oC.




ceramic coated exhaust manifold

Republic of Ireland agent appointed

JJ Stafford (Engineering) Ltd was founded by Jim Stafford in 1977 to offer a re-covering service for rubber printing rollers and quickly became the Number One supplier of roller solutions in Ireland.

   The roller business gave the Company the skills and experience in materials coverings that it enjoys today.  A wide range of materials are offered, including nitrile, neoprene, natural rubber, Rilsan®, EPDM, ebonite, Hypalon®, and others.

   Over thirty years the Company extended its offerings in general engineering and precision engineering to serve hundreds of customers across a  broad range of industries.

   JJ Stafford owes its position today to quality engineering and First Class service.  The Impreglon technical sales agency for the Republic of Ireland continues this tradition and increases our portfolio of services for existing and new clients. The agency represents a positive step forward and is expected to open up new and exciting avenues for both JJ Stafford and Impreglon.

Leadership

Following the retirement of the former Managing Director of Impreglon UK, the former Works Director, Colin Moore, and the former Sales Director, Guy Williams, have been promoted by the Group Chairman, Henning Claassen, to Director/joint COO to run the company.
The new leadership will benefit both staff and customers as Colin and Guy intend creating a more open and forward thinking working environment. In addition, there will be more investment in plant and equipment which will broaden our appeal.

2011 half year Group results announced

The record numbers for the first half of 2011 have confirmed the excellent results of the first quarter.Comparing 2011 with 2010, sales are up by 43% to 36.481 million Euros with net profit up by 399% to 2.675 million Euros and this despite the seasonal low number of production days in the second quarter.
The strong increase in sales in combination with convincing earnings per share is mainly due to continuous demand within the OEM and automotive markets. The improved utilisation of production capacity, the start up of new technologies and the latest acquisition of a new production site in the USA should help the strong performance to continue in the second half of 2011.

Latest acquisition in the USA

Continuous growth for Impreglon
Plant No. 20 in Baltimore, USA
What CEO Henning J. Claassen already indicated at the shareholder meeting on June 27, 2011 is now official: Effective July 1, 2011 Impreglon acquired 'Applied Coating Systems, Inc.' ('ACS') of Baltimore, Maryland. The third coating plant on the East coast of the United States closes the gap between the existing sites in Atlanta and Boston. In addition 'ACS' offers new coating processes to the group as well as new customers in the larger Washington area and the surrounding states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
This represents the third acquisition for the group this year. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
With 21 locations in 10 countries Impreglon is one of the leading companies in the field of surface technology worldwide. For 2011 the Impreglon Group expects to increase sales by more than 30%, exceeding 70 million Euro.

Zinc thermal diffusion

The Impreglon UK website has been updated to give more information on the Zinc thermal diffsuion (ZTD Coat®) process we're offering.
Metallurgically the same, ZTD Coat® has superior benefits over the old fashioned Sherardising process. For example the coating thickness is more consistent and uniform and there are no size limits as the process does not reply on tumbling.
For more information, go to www.impreglon.co.uk.

Impreglon UK expands again!

May 2011 saw Impreglon UK purchase the lease of our neighbour's premises.

Our industrial neighbour is moving to a larger factory so we took the opportunity to take on their existing pfactory to give us room for expansion. The Impreglon Group now has a far greater product range at its disposal since Impreglon UK first moved to Kingsbury Link and even though we extended the factory in 2009, we need more space for new technology.

The new factory, pictured below in its current livery, comprises of 12,000 sq.ft. shop floor space, an air conditioned test and inspection room, overhead cranes and extensive grounds for possible future expansion.

The new technology scheduled to be installed into the new factory is a Zinc Thermal Diffusion plant and a laser stripping unit. For more details on ZTD and laser stripping please contact Impreglon UK sales on 01827 871400.



Impreglon UK's new premises. The existing factory can be seen to the left of the picture.

First quarter 2011 results reported

After convincing numbers in the last quarter of 2010 the first quarter of 2011 confirmed these with record results. Aside from a strong 47% sales increase to 18.231m Euro, the rise of EBIT and EBITDA margins by over 100% is even more impressive. With 19 cents against 10 cents in the first quarter of 2010, earnings per share almost doubled despite an increase in the total number of shares by 29%.
The additional production capacities created prior to the world economic crisis, which proved to be costly and counterproductive during the crisis, now produce positive results due to the increased turn over. The same applies to the cost saving measures implemented during the crisis. The constant flow of new orders, several new sustainable coating processes due to be released soon and the continuation of the successful 'Buy & Build' strategy should also lead to record numbers for the full year of 2011.

Drying drum coating improves performance

Application
In the process of manufacturing nonwoven material, cellulose passes over drying drums and then over large path rolls. The cellulose is dehydrated by the drying drums and, step-by-step, converted to a web of fabric.
Requirements
The residual moisture causes the material to stick to the drum. Sticking, combined with high production speeds, means that the drums wear quickly. The warm, humid environment promotes corrosion.
Coating
A special combination of PlasmaCoat^® and MagnaCoat^® provides the necessary mechanical stability, excellent corrosion protection, outstanding nonstick properties and very good barrier protection in an aggressive hot and humid environment.
Benefits
Prevents machine downtime and expensive damage. Time-consuming cleaning measures can be eliminated and productivity is increased considerably.

Another Group acquisition

Impreglon acquires majority of Hi Tech company

With a share of 75% Impreglon SE acquired the majority of newly found LASGA Lasertechnik und Metallbearbeitung GmbH in Hamburg-Schenefeld, a spin-off of the Günter Kubbe GmbH, originally found in 1983. Similar to Impreglon's daughter company MBJ Maschinenbau Jessenitz GmbH, LASGA's main business is laser cutting and welding of metal components prior to coating.
Whereas MBJ concentrates on working with heavy metal plates and sheets to be coated later LASGA's speciality centres around thinner metal sheets made of stainless steel. In combination with Impreglon Oberflächentechnik GmbH of Lüneburg with its unique coating operation, Lasga nicely complements services offered by the group. In 2011 LASGA expects sales of slightly below 5 million Euro. In order to show that LASGA is part of the Impreglon group the company name will change to Impreglon Lasertechnik und Metallbearbeitung GmbH.
After a 46% sales increase to over 54 million Euro in 2010 and now with 19 plants in 10 countries Impreglon expects sales of approximately 70 million Euro for 2011.

Impact resistant coating used for jigs and frames

Aero engine gets a soft landing.

The coating of components to resolve problems or improve their performance is a regular occurrence at Impreglon. What happens less often is that we receive a jig or frame that is used to hold a component whilst it is machined or assembled.

Such was the case recently when an aero engine manufacturer identified a problem with a sub-assembly. The sub-assembly needed to be securely held in place whilst a component was fitted to it. Because of the sensitive nature of the sub-assembly, it was not possible to hard clamp it into place without first protecting it’s underside. The underside was not allowed to be damaged. Attempts were made to use padding but it could not be properly secured and the padding quite easily wore through.

After a search on the internet, the client contacted Impreglon to see if we could supply a solution. Needless to say, Impreglon could and did supply the solution – TC6501. TC6501 is a high film build polyurethane coating available in different colours. With four different hardness levels, the coating is ideal for situations where soft grip is required. Application of TC6501 onto the frame used to hold the sub-assembly allowed the sub-assembly to be securely held without damaging it.

Hot melt glue non stick and easy clean

Application
Manufacturing of hot melt adhesive application machines
Requirements
Adhesive residue sticks to hot glue tanks and application heads
Coating
When the tank is treated with TempCoat^®, adhesive sticking is prevented. Even unhardened liquid hot melt adhesive can be removed from the coated surface without leaving residue.
Benefits
Shorter cleaning times, improved protection from damage.

Case packer coating review

Application
A box is made by punching out the desired cardboard shape, applying adhesive to the edges, then moving the cardboard along a conveyor system for further processing. The cardboard frequently gets caught on the dull metal rail of the conveyor. The problem is amplified as remnants from punching and adhesive residue accumulate.
Requirements
The machine operator has to clean the equipment constantly - which slows down production speed. Valuable production time is lost and fewer boxes are made.
Coating
Coating the transport rails with PlasmaCoat^® significantly increases the speed of production. The improved sliding properties allow the cardboard to glide along the rails without getting caught.
Benefits
Constant cleaning is no longer necessary and the production costs drop.

10 million Euro order placed

10 million Euro order for Impreglon
Exclusive contract signed with large car company
After months of comparative testing with other coating companies the Impreglon Group came out first and won a ten million Euro contract over a 3-year period. Starting immediately Impreglon will utilize existing mainland European coating lines before installing a custom tailored automatic line this year in August. Since the new coating process solves a problem in connection with future automotive technology, Impreglon's management is confident to receive additional orders.
With 19 coating sites in 10 countries Impreglon is one of the worldwide leaders in the field of surface technology.

Caramel non-stick

Application.
Caramel bonbons are made of tough, sticky caramel mass. During the production process, the raw mixture is rolled, portioned and packaged in foil.
Requirements.
Malfunctions occur in the production flow since the moulding rollers and transport channels keep having to be cleaned. Frequent adhesion of the moulding rollers and congestion in the transport channel can lead to machine downtime.
Coating.
Coating with TempCoat^® optimises the production flow. Improved non-stick properties prevent raw caramel mixture from sticking to the rollers. The lower friction resistance allows the bonbons to glide over the transport channels to the conveyor belt more easily.
Benefits.
Prevents interruptions for cleaning or eliminating congestion. Optimises production times and reduces production costs.

Improved Granola production

Application
Granola bars are made of tough, sticky raw mixtures. They are moved from the mixing line to the production line in transport carts.
Requirements
The process of emptying the dough container consistently results in adhesion of the raw materials, which must then be removed with great effort. The arduous cleaning work wastes precious production time.
Coating
Coating the transport containers with TempCoat^® makes them much easier to clean. The improved non-stick properties prevent dough residue from sticking during emptying.
Benefits
Cleaning effort is reduced considerably and production costs are reduced.

Impreglon Group 2010 sales figures released

Sales of 54,6 Million Euros in 2010 after 37,2 Million in the year before confirm a successful turnaround. Also the preliminary profit figures with an EBIT of 5 Million Euros are quite impressive. After a loss of 0.60 Euros per share in 2009 last year shows a profit of 0.40 Euros per share.
With a sales goal of 70 Million Euros management also stays optimistic for 2011. The capital increase fully placed in December of last year will allow for additional acquisition in line with the successful 'buy & build' strategy.
With 19 plants in 10 countries Impreglon is one of the leading surface technology companies worldwide.

Sales Engineer vacancy

We have a vacancy for a dynamic new business winner. A science graduate, you’ll have at least five years proven new business sales experience selling to industry. Reporting to the Sales Director, the Sales Engineer would be based out of the Impreglon UK Tamworth office and would cover the whole of Great Britain. Full training in the Impreglon range of coatings and capabilities would be given, but immediate sales growth would be expected given this individual’s experience. Competitive salary and fully expensed company car. This is a new position and reflects Impreglon UK’s desire to continue its sales growth.

Long-lasting Performance for Hydropower Plant

Long-lasting Performance for Hydropower Plant
Impreglon AG Switzerland develops on-site coating method for Straflo Turbines.
The hydropower plant Augst am Rhein, near Basel, produces up to 250 million kw/h of electricity per year. Since 1994, seven Straflo (straight-flow) turbines have been in operation at the modern low-head river power plant. With this specific type of tubular turbine, the turbine and generator form one unit. They are not linked by a drive shaft. This means that the water flows through the generator rotor.
The rotor disk is no more than 2 mm away from the turbine. The excessive force of the water causes the rotor disk sheath to wear, resulting in grooves up to 10 mm deep. When wear is excessive, turbine output falls dramatically. The power plant can no longer generate the anticipated amount of electricity.
The PlasmaCoat^® method enabled the damaged sections to be coated such that the turbines could achieve maximum output for up to 80,000 hours longer. The new coating can be applied without refinishing the parts. It must be applied precisely to ensure that it does not exceed the distance of max. 2 mm between the turbine and the rotor disk. This is possible only with devices developed specifically for this onsite application. With this process, a turbine can be coated within four days, meaning that standstill times are dramatically reduced.
Impreglon Switzerland has treated four rotor disk sheaths on Straflo turbines over the last few years. Special know-how and continuously high output are the key.

Impreglon acquires majority of Hi Tech company

With a share of 75% Impreglon SE acquired the majority of newly found LASGA Lasertechnik und Metallbearbeitung GmbH in Hamburg-Schenefeld, a spin-off of the Günter Kubbe GmbH, originally found in 1983. Similar to Impreglon's daughter company MBJ Maschinenbau Jessenitz GmbH, LASGA's main business is laser cutting and welding of metal components prior to coating.
Whereas MBJ concentrates on working with heavy metal plates and sheets to be coated later LASGA's speciality centres around thinner metal sheets made of stainless steel. In combination with Impreglon Oberflächentechnik GmbH of Lüneburg with its unique coating operation, Lasga nicely complements services offered by the group. In 2011 LASGA expects sales of slightly below 5 million Euro. In order to show that LASGA is part of the Impreglon group the company name will change to Impreglon Lasertechnik und Metallbearbeitung GmbH.
After a 46% sales increase to over 54 million Euro in 2010 and now with 19 plants in 10 countries Impreglon expects sales of approximately 70 million Euro for 2011.