Hull-based Eltherington — a manufacturer of aluminium cladding for the leisure industry — recently asked Atkin Automation, which is part of Group Rhodes in Wakefield (www.grouprhodes.co.uk), to design and manufacture ‘A-frame style’ de-coiling mandrels that completely eliminate manual handling.

Atkin Automation is renowned for the high quality of its coil-processing equipment and has a long history of serving both UK and international markets.

Craig Dunn, Eltherington’s group manufacturing director, said: “Our operators are delighted with the new mandrels, which have made our changeovers far simpler and improved overall efficiency in our processes.

“Atkin Automation has met our requirements exactly, and we expect to see production output and efficiency increase as a result.”

The company processes a large range of coloured and textured materials; in many cases, just a few blanks are cut from each coil.

Atkin Automation’s solution means that production staff can now carry out these regular changes to the coil without any handling by operators, thanks to the A-frame support system.

The units are balanced so that the lifting points are in the correct position — when at rest — for transport and loading via a fork-lift.

Geoff Barker, sales manager at Atkin Automation, said: “This project is testament to our design and production expertise in creating bespoke solutions to customer issues.

“There is a need to reduce manual handling in many industrial production processes, and this solution for Eltherington shows how we can do that, while also increasing efficiency.”