Door Manufacturer

Background

Over its 130-year history, the customer has built a reputation for producing the finest architectural timber products. Redwood has long been proud to supply them with fire retardant lacquers and bespoke stain matches.

The Challenge

Like other companies in its sector, the customer was seeking to minimise the environmental impact of its activities via the adoption of best practices and improvements in its choice of raw materials.

The customer’s management recently turned their attention to their choice of adhesives and resins.

Could Redwood help them to cut waste and so reduce their consumption of these sensitive materials?

Could Redwood help them minimise any health hazards associated with their use?

We studied the customer’s order book. The PVA and UF resins they favour are well-liked in the workshop…but they make purchasing managers wince because of the wastage with which they are associated, and they cause concern to health authorities.

The first problem was trivial. Industrial adhesives are usually delivered in intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) – those white plastic cubes in cages of galvanized metal which are often to be seen on delivery lorries and at the side of the road. IBCs encourage wastage. Disposing of an IBC with a payload of unused PVA glue is always a headache…and potentially a financial burden. That had certainly been the experience of the customer’s team!

The health problem was harder to crack, but we put our minds to it…

Our Solution

Redwood’s solution to the disposal problem took the form of our famous Eco-Crates.

The Eco-Crate is IBC-sized, but adds a removable inner bag which enables the user to squeeze out the last few litres of adhesive before disposing of the liner in the general waste bin, saving money and reducing environmental impact. Even better, the outer crate can be returned to Redwood for refilling and re-use. Eco-Crates have a 15-year track record, so we were confident that we had a ready fix for the customer’s wastage and disposal problems.

In the matter of health and safety, we had another trick up our sleeves. UF Resins from the customer’s existing suppliers relied on powder hardeners, which can cause breathing problems if inhaled over long periods in a workshop environment. Redwood proposed to substitute our Anchor 1528, a product which eliminates powder hardener in favour of a liquid equivalent. This makes it easier to work with, friendlier to lungs and less prone to bleedthrough on veneers, to boot.

Outcome

Eco-Crates and Anchor 1528 were a big change for an established company, but they quickly won over the customer’s experienced workforce.