Contracts Manager Glynn Dixon looks at how business is currently buoyant for Craven Fawcett.

“The last 18 months have been a difficult and challenging time for many in our industry, so it is very reassuring that we are now seeing positive signs of recovery in the UK market.  This has meant an increase in orders for spare parts, for service work and in plant project enquiries.

The upturn in the UK housing market and the shortage of bricks and other building materials has led to most factories running their equipment at full capacity.  As a result, our Craven Fawcett service team are experiencing an increase in enquiries as brick/clay making machinery is often running at maximum output with a reluctance for factories to stop production to allow for regular maintenance, which can lead to more breakdowns and repairs being required.

On the new plant side of the business, we currently have a full order book.  As a result, we are working on several plant projects for both the UK as well as several overseas enquiries which includes supporting overseas installations through consignment stock provision in the Far East.

We have also been working on several new design / development initiatives over the last 12 months, in particular a new specification, harder wearing chrome material used for extruder worms which is been trialled. Initial findings have shown very positive results, with the new worms giving 25% longer wear life.  

This is a very busy but exciting period for our business as we work with existing and new customers in the UK and across the world to meet their demands for new brick making/clay preparation equipment and to ensure their existing equipment is in optimal repair to meet market demands.