Filtration Systems Manufacturer Exports To Russia With Expert Assistance
A leading designer and manufacturer of glaze reclamation equipment has completed a major international deal after receiving export expertise from Sheffield.
Xtract Filtration Systems in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, designed, manufactured and subsequently installed a state of the art glaze reclamation system to a client in Russia for use within a sanitary ware manufacturing facility to recover valuable glaze and water from the manufacture of toilets, sinks and basins.
The system recovers water from dilute glaze slurry to produce a consistent high density glaze which is then re-used. The fired glaze is the glossy hygienic surface of the sanitary ware and applied using manual, electro-static or robotic spraying lines. As a result, some of the glaze is lost and the overspray is collected and processed by the Xtract system.
To transport the shipment 2,600 miles to Russia, Xtract turned to 512 (Sheffield) and the Sheffield International Freight Terminal (SH-I-F-T) in South Yorkshire for assistance.
The machinery had to pass through eleven customs points and seven countries during the 40-hour road journey to Russia.
Andrew Frost, project engineer at Xtract, said: “Following a factory test in the UK the equipment, which was 15 metres by 10 metres in size, had to be broken down into sub sections to be transported.
“This was the first project 512 and SH-I-F-T supported us on the delivery of a complete filtration system to a client. They helped with the entire process and provided a good degree of confidence that they could handle shipments to Russia. They showed experience and knowledge in this field.
“It was a critical shipment for the company which we couldn’t afford to go wrong. It had to be delivered on time and intact. Everything was all linked to the timing of installation including payment, and everything worked well.
“We had to co-ordinate delivery with our staff to supervise arrival at the client and help off load the equipment in order for it to be installed on-site. 512 and SH-I-F-T managed the equipment transporting from door to door.”
Xtract provide equipment to a range of customers around the world including in Australia, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Mexico and Croatia.
Part of the Mantec Group, Xtract offers a comprehensive range of automated equipment and proven experience in the recovery of highly viscous slurries.
Karen Mosley, head of business development at 512, added: “Xtract is an experienced exporter and we had worked with them on a number of smaller shipments over the last few years. This culminated in our support in delivering this important piece of machinery.
“Russia can be a challenging location to export to, but we were able to take the headache and worry away from Xtract to manage the shipment process and make it a simple journey for everyone involved.”
