A new automated production cell for producing wheelbarrow frames is enabling Walsall Wheelbarrow Co to improve manufacturing efficiency significantly. Designed and produced by Scarborough-based Unison (www.unisonltd.com), the cell has just been commissioned at Walsall Wheelbarrow's manufacturing plant in Wolverhampton and - following operator training - is already ranning at about 90% capacity. The company is one of the UK's leading manufacturers of wheelbarrows for gardening, building and agriculture. Operations director Jonathan Thacker says: "Our manufacturing process has five main stages: pan pressing, welding, tube bending, powder coating and assembly. Until now, we have only used hydraulically powered CNC machines for bending the tubular wheelbarrow frames. However, due to significant business expansion, tube-bending operations were becoming a production bottleneck, so we budgeted for a major automation upgrade to improve efficiency and throughput."
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