UK rubber compounder SPC Rubber has increased investment in its Wales-based plant with the installation of a new mixing facility, opening an additional line.
The new 35-l mixer is the latest investment to the dedicated colour factory in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales. The ultraclean factory was opened by SPC in 2017 to focus exclusively on colour compounds, complementing the company’s technical rubber output from plants located near Bristol, UK, and Barcelona, Spain.
The Wales site has its own technical development laboratory with both analytical and mechanical testing machines. The factory accommodates a range of manufacturing orders, supplying batches from just 5kg to 140kg at a time. The site also has inline filtering of compounds.
Paul Hallas SPC MD commented that the company continues to expand the production capability within the UK, despite the challenging conditions in 2020. Overall the market demand for rubber compounds is strong and the range of applications continuing to rise.
“Despite a challenging environment for everyone this year, I believe UK manufacturing companies must continue to invest. Following Brexit we will inevitably be faced with new trading conditions next year and UK manufacturers must strive to continue to be market leaders in their industries, “ Hallas added.
In 2020, SPC developed several new coloured aerospace (AMS) and food industry (FDA) elastomer compounds. The 35-l mixer will provide intermediate batch volume, giving the opportunity for cost-effective production level trials of new grades, as well as the on-going supply of compounds against technically demanding standards. As demand increases, the larger SPC Maerdy K5 140-l intermeshing rotor offers a perfect option for scaled-up production. Furthermore, the 35-l mixer batch sizes are expected to gain a following in the aerospace, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and oil and gas sectors.