World-leading manufacturer Pegler held a Best Practice event on 21st November, showcasing their wide range of capabilities to other MiY members.
Doncaster based company Pegler manufacture advanced plumbing, heating and engineering products to a variety of industries across the world. Pegler’s efficiency is unmatched when it comes to manufacturing these products. With the capacity to produce products from raw copper material right through to chrome plating. Their worldwide recognition was earned through their dedication to quality, innovation and customer service since established in the 1890s.
Pegler offers an integrated piping system that brings together valves, fittings, and pipes in a complete pipe-work arrangement. Combining the best aspects of valve technology and modern connection, the company is able to offer this cost-effective solution to any project.
The best practice event began in the company reception, where guests began arriving from 7:30 am. Greeted with refreshments and breakfast foods, members were guided to the conference suite where they had the opportunity to network and share best practices. Over 80 members of Made in Yorkshire gathered to learn more about Pegler and gain insight into the company’s capabilities.
Matthew Halliwell, Managing Director of Made in Yorkshire member Yorkshire Profiles, told us why he decided to attend the event:
“I have been to plenty of Made in Yorkshire best practice events now and every time I attend I make new connections and new leads. Also, it is always great to see the different factories around the Yorkshire region and how they operate.”
After networking and refreshments, members were invited to attend a presentation by Phill Jackson, Marketing Director at Pegler. The presentation focused on the company’s history, specification and changing the culture.
Founded in Doncaster, Pegler's current factory was built in 1904. With a long history of milestones and over 100 years of manufacturing experience and innovation, it is no surprise that the company were the first to receive certain accreditations, Phill said:
“I am proud to say that we were the first company in our market sector to get BS 5750 (now BS EN ISO 9001:2000) , which is a quality assurance standard. We were also the first in our industry to get ISO 14001, in 2001, for the environment.”
In addition to this, members had the chance to see a short video summarising the company’s factory process. This demonstrated the 12 stages of brass manufacturing which started with the raw material and furnace to assembly and packing, all actioned onsite.
As part of the Aalberts group, the company is dedicated to innovation in technologies. This is also showcased in their commitment to constantly changing culture in their work environment. Phill said:
“We have invested in our offices to become state of the art and we are proud to bring our customers here and people are proud to work here. Two years ago we were working with only two apprentices, now we have 18. We are dedicated to building a strong and robust business.”
Next, was the tour around the company’s extensive facility. Members had the chance to see the various workshops which included: machining, continuous casting, stamping and forging, extrusion, shot blasting and annealing and assembly. Alongside the company’s capacity to achieve this extensive work, investments have been made to increase the level of products produced.
In the stamping and forging workshop, they have invested in a 260-ton Hydromec stamping press worth £1.2 million that allows for 2,000 parts an hour to be stamped continuously as the tool does not need to cool down. In the assembly department, the new machines are able to produce 1,200 pieces per hour, compared to the old machinery that could only produce 400.
The event ended with more networking and refreshments in the companies’ innovation center that illustrated the finished products, from piping to connections to valves, that members saw being produced. Host for the event Phill Jackson hopes members learned a lot about the company, he said:
“I would like to hope members took away an understanding that we take health and safety very seriously on site and that we very much in control of our processes. I also hope they noticed our dedication to the environment and that today’s event was about connecting with local businesses, to support each other and Made in Yorkshire.”