Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group Responds To Market Growth With Major Investments In Manufacturing Capacity

Watson Marlow 11/06/2021

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A combination of strong market demand and global expansion at Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG) has resulted in significant investments in manufacturing capacity for several of the Group’s businesses.

As reported in the Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc. annual report, WMFTG has enjoyed geographical expansion in 2020, establishing new sales companies in Hungary, Norway and Finland. A new sales company was also established in Czech Republic which began trading in January 2021.

As a result of increased demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company made significant investments to increase manufacturing capacity. At the company's main UK facility in Falmouth there was expansion of cleanrooms to add a third tube extrusion line, as well as trebling the offsite warehousing capacity.

Its UK based Aflex and BioPure businesses have also benefited from investment in the new UK manufacturing facilities. The new £23 million, 16,200m2, manufacturing site for Aflex, in Yorkshire, delivered its first production output during the second quarter of 2020.

This new facility consolidates Aflex’s original five sites into one purpose-built site, with four of these having successfully transitioned to the new site in 2020 and the final site due to complete its move in September 2021.

Future investment

Looking to the future, the Group’s Board approved a £24 million investment to construct a new 11,000m2 manufacturing facility in Portsmouth for BioPure; a supplier of fluid path technologies for the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology sector, acquired in 2014.

Five times the size of the current site, the new site will also have a six-fold increase in machines and a five-fold increase in cleanrooms. This significant investment will further support Watson-Marlow’s strength and growth in the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology sector.

“Good for UK manufacturing”

“2020 was a year like no other; however, we are absolutely delighted that our own business saw expansion, not contraction,” says Martin Johnston Strategic Business Development Director, at Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group. “We’ve always been a business that believes in investment and innovation – and our plans to expand our capacity in three of our business brands is proof of our commitment.

“Investment in three of our UK facilities is also very good news for British manufacturing and good news for our customers too. This will also catalyse local employment opportunities for the long-term and will support many new, highly skilled manufacturing and engineering jobs. We’re future-proofing our business and preparing for the next stage in our exciting journey.”

Product innovation

Aside from investments, 2020 was a very positive and successful year for product launches, with seven new products released throughout the year. In June, the company started a targeted launch of a revolutionary new pump head, using Conveying Wave Technology (CWT), the ReNu 30 CWT^TM, which fits onto our existing range of Watson-Marlow Qdos pumps.

Further information can be found at www.wmftg.com

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Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions

01326370370
info@wmftg.co.uk
https://www.wmfts.com/
Bicklandwater Road, Falmouth Business Park, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 4RU GB

About us

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG) peristaltic tube and hose pumps meet requirements including: value for money; low cost of ownership; reliability and ease of maintenance to the food and beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical, mining and many other industries.

We demonstrate how pumps deliver significant process efficiencies over the lifetime of the equipment. Whether performing flavouring addition in food processing, chemical metering in water treatment or mineral recovery, we have a solution which can cut pump downtime and reduce costs through higher accuracy metering and transfer. WMFTG has dedicated application engineers available to help customers make the right pump and tubing choice from a range providing microlitres per minute to 80 cubic metres per hour flow rates.

The only part of the pump to come into contact with the product is the tube or hose. This means there are no seals or valves that can wear or fail. Replacing the tube or hose can be performed quickly and safely. Peristaltic pump benefits include:

Total fluid containment with no seals No ancillaries Handle viscous and abrasive slurries and sludge Self-priming capability Dry running without damage to the pump In addition to their range of positive displacement pumps, Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group has added PTFE-lined chemical and industrial hoses to their range. Aflex hoses are reinforced to withstand the most severe conditions and use.

Where we supply to

Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, North America

Industries we supply to

Automation, Chemicals, Consultants, Components Electronics, Energy and Power, Food and Beverage, Glass Ceramics Cement, Metals and Minerals, OEM, Paper and Pulp, Pharmaceutical Cosmetics Toiletries, Plastics and Rubber, Recycling, Textiles, Tobacco, Water and Wastewater

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