Stevens' solution to a sticky subject

Citation

(2002), "Stevens' solution to a sticky subject", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 31 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.2002.12931bab.023

Stevens' solution to a sticky subject

Keywords: Permabond, Adhesives

Permabond, providers of state-of-the-art bonding and sealing adhesive solutions, has installed the Recipe Formulation System (RFS) from solutions provider Stevens Advanced Weighing Systems. The system weighs the raw materials used in the manufacture of its range of adhesives and has helped eliminate paper work at its facility in Hampshire, UK.

Permabond Products is a division of the National Starch and Chemical Company, which produces thousands of technically advanced products. It operates an international network of more than 125 manufacturing and customer service centres, located in 36 countries on six continents.

The recipes for each of the adhesives has been precisely developed by chemists at Permabond making it extremely important that each raw material is individually weighed and the recipe correctly interpreted during the manufacturing process.

Phil Watson, production supervisor at Permabond, commented: ''We previously used a platform indicator in our factory, which was not computerised and required vast amounts of paperwork. This has now been eliminated as all recipes are stored on the system and can be accessed at the touch of a button, making the manufacturing process far more efficient''.

The RFS is networked to a remote PC which allows automatic downloading of data for use by the production department. These reports are produced in a ready to use format and have reportedly reduced the level of paper work associated with the production process.

The RFS system is said to enable Permabond to demonstrate "due diligence'', providing information in seconds, where, when and on what date a particular ingredient has been used, making every single ingredient traceable back to source. It is also said to ensure that all recipes are correctly interpreted and product consistency and quality is guaranteed.

Throughout this industry, manufacturers are required to adhere to strict COSHH regulations, which are set in place by the Health and Safety Executive. The RFS system complies to these regulations by informing operators of any special requirements, e.g. Wear Mask, Put Dust Extractor On and staff have to acknowledge these instructions before continuing with the process. Stevens asserts that no ingredient can be omitted and operators cannot complete a recipe batch until all weights are correctly added to the mix.

Stevens Advanced Weighing Systems was established over 150 years ago and is one of the UK's leading suppliers of weighing machines and systems to several industries.

Details available from: Stevens, Tel: +44 (0) 1254 685200; Fax: +44 (0) 1254 685202