UK steelmaker Corus has announced that it is installing an additional multi-strand blanking line in order to help meet increased demand, which includes a contract to supply Mayflower Vehicle Systems with 100% of its skin panel blank requirements.
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Installation of the new line, a £250,000 investment at the company’s specialist Automotive Service Centre in Wolverhampton, is expected to be complete by mid April.
The 20-tonne capacity, coil fed blanking line will supply Coventry based Mayflower Vehicle Systems with precision blanks for more than 100 different body parts for a number of major vehicle manufacturers.
Blank production will start initially with a single shift, five days a week, allowing Corus to increase volume by over 30% to meet immediate demand. Importantly, the line has the potential for Corus to double existing capacity in order to meet expected future growth in business.
Alan Hutchinson, general manager of the Automotive Service Centre, said: “As well as doubling our existing blanking capacity, the multi-strand blanking line will allow us to process the latest generation of high strength steels enabling us to meet the growing trend by vehicle manufacturers to specify these stronger grades of steel. In addition, the line’s modular arrangement means that it is highly flexible and can be reconfigured if required in order to meet changing demand patterns within the industry.”
