Work on Sulzer’s new state-of-the-art service center in Birmingham, UK, is continuing to schedule. As planned, the building is now watertight, and attention is turning to the internal construction of the workshop area and the offices. Customers can expect the new facility to be open towards the end of autumn 2020, and in the meantime, the existing service center will continue to work at full capacity.
Located in the Birmingham Business Park, Sulzer’s new service center is rapidly taking shape with the main building shell in place and sealed. While the construction continues, plans for moving all the staff and their tools and equipment are being finalized so as to avoid any interruption in service to customers.
“Now that it is watertight, we can really make some progress inside this fantastic building,” says Warren Bell, project manager for Sulzer. “The office floors are in and soon we will have a massive concrete pour for the workshop floor. Once this is complete, we will really start to see the various business areas take shape.”
The company says much thought has gone into developing the most efficient work flows for each area of the service center. Together, they say the facility will deliver a wide range of capabilities, all using lean manufacturing techniques, to ensure all maintenance and repair projects are optimized.
A specialist logistics company will be relocating all of the machinery and equipment over a two-month period with a seamless move that will ensure that every customer has a smooth transition to the new site. In addition to the existing equipment such as the copper rolling mill, winding machines and the high voltage test-bed, Sulzer is also investing in additional equipment, such as new ovens and paint booths.
“This new facility will be an engineering center of excellence using lean manufacturing principles to ensure an enhanced customer experience,” Chris Powles, head of Electro Mechanical Services – EMEA, comments. “The improved working environment and more efficient processes will benefit our employees as well as our customers, who will have uninterrupted, high-level service throughout the transition to the new site.”