Conceptmetal Products Ltd

Bearing the Load

2012-02-01T05:47:00.000-08:00

Concept Metal Products have invested in a new wagon and driver to help handle the increasing demand for deliveries. The new DAF flat bed is 2 foot longer than the wagons currently in use at Concept meaning it will help with the extra long items that Concept are capable of processing, with both laser cutting and folding being offered at 8m long. To find out more about our capacity contact

What We Do Best

2011-07-04T06:11:00.001-07:00

A BRIGHTER WORK SHOP
New energy efficient lighting has recently been installed for the shop floor at Concept Metal Products.
The new lighting cost over £2500.00 in total. However they are 70% more efficient than the old lights that were in use.
The lighting on the shop floor is in use for around 12 hours daily so there was a lot of energy wasted with the old non efficient lights.
Not only will the lights pay a return in the long run but they will help Concept Metal Products in our aim to reduce our carbon footprint. A greener and more energy efficient work shop is an advantage to everybody.

With our complete laser cutting / bending and in house fabrication facilities these aluminium containers take full advantage of our capacity at Concept Metal Products Ltd

A repeat order, this time made in aluminium rather than mild steel as previous, we are to fabricate 40 off complete in house. The process starts with laser cutting the main body, side panels and support sections from aluminium sheet. The body and sections are formed and then the planter is fully welded. To finish the containers with an aesthetically pleasing appearance, they are sent to the polishers before being delivered to the customers required location.

Alloy could help provide water and power in remote areas | News | The Engineer

2011-05-16T04:04:00.001-07:00

Alloy could help provide water and power in remote areas | News | The Engineer

Andy takes long road to charity cash

2011-04-28T06:45:00.001-07:00

A Middleton-business man is bidding to drive a novelty car to Le Mans in France – all in the name of charity.
Andy Galvin, a maintenance manager at Concept Metalproducts ltd on Middleton Junction is hoping to drive his home made Citroen 2CV-inspired three-wheeler 600 miles from Manchester to Le Mans.
Together with John Francis, he hopes the epic journey will raise thousands of pounds for a variety of children’s charities.
He Said: “Over the last 10 years we have raised over £20,000 for different children’s charities and the satisfaction that gives us is unbelievable.
“We are now hoping to raise around £10,000 with this venture and if possible we hope to involve some of the other novelty cars in the UK like the motorised arm chair and even the road legal orange.”
Andy, who is vice chairman of the Days of Funder Motorsports Club, is no stranger to epic journeys after he and John Francis navigated the car from Lands End to John O’Groats in 2004.
They now hope to double that distance but taking it all the way from Le Mans, the home of the famous 24-hour race, next year.
John, chairman of the Days of Funder Motorsports Club, said: “This really is an enormous challenge and having completed John O’Groats to Lands End in the novelty car a couple of years ago I am not at all confident we will manage this endeavour without some form of significant difficulty.
“This makes the whole challenge far more interesting and exciting.”
Both are qualified British Motor sport marshals and the run will coincide with a major motor sport event at Le Mans, where they hope to officiate at a race. To find out more go to www.dofmc.org.uk or contact Andy at andy@dofmc.org.uk.

Found in the Middleton Guardian 28/4/2011

Raise a glass to local guitar legend with specially-made bottle openers

2011-04-14T01:18:00.001-07:00

Found in the Middleton Guardian page 19 14/4/2011

The Team

2011-04-06T07:28:00.001-07:00

EACH SEASON MEET THE TEAM THIS SEASON
: Andrew Galvin – Maintenance Manager

Andy started his career at Concept in July 1980 and completed an apprenticeship covering sheet metalwork, fabrication and technology. He now lives in Milnrow with his wife and two children and his spare time is filled with charitable work that benefits children’s charities. He also has a passion for motor sport. He is an official member of FIA British Motor Sport and was lucky enough to Marshall last year’s F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Recently, Andy and friends raised over £2000.00 for Comic Relief. See their escapades at www.dofmc.org.uk

Andy is a home grown manager coming through the ranks at Concept from its early inception. He has grown into his role with some essential traditional skills.

Andy and his team ensure the smooth running of a busy shop floor, maintaining some of the latest bending and laser cutting technology. To add to his repertoire Andy has become an expert in IT. His knowledge in this area is not only beneficial to Concept but customers and suppliers alike have prospered from Andy’s help.

if you’re an existing customer, old or new please do not hesitate to contact Andy at andy@conceptmetal.co.uk
or visit us at www.conceptmetal.co.uk

TRAINING FOR THE FUTURE

2011-04-05T02:15:00.001-07:00

Adam, at age 15, completed a work placement at OTC in the Engineering Workshop. He achieved a Distinction in BTec First Diploma in Engineering at Middleton TechnologySchool. He then applied to OTC for an Apprenticeship in Engineering.

Adam started employment at Concept Metal at the aged of 16 and began his apprenticeship programme within 3 month working towards L2 Fabrication & Welding. He completed this after 12 months. After achieving the Level 2 he started an Advanced Apprenticeship in Fabrication & Welding Level 3.

He has just completed and achieved his NVQ Level 3 (age 19) within 12 months of starting the qualification and currently 70% through his City and Guilds Certificate in Engineering. Adam has also secured contracts for Concept Metal based on his skills and dedication to the job. Adam is trained at Oldham Training Centre (OTC)

GM Dean Barnard says “Adam has fetched an array of hope in showing the skill levels he has achieved”. Dean goes on to state, “I gained my apprenticeship in structural and thick plate engineering, learning from some very skilled men with traditional skills. I thought traditional skills were a thing of the past but OTC and indeed Adam have filled me with hope that manufacturing can survive”.

In addition to Adam there are 5 other apprentices at Concept all training in different areas of our industrial expertise. A quarter of Concepts workforce is under 19years of age, helping us to achieve a strong, skilled workforce for the future.

WHAT WE DO BEST

2011-03-31T01:46:00.001-07:00

The photos above are of some tapered beams that we are currently forming at Concept Metal Products. Each of the 284No root beams are 8200mm long formed out of 4mm and 5mm S355. The beams are supplied fully fabricated with tapered end plates. Our 500 ton tandem press is the perfect machine for forming this job. Able to handle the length by two 4.1m press brakes operating together in tandem to provide 8.2m of bending capacity. For more information on our extensive bending capacity please contact us at sales@conceptmetal.co.uk

What’s New

2011-03-30T05:44:00.001-07:00

WORKING CHARGE HAND PAYS DIFFIDENCE

At the start of 2011 Concept Metal Products put into operation a working charge hand.

Nick Brash who has been with Concept since 1995 is one of our most skilled and knowledgeable press brake operators. His key tasks as the new working charge hand is not only to enforce the day to day production schedule but also to play a key roll in the training of our apprentices.

Working along side Nick we hope will give the youngsters the best opportunity we can to teach them all the knowledge and experience required to eventually become one of our highly skilled operators.

Already since Nick started his new roll we have observed a more efficient production line, which we hope will lead to an even better service for all our customers.

Teenager helps secure contracts for company

2011-03-19T03:24:00.000-07:00

General manager Dean Barnard with apprentice Adam norton

APPRENTICES are the future, according to company manager Dean Barnard, who said his business has been boosted by one of his skilled apprentices.

Mr Barnard (47), general manager at Concept Metal Products Ltd, in

Mills Hill Road

, said his faith in the future of manufacturing has been restored by apprentice Adam Norton.

The 19 year old, from Middleton, started three years ago as an apprentice engineer with the company, which cuts and bends metal sheets for a range of businesses, including oil rigs, nuclear power stations and the aircraft industry.

Having gained his NVQ Level 3, Adam is now nearing the end of his City and Guilds Certificate in engineering. And his natural talent for engineering, coupled with on-the-job work experience and weekly visits to Oldham Training Centre (OTC), have seen him help secure additional overseas contracts for his employers.

Natural

Mr Barnard said: “I thought traditional skills were a thing of the past but OTC and indeed Adam have filled me with the hope that manufacturing can survive. Adam is one in a million – some of the stuff he has welded is superb.

“He has a natural flair for the job which our fully skilled employees have helped develop, as well as OTC. And he has picked up extra work for us from Norway which has boosted our business.

“Nowadays, young people are encouraged to go to university rather than go into apprenticeships. Had Adam chosen that route, we would have lost a natural engineer.”

The company currently employees 28 staff, but as five are nearing retirement, they have five apprentices learning skills from older staff to ensure their wealth of knowledge and experience is not lost.

Mr Barnard, a former apprentice, said there should be more focus on bringing manufacturing back to Britain and reinstating metal work as a subject at school.

He said: “I gained my apprenticeship in structural and thick plate engineering, learning from some very skilled men with traditional skills.

“Although demand for engineering work is not the same as when I started, it should underpin the country’s economy – it should be our foundation. Businesses in Oldham should invest in apprentices.

“Smaller businesses might be wary of taking them on because they have to pay wages and they don’t know what the economy has in store. But they need to look to the future and realise that in three or four years, if not sooner, apprentices cans start earning the business money.”

To contact Concept Metal Products Ltd call 0161-643 2961 http://www.conceptmetal.co.uk/

Taken from the Oldham Evening Chronicle – Wednesday, March 16^th 2011, P11.

Experimental system for car control is all in the mind | News | The Engineer

2011-02-25T07:41:00.000-08:00

Experimental system for car control is all in the mind News The Engineer

Cars and vices (Lotus Elan and Black and Decker Workmate)

2011-02-25T07:26:00.000-08:00

UNDER THE SPOT LIGHT

2011-01-21T00:53:00.000-08:00

4KW, 8 METRE LONG LASER

This month we have a closer look at our 4Kw, 8 METRE LONG Bystronic Laser.

Using the 4Kw laser we can cut from 0.5mm up to 20mm carbon steel on oxygen gas and from 0.5m up to 15mm stainless steel on nitrogen gas. For anything thicker we have our 6kw laser eagerly waiting at hand.

The 4Kw laser has an interchangeable bed size of 8m x 2.5m, allowing us to be able to cut profiles up to 8 metres long, ‘the perfect compliment for our 8 metre tandem press brake’. The 2.5 metre width also provides us with that extra capacity when the standard 2 metres is not wide enough.

Due to the immense bed size on this laser the material sheet sizes can also be extremely large making them difficult to manoeuvre. Worry not we have several 3 ton and 5 ton overhead cranes complete with plate grabs and suction lifting pads to make light work of any sheet and plate lifting. Using the cranes for lifting also prevents any damage that may otherwise occur during the manoeuvring of such large plates.

The laser is fed via direct link from our CAD department, so any last minute amendments or urgent rush jobs are easy to accommodate. Using the impressive updated Radan 2010 software complete with 3D design and development our CAD department can quickly convert any DXF/DWG or engineers drawing into a program ready for the laser to cut and be despatched via our very own transport.

We have several laser operatives all trained by Bystronic’s best to enable us to achieve the finest cut quality possible so weather your require a simple laser cut plate or an integrate detailed profile you can be assured that they will be to the highest laser quality standard.

CES 2011: new products launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas

2011-01-07T01:35:00.000-08:00

Chinese computer giant Lenovo unveiled the IdeaPad computer at CES 2011. It serves as a laptop for work tasks then converts to a touch-screen tablet for play time. The IdeaPad has a slate called LePad that serves as a laptop screen but unplugs to become a tablet computer. The LePad tablet is powered by Google's Android software and a Snapdragon chip from Qualcomm. Once plugged into the keyboard base, the computer switches to Windows 7 operating software by Microsoft and a beefier Intel processor. LePad has a 10.1-inch (26 centimetre) colour screen, weighs less than two pounds (one kilogram) and connects to the Internet using 3G telecom service. It has a front-facing camera for video chat and promises as many as eight hours of battery life.

found on http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology

Non-polluting hydrogen buses coming soon to London

2010-12-14T01:11:00.000-08:00

.The UK’s first hydrogen bus fleet will begin operating in London this month, refuelling at the country’s largest permanent hydrogen station.

The first of a planned fleet of eight buses will run from 18 December using fuel-cell technology that produces energy from hydrogen and oxygen and emits only water vapour.
The scheme will see eight buses phased into operation by the middle of next year, adding to the 100 hybrid buses already run by Transport for London (TfL). This follows a trial that ran between December 2003 and January 2007.
TfL hope the move will help improve air quality in the city as well as providing long-term benefits in terms of reduced carbon-dioxide emissions.
The buses were designed for TfL by ISE, Wrightbus and Ballard. They will run from a specially built maintenance facility that will include the UK’s largest permanent hydrogen-refuelling station to be maintained by Air Products.
Although the buses themselves will emit no carbon dioxide, the hydrogen will be produced by natural-gas reformation and transported by tanker from Rotterdam, Netherlands, which will give the fuel a carbon footprint.
Air Products was unable to provide information on how much carbon dioxide the hydrogen would be responsible for but said arrangements had been made to make the process as green as possible.
‘The hydrogen will be transported as liquid but then vaporised on site to fuel the buses, which will reduce the number of trips that have to be made from Rotterdam,’ Air Products spokesman John Blewett told The Engineer.
‘This is a first step as they trial the technology and they hope to reduce CO2 as this becomes possible, looking to renewable production in the future.’

The buses are jointly funded by TfL, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the European Union via the Clean Hydrogen in Cities (CHIC) project.

The London Hydrogen Partnership (LHP) – a committee that includes TfL, DECC, Air Products and other firms – plans to create a hydrogen network of six refuelling sites to run hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2012.
It also aims to encourage a minimum of 150 hydrogen-powered vehicles on the road in London by 2012 including 15 hydrogen-powered taxis – a project that recently won the Energy category of The Engineer’s Technology & Innovation Awards 2010.

found in the 10 December 2010 The Engineer.

Hunanoid Robot could help out the understaffed factories

2010-12-07T01:20:00.000-08:00

A new human-like assembly robot could bring the science fiction vision of people and androids working together a step closer.

The pi4-workerbot, developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology in Germany, is designed to help factories increase their production capacity at short notice.

Although the robot isn’t as dextrous or fast as human workers, its pressure-sensitive arms and 3D-camera eyes allow it to quickly adapt to different assembly tasks and it can operate 24 hours a day.

The robot has three cameras: a 3D model in its forehead to capture general surroundings and two others used for inspection purposes.These enable the workerbot to carry out tasks such as measuring objects or inspecting surfaces by studying how light reflects off a material.
Facial expressions indicate to the manager how the work is going. For example, the workerbot will smile if the task is going well or look bored if it’s waiting for work.
The machine inevitably raises the question of whether factories are moving towards full-scale robotisation. But Surdilovic said the workerbot did not have the capabilities to replace humans.
‘There is a mistake in that some people are afraid we want to replace humans but we want only to provide additional help when there is no other solution,’ he said.
‘The advantage of the robot is that it can work for 24 hours and repeat an…operation and so can free humans from monotonous jobs.’

Found in the Engineer

Tuesday, 07 December 2010

Daniel Quinn the star of Man City Mascot Competition

2010-11-25T10:17:00.000-08:00

Ark Hotel Construction time lapse building 15 storeys in 2 days

2010-11-17T09:38:00.000-08:00

NEW BLOG PAGE

2010-11-13T03:31:00.000-08:00

Concept Metal Products lauches it's new Blog page.

DOFMC Launches Le Mans Funny Car Challenge

2010-10-15T02:41:00.000-07:00

Press Release

Release Date: 21st October 2010

DOFMC Launches Le Mans Funny Car Challenge

The Days of Funder Motorsports Club have come up with a new, more stupid and even more unlikely
challenge in their ongoing endeavours to raise funds for children’s charities.
Club founder and Chairman, Bury based Captain Coco, also known John Francis, is pleased to announce
today their latest and most adventurous challenge which is to drive their three wheeled “Citroen 2CV”
Contraption from Manchester to Le Mans in the south of France.
To celebrate the project launch today DoFMC are donating £100 to the Bury based charity TSC Trust who
assist poorly children to have a well deserved holiday.
John said this really is an enormous challenge and having completed John O’Groats to Land’s End in the
novelty car a couple of years ago I am not at all confident we will manage this endeavour without some
form of significant difficulty. This makes the whole challenge far more interesting and exiting!
Club Vice-Chairman, Side Show Bob, also know as Andy Galvin from Milnrow, is also very exited and
apprehensive about this undertaking. Andy Said, over the last 10 years we have raised over £20,000 for
different children’s charities and the satisfaction that gives us is unbelievable. We are now hoping to raise
around £10,000 with this venture and if possible we hope to involve some of the other novelty cars in the
UK like the motorised arm chair and even the road legal orange!
The DoFMC Club are spending a lot of time organising this venture which will happen in 2012 and, since
Andy and John are both qualified British Motor sport marshals, the run will coincide with a major
motor sport event at Le Mans, perhaps either the 24 hour race or even Formula 1 meeting of that year
where they will go on to officiate at the event.
If you have a novelty road legal car, or you know anybody who has then please can you let John or Andy
know so that they can be invited to join in this most improbable of challenges!
Details of previous fundraising events can be found on the DoFMC web site at www.dofmc.org.uk and if
you would like to assist, sponsor or be involved in any way then please contact John or Andy at:
john@dofmc.org.uk and andy@dofmc.org.uk

Sponsored so far by Concept Metal products Ltd & BTG

Raytheon engineers develop 'Iron Man' suit

2010-10-05T01:07:00.000-07:00

Engineers at Raytheon have unveiled a second-generation exoskeleton called XOS 2 at the company’s research facility in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The new robotic suit is lighter, faster and stronger than its predecessor, yet it uses 50 per cent less power. Its enhanced design also means that it is more resistant to the environment.

The suit is built from a combination of structures, sensors, actuators and controllers, and it is powered by high-pressure hydraulics. It enables its wearer to easily lift 200lb several hundred times without tiring and repeatedly punch through 3in of wood. Yet, the suit, which was developed for the US Army, is also agile and graceful enough to let its wearer kick a football, punch a speed bag or climb stairs and ramps with ease.

’XOS 1 was essentially a proof of concept,’ said Dr Fraser Smith, vice-president of operations for Raytheon Sarcos. ’With XOS 2, we targeted power consumption and looked for ways to use the hydraulic energy more efficiently. That’s resulted in us being able to add capabilities while significantly reducing power consumption.’

Raytheon is developing the robotic suit to help with logistics challenges faced by the military. Repetitive heavy lifting can lead to injuries, orthopaedic injuries in particular. The XOS 2 does the lifting for its operator, reducing strain and exertion. It also does the work faster. One operator in an exoskeleton suit can do the work of two to three soldiers.

Raytheon’s Exoskeleton has been called the real Iron Man suit because of its ability to enhance the wearer’s strength and endurance in a way that is reminiscent of Tony Stark’s high-tech suit in the films.

After decades of research, exoskeletons, or wearable robotic limbs, are leaving the lab to be used by medics, the military and industry. Click here to read more (subscription required).

Found in the Engineer. http://tinyurl.com/29ll8e6

Jet Cars and Batmobiles

2010-10-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

Stephen Harris
Stephen Harris

Reporter
.Jetcars and Batmobiles
1 October 2010 By Stephen Harris

You’d be forgiven for thinking that a car with jet engines would be a fuel-hungry cousin of the Batmobile rather than the latest development in electric vehicle technology. But for its showing at this year’s Paris Motor Show, Jaguar Land Rover has managed to come up with an innovative, low emissions car that also makes for a great headline.

Of course replace the words ‘jet engine’ with the more accurate ones ‘gas turbine’ and it immediately sounds less exciting. Still, the 205mph C-X75 concept car represents an impressive move by a UK-based firm that’s already won millions of pounds from the government to develop its existing range-extended electric car.

Jaguar claims the car can travel 900km (560 miles) on one tank of LPG and a full battery charge, reaching a top speed of 330km/h (205mph) releasing 28g/km of carbon dioxide once the battery runs down.

This compares to an average of 160g/km for new European cars with conventional petrol engines and 120g/km for Jaguar’s government-funded Limo-Green, which can only reach 180km/h (112mph).

Like other range-extended cars, the C-X75 uses its fuel to power an electric motor rather than an internal combustion engine. But Jaguar has this time fitted a miniature gas turbine developed by Shropshire-based Bladon Jets, the kind of which has been used before for hybrid buses.

The project is a success story for British engineering, and not just because of the car itself, which uses lightweight aluminium construction techniques and 50 per cent recycled metals. Jaguar’s Indian owner Tata has been so impressed with Bladon’s technology that it has agreed to acquire a 20 per cent stake in the firm.

Gas turbine technology could be of particular use in reducing emissions in India, where over a third of the population don’t have access to electricity but where farmers could help generate biogas to fill the country’s fuel needs.

It’s also encouraging that one of the biggest stories of an event for petrolheads is a luxury car manufacturer unveiling its new electric vehicle concept for the second year in a row.

The C-X75 may never go into production and it’s unlikely to become a common sight on the motorway, but the push for low-carbon vehicle technology is a vital weapon in the fight against climate change.

Of course, the Paris Motor Show is also the place to see some of the world’s sleekest and dynamic car designs, and this year there seems to be something of a trend for vehicles that really do look like the Batmobile.

Christopher Nolan’s influence is all over the place, from Peugot’s electric EX1 – which the firm claims can do 280 miles on one battery charge – to the Sesto Elemento from Lamborghini – which has a body, wheels, suspension and brakes made from carbon fibre.

However, maybe the best car story of the day is away from Paris, in a small town in Indiana, USA. There, a firm named Fiberglass Freaks has begun selling actual Batmobiles. Well, replicas of the one used in the 1960s TV show starring Adam West. Now, anyone with $150,000 and a love for camp comic book heroes can live their dream.

Found in the Engineer. http://tinyurl.com/29k57gm

What a golf hole

2010-04-08T00:13:00.000-07:00

What a golf hole

One of my readers shared this with me recently and I thought it was worth sharing with all of you. Thanks to Don Ammons for this great pictures and story.

Forget pitch and putt - this tee-off point on top of a 1,410 ft. mountain in South Africa
is the hardest golf shot in the world, and more than $1 million awaits the player who can score a hole in one.
Players must take a helicopter to the top to play the longest and highest par three on the planet.
Taking the shot also requires courage. A player needs to teeter terrifyingly close to the edge of the mammoth hillside.

Indeed, the Extreme 19th Hole is so high the ball takes almost 30 seconds to reach the ground.

Channel Nine cricket commentator Mark Nicholas recently joined an elite list to have the shot in just three swings.
"It was awesome, riveting and phenomenal," he said, "it's like the end of the world when you get up there and it's an awful lot of fun.
It's such an adrenaline rush taking the helicopter up and then rushing back down."

The hole is based at the Legends Golf and Safari Resort, within the Entabeni Safari Conservancy in South Africa 's
Northeastern Limpopo Province . The other 18 holes were designed by world golfing legends including
Trevor Immelman, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington and Australia 's Robert Allenby.

A round of golf - including a buggy and lunch - will set you back R450 ($70).

The Extreme 19th costs is $1060 per four ball,
that includes helicopter ride, souvenir cap, glove, and a DVD of you playing the hole.

So far, no one has even come close pocketing the million-dollar prize,
but Harrington became the first golfer to conquer the hole within par.

Harrington said, "This is the type of innovation and excitement we need to get more people playing golf.
There aren't many new innovative ways to play the game but this is certainly one of the best.
I think this hole is awesome. I love the whole experience, the helicopter, the views, the drama and having the green the shape of Africa .
And now I've got bragging rights over all the other professionals who have played this hole
and not managed to make a three. I love everything about it."

David Stargel
The Golf Nut

Follow me on

http://www.the-golf-nut.com/
http://www.the-golfer.biz/

Joke

2010-03-08T01:12:00.001-08:00

DIVORCE VS. MURDER

A nice, calm and respectable lady went into the pharmacy, walked up to the pharmacist, looked straight into his eyes, and said, "I would like to buy some cyanide."The pharmacist asked, "Why in the world do you need cyanide?" The lady replied, "I need it to poison my husband." The pharmacist's eyes got big and he explained, "Lord have mercy! I can't give you cyanide to kill your husband, that's against the law? I'll lose my licence! They'll throw both of us in jail! All kinds of bad things will happen. Absolutely not! You CANNOT have any cyanide!" The lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacist's wife. The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied, "You didn't tell me you had a prescription."

badgerbedlam

2009-08-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Just a little something to keep you amused.

Welcome to Badger Bedlam - in todays busy lives of stress and strain hopefully this little escape to Eriska will allow you a brief respite from the pressures around you. If you enjoy the game then pass it onto others and if you wish to know more about the Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa and Island then please delve into the rest of the site and ask for further information.

Bury carnival

2009-06-22T05:22:00.000-07:00

Andy and his silly car go collecting for Bury Lions.

Sun shines on Bury Carnival
11:00am Monday 15th June 2009
A COLOURFUL procession of floats, bands and dancers paraded through Bury town centre on Saturday for the town's annual carnival.
The spectacular sounds and eye-catching floats entertained a sea of people who lined the route — and none were left disappointed.
Organisers, Bury Lions, hailed the event has a huge success.
Malcolm Evans, secretary of the club, said: “Thanks to everyone who took part and turned out. It has been fantastic. This is a real community event and last year 23 organisations benefited from the money raised.”
Main carnival sponsor was business advisers DTE, and the firm’s John Turner said: “The carnival is important to the community. It has brought out so many people and there have representative from diverse organisations. It has been a fabulous event.”

Ofsted inspection goes well.

2009-04-30T06:02:00.000-07:00

Ofsted Inspection goes well. (source: Concept Metal Products Ltd 2009).

Concept Metal Product’s commitment to continuous improvement has been recognised by way of a thank you from Rochdale Training Association.

Concepts investment in young apprenticeships is seen by the management team “as a critical investment to take the bending and laser cutting capabilities well into the 21st Century”. As an addition, the recent appointment of a fabrication apprentice strategically puts concept in a good position when older traditionally skilled workers retire.

Rochdale training reported that they “received very positive and encouraging feedback from a recent Ofsted inspection”. Rochdale training went on to state that “the inspectors were very impressed by the quality of the companies they visited and also commented on the good support and training given by employers to apprentices”.[1]

Dean Barnard, Concepts General Manager has recently undertaken a substantial research dissertation as part of a Master’s Degree. He advocates that “manufacturing is vital in underpinning the UK’s economy and goes onto recognise that new entrants to the industry are vital in the manufacturing process but sadly, only 3% of school leavers in 2009 will take up manufacturing opportunities”.[2]

[1] Adapted from correspondence received from Rochdale Training Association. Dated 27th March 2009 (available on request).
[2] Interview with Concept Metal Products Management Team.

2009-03-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

Concept metal products have just announced that they will be sponsoring Andy Galvin on his quest to raise money for his club THE DAYZ OF FUNDER MOTOR SPORTS CLUB

Steel Cloggs

2009-03-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

Miner turned goalkeeper
From the Bolton Evening News, first published Wednesday 7th Nov 2001.
ARTHUR BARNARD (b1932): I WENT working down the pit for a bit after leaving school. Worked underground on the haulage -- putting clips on the tubs.
But I could never settle to a job cooped up. You'd be locked away in lovely summer weather, so I left that after a bit for a job in the building trade.
One February teatime 1950, I was on me way home and I saw me mum down the street, waving something on the front door step, and calling to me. "It's a telegram, Arthur. A telegram." Them days a telegram meant someone had died, and there she is waving one at me. So I opened it very carefully and I had a read of it.
"What's it say, love?" she asked. "What is it?"
"It's the Wanderers," I said.
"The telegram said: 'Come to Burnden. Discuss terms as soon as possible.'
Well, I left me tea on the table. Quick wash and I was out. I couldn't get there fast enough.
After I'd signed up, they said, "Right, Arthur, your job's here now. So bring your cards in tomorrow morning."
This was Thursday night, so half past nine the following morning I was back at the building site, dressed up in the only suit I've got, and they're all staring at me and saying "What the flaming heck's going on here?" All that carry on.
But, soon as I told them I'd signed for Bolton Wanderers, they were all over me.
First time I walked into the dressing room at Burnden, all the players all looked up at me -- sizing me up, like.
They were all of them sat on benches around the walls, everyone in his own chosen place, like, and I'm the new boy. I don't know no-one, and I don't know where to sit.
Then Nat Lofthouse, he called over: "Here y'are, cock, there's a place here if y' want it."
I didn't dare sit down next to a star, but he were reyt nice about it. So I walked over and I sat down next to him, and there I was -- stuck between two Internationals -- two stars. Nat Lofthouse and Harold Hassall. And me.
First week there, I was introduced to the weekly routine. Mondays off. Then a full-scale practise match on Tuesday. Then training all week, always finishing by dinner time. Fridays, we'd wind down, just half an hour running round, then a bath or a shower.
So that were two hours a day doing something you love, and all that spare time in the afternoons. A great life, eh?
Coming from a working class family and then going footballing was another league entirely. It was moving up a class.
All that free time you got, it was easy for a young player to go off the rails and get hooked on snooker halls and pubs and the bookies, gambling, like.
So a player needed a strong wife to keep him in line or, if he wasn't married, a strong manager like Bill Ridding at the Wanderers.
He was the boss and you knew it. When Bill Ridding told you to jump, you asked how high.
I remember a run-in I had with him one time just after I'd got married. I was late 'cos I missed the bus.
Finally I get to Burnden, but it's ten past ten now, and they'd all gone -- all the team. I'm rushing in and the trainer says, "Bill wants to see you" -- meaning Mr Ridding, the manager. Oh, heck.
He wouldn't take no excuses. Nothing. "Do you realise," he said, "There's men bin down the pit since seven o'clock this morning. And them lads have turned up for work at half past six, 'cos it takes them another half hour to get down to the coal-face?"
Then he said: "If this happens one more time, just once, you don't bother coming in, Right? Ever." Well, I were frightened to death.
Just imagine that today. A manager telling a player that? They'd just say "Get lost." But he put the fear of God in you.
I were never late again, I tell you, I bought a car not long after that.
When the Wanderers first signed me, they put me playing for the third team. And, first game, I were feeling a bit shy. In fact I were shaking that time an' all. But we won, so that settled me a bit.
We'd got some name players in that third team -- Roy Hartle, Dennis Stevens, Ray Parry.
They all went on to big things -- Cup Finals, Internationals -- which I never did. But chances aren't that many if you're in goal. It's a bit harder, I think, if you're a goalie.
First team goalkeeper when I started was Stan Hanson, and he was a fixture in the team. He was never injured.
Today they're injured every two minutes, and people get their chance that way. But Hanson, I never once saw him injured. He didn't even catch a cold, the way a normal human being would.
I might even have won a Cup Final medal -- in the Bolton-Blackpool Final of '53 -- "The Matthews Final", as they call it.
It could have been me sitting on the subs bench. But they didn't have a bench to sit on in them days.
Bill Ridding , he once said to me: "When you leave here, son, you leave home."
And he was right. It was like a close-kit family, the Wanderers. They were all great people. You realise it when you leave.
After Bolton I was three years at Stockport -- a regular in the first team, like, but it was going down the ladder after Bolton, down the divisions. After Stockport, I played for Southport.
I go past Burnden now, where the ground used to be, and a lump comes to me throat. All them memories I've got.
I remember how I first got into goalkeeping.
It were when I were a lad in the 1930s and I could never afford a proper pair of shoes, so I wore clogs. Me pals wouldn't let me play football with them 'cos they thought I'd burst their ball, kicking it with clogs. Then one of them said: "Arthur, you'd best go in goal, eh?"
They'd let me handle the ball, like, but they wouldn't let me kick it.
So that's how I started off goalkeeping. I've a lot to thank clogs for. The life I had. A lovely life. It all started with clogs

Can you invest out of recession?

2009-03-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

Can you invest out of recession?
Concept Metal Products Ltd believes that its ongoing policy of continuous investment has stood it in good stead over the years. From its humble beginnings Concept Metal has realised the need to invest, starting with a TIG set that was new technology at the time. This was closely followed by a Femco corner notcher, small investments by today’s standards, but they set the trend.
Concept Metal Products has always invested on three fronts. Firstly, a long term plan of investment in new machinery, incorporating the latest technology. Secondly, a substantial investment in IT, since the 1970s Concept Metal has embraced new developments starting with a single user full management accounts and payroll system, even the fax machine, then costing in excess of £1,000, was a big step forward.
The present day and Concept Metal are at the forefront of 21st century technology with not only the expected email traffic, website design and networks, but also manufacturing software, managing the process from quotation through to invoice including shop floor data collection, purchasing and stock control. We at Concept Metal realised that today’s businesses and indeed the machines they use need to be able to work with electronic media, so a CAD department with 2D 3D capabilities which is able to work on drawing files in all formats, completes the package.
Investment in people
Since its inception 35yrs ago Concept Metal Products has continued with the tradition of training apprentices and have always had at least one or two shop floor and an office junior in training. As government has come up with new training formats Concept Metal have been involved in various ways, both for teenagers and adults. Another training growth is caused by the advent of computer controlled machines that require people that have hitherto been used to working with tools out of a toolbox and mechanically assisted machines have had to re-train in CAD/CAM, some of them not so young to be embracing the new ways of working. At present Concept has three workshop apprentices, one admin trainee and is also in the process of recruiting a graduate who will generate some in-house development whilst they will gain much needed work experience. One achievement that we are extremely proud of is our General Manager Dean Barnard who graduated with a degree in Management and leadership in 2005. He is now on target to achieve his master’s degree this year with his dissertation reflecting his passion for our manufacturing sector in that in his traditional craft up bringing over the years, has witnessed a continual decline in the number of new entrants to the sector and the consequent lack of careers advice that young people are receiving. The title of his work is “The perceptions of the sheet metal industry as a suitable career option for year eleven school leavers.” This is one more measure that we envisage crucial in the ongoing success storey of Concept Metal.
New Developments
Concept Metal Products always have a development plan, building on our 8 metre bending and 8 metre laser capabilities, last year we could see the need for an extra laser but needed to upgrade our punching capabilities so we bought an Amada EML combination punch/laser machine that is also equipped with forming operations. This has opened up new avenues and we believe is a decision that is showing in our order book in these difficult times.
About the writer
Geoff Bentham is Managing Director of Concept Metal Products & Co Ltd. Now semi retired at 64yrs in February, is a time served sheet metalworker, starting work as an apprentice in the family firm at the age of 16yrs in 1961. Achieved City and Guilds certificates followed by full Technological Certificate. That was about it with regards to formal education but learned a lot from other people and latched onto computers at the right time.

Comic Relief

2009-03-18T02:52:00.000-07:00

on Friday 13th march Red Nose day Andy and his mate john had the day off and did a bucket shake and raised £1312 for Comic relief.

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Can you invest out of recession?

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