Manufacturing facility opens for business

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Oct 24, 2005

Martin Temple, Director General of the Engineering Employers Federation has formally opened CompAir's new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ipswich.

Martin Temple, Director General of the Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) has formally opened CompAir's new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ipswich.

The compressor manufacturer has left the Reavell site in Ranelagh Road, which has been home to the business for more than 100 years, and has moved into new production facilities and offices at Landmark Business Park in White House Industrial Estate, Ipswich.

CompAir's Managing Director Malcolm Blackwell said: "The business has been on the old site since 1898 and while we highly value our Reavell heritage, we recognised that CompAir needed a more modern building to accommodate a 21st century business".

"Reavell House reflects significant investment by the CompAir Group in a UK manufacturing plant, offering a modern state of the art facility with space for expansion, as we aim to continue the 50% growth experienced by the company since the beginning of 2002".

Temple said: "It's very exciting to open a new manufacturing facility like this one in Ipswich".

"I always tell companies, know your business strategy, know your product, know your market and be aware of the many ways to leverage advantage from foreign industrial nations".

"I have every confidence the UK industry will continue to set the benchmark in many areas that other industrial nations will find it difficult to beat".

"CompAir is a great example of this".

"By focusing on the opportunities that can occur from growing industrial nations rather than being preoccupied by the threats posed, they have been successful".

Assisting Martin Temple in opening the facility was David Reavell, the grandson of the original founder of Reavell and Co.

On hearing that the new building was to be named Reavell House, he explained: "I feel it is appropriate that the founder Sir William Reavell's name is recognised along with the wider influence of CompAir".

"Against a backdrop of declining manufacturing in the UK it is great to see that, against the odds, CompAir Reavell has survived, and if the current management team can match the achievement of the past and I'm sure they will a challenging future will be met with success".

The new CompAir site provides the very best in environmentally friendly high-tech equipment and facilities.

The development endurance shop is acoustically enclosed with air ventilation to control atmospheric temperatures up to 60C thereby enabling replication of field operating conditions.

The main test area is also acoustically enclosed and contains 14 test stands ranging from 22 to 150kW with both 50 and 60Hz capability.

An oil recycling facility is available along with six air cooled 110kW radiators provide cooling which enables us to recirculate cooling water used in the test shop.

Both these offer significant environmental benefits.

The custom engineered production (CEP) area now has two new 300kW test stands in addition to the 450kW test stand designed for the CompAir High Pressure Oil Free range, allowing this additional CEP work to be brought into the Ipswich area.

Factory air supply is provided by two CompAir speed regulated screw compressors combined with a low pressure CompAir reciprocating compressor to provide test air up to 12bar(g).

The spray booth and drying room provides state-of-the-art facilities for production far exceeding the previous site.

This new 10,000m2 facility reaffirms CompAir's commitment to the high pressure compressor business and to UK manufacturing.