Alliance consolidates sealing expertise

New division is the combination of Wyko's established seals business in the UK with the might of Eriks as a world leader in the seals market.

Eriks Sealing Technology has been launched in the UK.

The new division is the combination of Wyko's established seals business in the UK with the might of Eriks as a world leader in the seals market.

The division will provide a new option for both OEM and MRO companies looking to source innovative sealing products and services.

Eriks Sealing Technology combines Wyko's mature seals business in the UK, which includes the Seals division based in Halesowen, and Pioneer Weston in Warrington.

This business currently has a 4% UK market share but with the launch of Eriks Sealing Technology it plans to have a 10% market share in 2010, which represents a turnover of around GBP 25 million.

Pioneer Weston has operated as a specialist dynamic sealing designer and manufacturer and a company in its own right with a reputation for innovation and application engineering.

With the launch of the new division the name Pioneer Weston will now be found predominantly on dynamic axle seals and mechanical seals.

All the Pioneer Weston experience, knowhow and expertise will be channelled into the development of its asset base in Warrington to create the Eriks Sealing Technology Centre.

Eriks is investing GBP 500,000 in simulation software and test and analysis equipment and is also investing in staff.

John Weston, Managing Director of Eriks Sealing Technology says: "Our staffing levels have already increased from 40 people to 60 and will eventually level off around the 80 mark".

"The recruitment has brought in PhDs, materials technologists, chemists, design specialists and testing technicians, as well as people who are already working in the field".

The Technology Centre is an ISO TS16949 accredited manufacturing site that offers both OEM and MRO customers access to the company's R and D capability.

No other distributor in Europe has access to such a facility.

The centre has CAD capability and also develops its own compounds while there is a great emphasis on FEA (finite element analysis) modelling with full data logging support.

A large amount of investment is going into this material testing area where, by artificially ageing the material, customers can see how their seal would perform in the field in a given application.

The launch of Eriks Sealing Technology gives the UK market access to a vast new range of products and expertise.

Eriks has more than 50 years experience in the production and distribution of O-rings and elastomeric seals, as well as producing and distributing gaskets, rubber products, engineering plastics, valves and hoses.

The division has a range of 60,000 seal and gasket stock items, including 15,000 different O-rings.

Because of its traditional association with sealing technology Eriks has built up a team of technical specialists.

These experts have been charged with supporting the UK operation and this process is being managed by Erik Uiterwijk and Marc van Oost, the International Product Managers Seals for Eriks.

Another benefit that Eriks Sealing Technology will offer to UK customers is the introduction of a considerable number of suppliers and several high level customers, for example Shell and Texaco have intimated that they wish to expand the business they do with Eriks in Europe into the UK because of the launch of the new division.

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