Composite Moulds | Fibreglass Mouldings

PATTERN & MODEL MAKERS

COMPOSITE PRODUCTS

COMPOSITE PRODUCTS

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June 2009
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DATUM COMPOSITES

First Steps

The Composite Products arm of Datum began to form in the early part of 2002. Historically Datum had always manufactured prototype model equipment for its customers to evaluate new designs and ideas. On occasions this also meant producing one or two prototype GRP items for a more detailed evaluation. After this stage was completed the project would move away from Datum and into the hands of specialist producers, so it was a natural step that Datum took to becoming a supplier of production GRP items.

The Total Solution

All through the stages of design Datum assist their Customers in advising on production techniques and all aspects of moulding. During these early stages the `history` of design emerges and all to often this `history` is lost when the project moves from prototype to production, as in nearly all cases the project moves from one company to another.

At Datum this does not happen, as we offer the full `Turnkey Solution` form Concept part to Reality Part. It means that our Customers have one point of contact through the whole process and that information is not lost or attention to detail is not forgotten.

Datum have a state of the art CAD / CAM facility and can manufacture to your Cad Data or originate it for you. We have a highly skilled team of craftsmen and can produce accurate Pattern and Model equipment, by hand, from your sketches or drawings, if a more traditional approach is required.

Datum manufacture all its own tooling for either one off`s or a thousand off. This means tooling is made exactly as we want it and suits our production techniques exactly. In many other cases tooling is `out sourced` and situations arise where conflict between tooling manufacturer and producer mean delays and poor quality product.

Development

Through the summer of 2002 Datum had secured more orders for the full service and we had seen projects through from development to production. Datum set up a permanent Factory locally to move the business forward. We also invested in the RTM closed mould process and won orders in this area. Again working from initial Concept to Production items from Phenolic Resins. Phenolics offer high levels of fire resistance and are used widely in the manufacture of public transport vehicles.

In July 2003 Datum moved the Composite Products arm into new premises on John Street, close to the Pattern & Model Making site. This year has seen the Composite Products arm grow into a stand alone division of the company and is looking forward to continued growth in the coming years.

September 2007 saw Datum make a 400K investment into the Composite Products division and move into a custom built factory on Longbridge Lane, Derby DE24 8UJ. This provided increased floor space, access and plant improvement thus further increasing the range of products we were able to manufacture.

The reason for the move was two-fold, not only allowing for continued expansion of the Composites division but to allow the Pattern & Model making side of the business to expand also. The `old` Composites factory has been transformed into a well equipped `traditional` pattern shop allowing for further development of the CAD / CAM facility at the Woods Yard site.

In November 2007 Datum were successful in winning a contract to produce Train Cab Front and Valance assemblies for East London Line and in early 2008 Datum was successful in winning the contract to supply Cab and Inter-end assemblies for SSL Projects. The SSL contract comprised of 46 Cab front assemblies and 138 Inter end assemblies. This order was the biggest won in Datum`s 12 year history and ran from Spring 2008 for completion in early 2009.

This marked a new era in the development of Composite Products in the supply of `top end` GRP products into the rail industry. As with all projects so far, all patterns and tooling for these contracts were manufactured by Datum `in-house` using the latest CAD / CAM technologies ensuring manufactured product exactly met customer expectations.

Since then Datum Composites has continued to grow slowly and consolidate its position as a leading supplier of GRP & GRPh products to all industries in particular the Rail industry.

This increase in our product range and proven capability to meet delivery dead lines with the required high quality standards resulted in further orders for Cab and Inter end assemblies. 2009 has seen Datum secure new orders for LOROL and PBR Cab and Inter end assemblies running to mid 2010. The Company has also been successful in winning further contracts for the supply of full Toilet Module Assemblies with orders again running into the middle of 2010.

The Composite Products personnel has now grown to around 25 and looks set to rise as Production is now spread over a split double day shift, maximising the use of plant and facility with the further added benefit of reductions in lead times.

Pictures of some of items detailed above can seen in `Composite Examples`

Datum Patterns
Telephone: 01332 386300

Datum Composites
Telephone: 01332 751503

Company Registraion Number: 04175516

East Midlands | Derby | Nottingham | Leicester

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