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Last week we announced the official purchase of our new 37.5,000 square feet  factory. Kitted out with new facilities, offices and off-road loading yard, our new premises has been entirely built to spec. Today, we thought we would give you an insight into the renovations that have taken place over the last year.

Environmental Awareness

Our ongoing commitment to reduce the impact we have on the environment is reflected in many of the features of our new premises. From an environmental standpoint, the factory has been spec’d to ensure that our entire facility runs as efficiently as possible.

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  1. LED Lights

ReAgent have taken the move to have LED lights fitted throughout our new facility. LED bulbs consume less power per unit of light emitted than incandescent or halogen bulbs.

As well as this, the average energy consumption for LED lights per annum is approximately 30 times lower than most alternative bulbs. Therefore, in terms of electricity usage, the use of LED lighting is much more eco-friendly.

  1. Heating

The warehouse heating we have had installed is also a far more efficient system. Included in our new heating system are destratification fans, which turn the entire unit into a sort of mixing vessel for air.

The use of destratification fans has been shown to reduce energy consumption by 20%. These fans eliminate stratified layers by effectively distributing heat so that there is only a very small temperature gradient throughout the premises.

This keeps the temperature constant, reduces our carbon footprint, and increases the effectiveness of the heaters by reducing gas usage. It also creates a more comfortable, productive and focused environment for employees which, as Investors in People, we are always keen to facilitate.

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  1. Drainage System

As we mentioned in our previous post, we had modifications made to our drainage system in order to safeguard the surrounding environment from any spillages. It does this by behaving like a bund that collects any spilt materials that would be hazardous to the environment.

This works because of a combination of a flap stopper and an automatic detection system within the drain. A pH probe automatically detects any pollutants and shuts off the flap stopper in order to prevent it from leaving our site.

As well as automatic detection, the new drainage system will have manual activation points all around the building. This means that if someone dropped something in the yard, they could instantly hit an activation button. This would shut off the flap stopper before the spillage even reached the pH probe.

An outdoor shot of a factory storage yard still under construction
Our new factory now includes an off-road storage yard for loading and unloading. The space includes a drainage system that is optimised to shut off access to the mains if a hazardous substance is detected. This protects the environment against any potential chemical spill. Above shows the storage yard during its construction.

Laboratory

As a leading chemical manufacturer, providing top quality products is paramount. We have kept this in mind during the renovations of our new space to ensure that we have an efficient area that is optimised for quality testing.

A larger premises means a larger laboratory, allowing us to set designated Quality Control (QC) usage areas as well as designated works-in-progress check-in areas. This means that there will be no common area between these vital departments which in turn guarantees the highest quality products.

By giving QC staff a dedicated clean area for them to test finished products, and by giving operators a separate area to carry out in-process testing, we are ensuring that procedures are undertaken with the utmost care. At the same time, while there is a separation of designated work areas, the laboratory itself is open-plan. This will help to improve communication between different departments which is crucial for overcoming any potential issues and for ensuring the correct procedures are being followed.

A 3D plan of a factory laboratory layout
Above shows the plan of the laboratory used during renovation. One side is designated to in-process testing, while the other side is where Quality Control checks will be carried out.

Water Supply

We have also ensured that our new factory has been renovated with a new purified water ring main that has an increased raw water feed supply. This is a 63ml supply pipe that has been built into our manufacturing space to feed our deionisation plant so that we never run out of raw water

Office Space

The welfare of our staff has been considered throughout the office design. On the factory floor, we have created a larger, warmer and brighter working environment. Similarly, on the first floor, we have spec’d the new offices to our particular layout in order to give employees a better working environment, to continue our growth and to take on more staff in the future.

Our new open office for the sales and marketing departments is bright and spacious, offering a more engaging atmosphere by encouraging communication. The increased space our premises offer has also allowed room for more offices and meeting areas.

Most notably, we have ensured complete data security by building a separate room for our server. This means it will no longer be located in a public working area. Instead, it will be locked in its own office which only the IT manager will have access to.

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Another important specification that has been built into the premises is a passenger lift for disabilities that prevent the use of stairs. We have done this to improve access to work as well as to diversify our facility, two areas which we consider imperative to any business.

There a variety of renovations that have been made to our new factory in order to optimise it to our requirements. We plan to have completed the move to our new factory by April 2018 – so keep an eye on this space for any updates. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

About the author

Homar Murillo

Science Writer

Homar has a Masters degree in Environmental Science & Biochemistry and five years’ experience as a chemistry teacher. His extensive experience has made him a top science and manufacturing writer for ReAgent since 2020. He is a father of three beautiful children and is currently obsessed with the youngest, baby Barbara.

Disclaimer

All content published on the ReAgent.co.uk blog is for information only. The blog, its authors, and affiliates cannot be held responsible for any accident, injury or damage caused in part or directly from using the information provided. Additionally, we do not recommend using any chemical without reading the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), which can be obtained from the manufacturer. You should also follow any safety advice and precautions listed on the product label. If you have health and safety related questions, visit HSE.gov.uk.