Sternfenster has expanded the capacity of its aluminium facility, with the addition of a new Schirmer ALU BAZ Composite Orbit-C machining and cutting centre.
Delivered in the autumn and representing a six-figure investment, the new Schirmer is said to further expand Sternfenster’s aluminium bi-fold capability, while also increasing precision and product quality.
“We also planned to expand the capacity of our aluminium bi-fold line, so this isn’t something that we have done in response to the exponential growth that we have seen since the easing of lockdown but as part of a strategic investment strategy,” said Mike Parczuk, managing director at Sternfenster.
“That said, with demand where it is, the timing of the Schirmer’s arrival is great for us and for our customers, allowing us to meet that demand but to do so sustainably.”
Sternfenster committed to a £3.6m investment in a dedicated aluminium manufacturing facility in 2017. With a 30,000ft2 shop-floor footprint, plus 10,000ft2 of office space, this includes its own powder coating line.
Combined, plus the investment that the fabricator has made in its in-house IGU business, Sternfenster says it can offer its range of aluminium bi-folding door, manufactured in the Smart Visofold System, and inline sliding doors fabricated in Smart Visoglide, glazed and in any RAL finish, on industry leading delivery times.
In addition to its aluminium door offer, Sternfenster also supplies Smart Systems’ Alitherm 300 which is said to combine a high degree of design flexibility with a WER ‘A’ Rating or ‘U’ value as low as 1.5W/m2K.
As well as offering rapid and ultra-precise cutting and milling of bar length, the ALU BAZ Composite Orbit-C machining and cutting centre features a ‘highly innovative’ machining module.
This is designed to increase the speed of manufacture by combining linear and rotary movements along eight axes, so that drilling and milling tools always take the shortest path around the bar profile.
Mike continued: “Aluminium has been one of the biggest drivers of industry growth. What we’ve seen over the last couple of months is that demand accelerate. We may see some interruption to that growth later this year and the start of next but long-term, aluminium is going to be critical for us and our customers.
“In bringing increased precision to the start of that process in how we cut and prep bar length, as well as supporting us in manufacturing product and shipping it more quickly, the Schirmer allows us to deliver a better product and service to our customers.”
