As more emphasis than ever is put on environmental awareness and sustainability, IKO Polymeric has risen to the challenge by building a BREEAM ‘very good’ rated, state of the art manufacturing plant in Clay Cross, Derbyshire.
Anthony Carlyle, Managing Director of IKO Polymeric comments: “From the start our aim was to make a positive impact on all aspects of our manufacturing process, be it energy efficiency, waste management or supporting local people.
"That is why we chose to construct our plant on the site of a disused colliery in Chesterfield. The area was hard hit by industrial recession, so it was important for us to contribute to the local economy with much needed jobs and this included an apprentice programmes for young people seeking a career in engineering.”
The processes carried out, together with the building infrastructure are amongst the most exacting and efficient there is and this has lead to IKO Polymeric being endorsed through the ISO 14001 Environmental Management standard accreditation.
State of the art extrusion technology has been installed in the plant, and automated quality control processes have been implemented throughout the production process to ensure the ultimate in product consistency.
Using 2D bar coding helps IKO Polymeric isolate any imperfections during manufacture and remove them from the production line. Any less than perfect material is always re-used in to other IKO products.
IKO Polymeric blends its own polymers to such exacting standards that the system rejects any that aren’t 100% perfect.
The plant utilises a highly efficient single pass process, as opposed to the more traditional double pass technology, therefore reducing CO emissions throughout the manufacturing cycle.
IKO Polymeric is continually refining its processes in order to be more efficient. This has meant the installation of a dry blend facility so that they can make their own dry pellets instead of buying them in. A Chemist has been employed to run the facility, as well as apprentices.
All IKO Polymeric products are packaged in simple, transparent polythene wrappers to minimise the use of printing inks and provide ease of disposal on site.
Around 8% of product trimmings are put back into the process, the rest are ground up using an onsite granulator or specially designed shredders for re-use as fuel in other selected industries and are also used as the raw material for damp proof courses, or low specification PVC products such as car mats.
This also means that no manufactured material is ever sent to landfill. In addition, any waste water produced during production can be disposed of as non-hazardous.
In the UK IKO Polymeric products are distributed through a single major distributor, thus keeping delivery mileage to an absolute minimum and reducing CO2 emissions.
IKO Polymeric manufactures some of the most sustainable products on the market. In their roofing range for instance, all their products are resistant to weathering, chemical oxidation and UV radiation. Minimal impurities and the materials; superior flexibility and elasticity make them easier and faster to install.
From raw materials to manufacturing and installation, IKO Polymeric is committed to making their products better their customers, for those they protect and for the planet in general.