Nomatterwhat colour you want, EQC stay green!

On the 28th July, EQC completed a 2 day assessment to the Green Dragon environmental standard. Green Dragon provides a staged approach to obtaining systems and procedures to a level equivalent to ISO14001 and is of particular satisfaction to the company especially as we are based on a site of special scientific interest. This is the third year of succesful accreditation to Level 5 of the standard, the highest level obtainable. This achievement underlies the company’s continuing commitment to improving the impact on both the local and global environment. One of the key elements of Green Dragon Level 5 is sustainability, and EQC work very hard with customers and suppliers to reduce it’s carbon footprint and has reduced it year on year for the last four years.

EQC has done this by making environmental improvements an integral part of its business strategy and has reduced its landfill waste by 50% during a period of increased turnover.

The reduction in waste has been achieved through a number of resource efficiency initiatives such as:

• Reusing component packaging from customers
• Returning plastic drums to chemical suppliers
• Recycling cardboard and paper.

The company also gives its cardboard reels and waste wood to local charities that provide arts and crafts materials to schools and people with learning difficulties.

In addition, EQC has reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by careful monitoring and use of gas, electricity and water, also taking steps to improve environmental awareness among staff and suppliers.

A lot of the measures taken to reduce waste and energy consumption are relatively easy to implement and are really just common sense. Taking such steps is not just good for the environment; it also helps the business to remain competitive by reducing costs.

Working in partnership with a major aluminium and fabric contractor, Euro Quality Coatings Limited, based on the Wentloog Corporate Park in Cardiff, have secured the powder coating of Aluminium sections to be installed at Ferrari World on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

Their customer, FA, have been commissioned to design, manufacture and supply 1,784 No facade wall fins, totalling approximately 45,000 m2 to create the look of engine cooling fins across all buildings in Ferrari World using hi-tech glass based fabric.

The contract with EQC involved the supply of high quality architectural grade polyester powder coating, in Akzo Nobel RAL9001 cream finish, to the rear tensioning part of each fin.

Opening in 2010, Ferrari World is set to be the world’s largest indoor theme park sitting under a roof designed in the style of a classic double curve body shell of a Ferrari GT car. The park itself promises to be a major attraction combining Italian flare within the heart of the middle
easts most dynamic city. There are over 20 rides and attractions including the worlds fastest rollercoaster and other motoring themed rides. For more information see www.ferrariworldabudhabi.com

Wimbledon Centre Court is to show off its new retractable roof system this summer in time for the start of the 2009 lawn tennis championships.

Designed to enable play throughout all adverse summer weather conditions, the roof has been engineered to open and close in under 10 minutes and allows a sufficient quantity of natural light to reach the grass through the translucent fabric.

Interpon D Approved Applicator Euro Quality Coatings used Interpon D1036
polyester powder coating to coat the aluminium flashings and fabrications around the retractable roof in a dark green matt colour to match the roof design.

 Along with the new roof, Wimbledon will now be offering Centre Court visitors a greater capacity of 15,000 with all new wider padded seats and new landscaping.

From April, Interpon have extended the guarantee period for its architectural grade powder coatings available through its approved applicator network.

Standard D1036 powder coatings will now be available with a 30 year guarantee and the enhanced durabily D2525 coatings will be available with a 40 year guarantee.

The system for giving a guarantee in marine and other hazadourous environments has also been greatly simplified.

 Click here to view a matrix showing the guarantees applicable to different environmental conditions

As an approved applicator of interpon architectural grade powders Euro Quality Coatings can provide these guarantees to our customers as part of the scheme. 

Please feel free to contact us if you need any further details.

EQC have recently secured the powder coating of 7,500 square metres of Aluminium flashings and architectural features for a new student accommodation building in Gillingham Kent.

Initially specified as a pre-coated system, the Architect involved had requested extended warranties but had failed to achieve the desired longevity with the pre-coat system supplier.

EQC, working in partnership with their customer and powder supplier (Akzo Nobel/Interpon) assessed the site and were able to offer an extended 30 year warranty on the project using Akzo Nobel D1036 RAL7011 Polyester Matt powder coat.

Processing of the project is being undertaken during January and February 2009.

This is our second Environmental Prize in the three years of entry to the Wales Quality Awards, following last year’s success with the
Manufacturing Award, and is a clear validation of the efforts and initiatives EQC has implemented to ensure that we carry out all aspects of our
business activities in an efficient and environmentally responsible manner.

This year was a particularly pleasing Award with the company being short listed for the overall prize for the second year in succession and where we were also considered by the judging panel to be in the top 6 entrants for 2007 and 2008. The award was presented in Cardiff’s City Hall on November 10th 2008 and was the culmination of a concerted effort with the company’s submission to the European Foundation of Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model. The model itself requires each entrant to detail in a 35 page report how it approaches Leadership, Strategy & Planning, People Management, Resources, Processes, Customer Results, People Results, Society Results and Key Performance Results.

This award follows closely behind our recent success in the South Wales Chambers of Commerce awards 2008 where we again took the Environmental prize. These awards are further evidence that EQC are the premier powder coating company in Wales.

As in previous years, we do not intend to rest on our laurels and will use the feedback given by the external assessment process to identify and implement further improvements to ensure that we continue towards our goal of becoming a world class business, through both our commitment to quality and to our environmental responsibilities.

By undertaking such practices we ensure that our stakeholders, internal and external, have a fully compliant and stable supply route which adds indirect value to their own businesses.

For more information about the Wales Quality Award click here

Our success is extremely gratifying, coming as it does in just our second year of entry to the awards and following on from last year’s award of the Environmental Prize. This second consecutive award demonstrates the efforts and initiatives made by the whole team at EQC, particularly with regard to our understanding and implementation of many of the improvements highlighted by last year’s feedback from the awards process and demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement activities. The past year has been important in the development and growth of Euro Quality Coatings as one of the most respected trade powder coaters in the U.K. Major investments in production plant and job creation have been made in an effort to expand and enhance our culture of quality, flexibility and capacity to our customers..

EQC have launched forward with the next stage of their ambitious expansion programme. March 2007 has seen the batch finishing facility relocated from its original 300 m2 footprint into a new 770 m2 building adjacent to EQC’s automatic processing plant; both plants now having a common warehouse and material movement facility. As well as occupying a bigger area EQC have invested in an additional 5m curing oven boosting the capacity of this facility by 30%. The improved location of the plant will also allow for a greater synergy between the two processing areas. The availability of manual spray techniques working alongside a high volume automatic conveyorised system enables EQC to provide customers with a truly flexible service. Both volume and small batch orders can be processed with the manual spray facility typically processing smaller volume demands as well as components which lend themselves more to manual spraying e.g. due to complicated application issues or masking requirements.

Following awards received to both Level 3 and Level 4 of the Welsh Green Dragon environmental award during 2005, EQC have continued in their pursuit to reach the upper echelons of Environmental compliance. Environmental Assessment during March 2006 took the company to the maximum level 5 accreditation, a level which meets or exceeds the requirements of ISO 14001. This award, in conjunction with the Companies ISO and IIP accreditation’s, further demonstrates the commitment of the business to the environment, at a time when the Metal finishing Industry is being placed under continual environmental review pressures, and underpins the culture of “best practice” throughout the business. Details on the Green Dragon scheme and a copy of our Environmental policy can be found on www.greendragonems.com

EQC achieve accreditation to level four of the Green Dragon Environmental standard having in place the procedures and personnel necessary to comply fully with best practice procedures in this important area. Fully understanding the importance of the local and national environment and the effect manufacturing can have in this area, and with particular regard to disposal of special and hazardous waste, the company now plans to continue along this path to attain the highest accreditation level within the Green Dragon standard, which will exceed the requirements of ISO 14001.