Manufacturing Facilities 

Facilities include 5 PVC vacuum forming machines, 4 fully automatic PBT moulding machines and 2 extruders. The factory operates 24 hours a day over 2 shifts 6 days a week, however, not all equipment is operated for all shifts depending on the production contracts in place at any one time. All equipment and lights are left on whilst the factory is in operation.  

The moulding and assembly operations are backed up by the tool room, which is fully equipped to repair tools and manufacture paint fixtures and jigs according to demand. 

1. Injection moulding  

The injection moulding machines are run 24 hours a day over 2 shifts for 6 days of the week. If additional capacity is required overtime can be used on a Sunday. The ability to mould components into housing has led to additional contracts being won which has meant that Sunday working is becoming required to keep up with demand.  

Figure 1: Injection moulding machines 

2. Vacuum forming  

Vacuum forming facilities include 5 machines producing a small number of high volume automotive components such as speaker housings and engine sensor casings. These are left on 24 hours a day even though production normally only fills 5 shift per week.  

Figure 2: Forming speaker housings 

These facilities are complimented with assembly operations  

3. PVC Extrusions 

APEC Kolath operates 2 extruders supplying PVC casings for automotive wiring applications. These are run 12 hours a day on 1 shift. Overtime is encouraged when additional contracts are won.  Equipment is not switched off overnight or at weekends.  

Figure 3: Plastic extruder with water cooled extrusion bath 

4. Machining & Assembly 

APEC Kolath also undertakes light, manual assembly and machining. A number of stations for air-ratchet assembly, riveting, etc. are also available for basic, manual assembly for parts not moulded in.  

These production cells also have facilities to machine metal components to add fixing holes, etc. Equipment includes single head drilling, countersinking and tapping for low volume repetition work. CNC water cooled metal finishing equipment is available should any sub components purchased need additional finishing operations.  

Figure 2: Manual assembly cells 

Figure 3: Single head drilling 

Figure 4: Water cooled metal finishing 

5. Painting 

Until 2011 APEC Kolath undertook chrome plating of metal inserts for plastic mouldings. However, due to increasing health and safety regulations making control of the plating equipment including dipping tanks and disposal of the chemicals time consuming and expensive, plating is now outsourced. 

Spray painting is still undertaken on site. 3 paint booths and a cleaning station were installed in 2014, with air extraction added to one in 2016. Plastic components are painted and dried in low heat ovens that are run at 170^oC for 24 hours a day. 

Figure 6: Spray paint booth 

Metal components are solvent dipped to clean them and air dried prior to paint being applied. The painted components are cured in paint ovens. These are run at 200^oC for 24 hours a day. 

Figure 7: Paint oven 

Plastic components are spray painted and left to air dry in a sealed side room of the factory. This stops the dust contaminating the surface of the components but provides no ventilation for those working in it.  

6. Additional facilities 

• Tool Room  

The tool room supports the factory’s manufacturing divisions and is equipped with a range of machinery for rapid servicing of tools. The company also manufactures a range of fixtures and jigs for use in manufacturing, assembly and quality assurance. Facilities in the tool room include an overhead crane system, for handling large equipment, a variety of CNC and manual control machinery, wire EDM, CAD and CAM. The CAD system is backed up by E-mail, for rapid interpretation of customer requirements and design support. 

• Quality Assurance  

The factory houses its own Quality Assurance Engineering department, equipped with a range of measuring equipment including Brown & Sharp CMM Beam Type, Trimos height gauges, plus a selection of dial micrometers, vernier callipers, plug gauges, slips, etc. All equipment is calibrated by a BSi approved laboratory, as well as the companies in-house calibration programme. Quality control procedures are ‘continually audited’, in process, to ensure their continued effective operation. 

2. Site  

1. Current site layout 

The current buildings on the Kunnapattu Road are a mixture of old and new buildings. The new factory, built without heat protection or noise insulation, was build opposite an area of traditional housing.  

The goods inwards and dispatch area (to the right hand side of the picture) has been built in front of an open yard with the residential blocks behind. Chemicals (paint, oil, solvent etc.) are stored 2 areas. Following the fire in the paint store in 2015, a small storage unit has been utilised along with the normal off-site solvent storage area. This small temporary paint storage unit is situated fronting the yard to one side of the dormitories. The second and larger storage area housing bulk supplies of solvents is located off site, in a large wooden shed the other side of the village to the factory. Workers transport the solvents through the village when requested by the stores keeper. Oil is stored in a large tank behind the dormitories.  

 The water tanks and oil storage tanks are situated beyond the dormitories. A small raw material storage area is adjacent to the goods inward area although the majority of plastic raw materials are stored in a shed beside the on-site chemical storage area.  

Figure 8: The new factory building with older factory areas behind 

The yard that these buildings surround is well lit with flood lights for security. It is unpaved. The security lights are left on 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Both clean water drains and foul water sewers run under the yard. During the monsoon rains the drainage system is frequently unable to cope, consequently the yard floods and drains overflow. 

The factory has security flood lights within the yard and at the front of the building beside the road.