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Automotive & motorsport


Johnston Sweepers builds and exports up to 1,000 municipal and contractor cleansing vehicles a year


On the road to a sweeping success G


lobal street cleaning vehicle manufacturer Johnston Sweepers is


reaping the benefits of switching from metal fabricated components to plastics moulded parts with the assistance of local injection moulder Broanmain Plastics. The road sweeping company,


founded over a century ago, has built up a solid international reputation for innovation, creating its first mechanical road surface cleaner, The Johnston Mobile Sweeper & Collector in 1937. Today, Johnston Sweepers, which was acquired by Swiss company Bucher Municipal in 2005, designs, builds and exports up to 1,000 municipal and contractor cleansing vehicles, from two sites - Dorking in Surrey and Latvia - annually. Ranging from compact urban sweepers to chassis mounted units, this year, they unveiled what is believed to be the world’s first electrically-powered, zero emissions truck mounted sweeper. For some time, Johnston


Sweepers had considered switching from metal fabrication, predominantly steel, to plastic


46


components for vehicle components, such as caps, levers and water outlets. However, low production volumes combined with the initial capital outlay for mould tooling, made the investment hard to justify. Additionally, with vehicles exported the world over, components needed to be able to withstand extreme heat and cold temperatures, and perform in wet, dry, dusty and sandy environments Meeting with Broanmain’s managing director Wilf Davis helped to allay the team’s reservations. Steve Hurst, head of purchasing at Johnston Sweepers, recalls: “Speeding up the manufacturing process for parts and addressing weight constraints is increasingly important to us. Anything that we are producing in steel or aluminium is quite volatile and expensive. Plastic is a good alternative if you can find the right partner.” Trust is key, adds Hurst. “With


Broanmain, the team is enthusiastic and want to help, which is really important to us. They encouraged us to review our way of thinking, presenting us with a range of


GettinG the Green liGht


Starting with the filler cap, Davis collaborated with Johnston Sweeper’s in-house design and purchasing teams to develop an initial prototype and trial the strength and durability of plastic materials. “Changing the process from metal to plastic means that the part has to change subtly. It isn’t a one for one comparison, so it was important to have our design team working closely with Broanmain,” explains Hurst. “The thickness of the


components also proved to be a key challenge,” reflects Davis. “We worked with material suppliers to source a dimensionally stable thermoplastic that would meet the tolerance requirements, opting for GF PA (glass filled polyamide - nylon) for the thicker components


February 2019 Instrumentation Monthly


durable materials and sensible tooling prices that enabled us to realistically consider changing to plastic moulding. By sourcing the tooling from a high quality Chinese-based specialist, we were able to justify the payback.”


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