NEWS BOFA BECOMES DONALDSON BOFA IN NEW GLOBAL BRAND L


eading portable industrial fume and dust extraction specialist BOFA has unveiled a new global brand to reflect its closer alignment with parent company Donaldson. BOFA is now Donaldson BOFA, accentuating the enhanced, world-leading technical expertise, scientific resources and investment supporting the business’s expansion on the global stage. This growth, enabled in part by Donaldson’s worldwide footprint, is evidenced by recent successes in Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and India. Donaldson BOFA managing director, Tony


Lockwood, commented: “It was BOFA’s world leadership in industrial fume and dust filtration that first attracted Donaldson to invest in our business in 2018. There was already strong synergy in terms of technology but now we’re seeing growing


Europlaz, which has enjoyed 20 per cent year-on- year growth, has recently spent £750,000 on the installation of three additional all-electric injection moulding machines to cope with an increase in orders and this equipment complements robotic technology, Piovan material dryers, a new CMM machine and toolroom/cleanroom upgrades. Boosted by an increase in capacity at its Southminster facility, the company is focused on both UK and international medical device manufacturers and engineering design houses looking for a strategic partner who can take a project from proof of concept through to routine and large-scale commercial manufacturing. “There has been a massive surge in demand for our services, which support the development and commercialisation of devices for use in diagnostics, drug delivery, biotech and pharma,” explained Katy O’Keeffe, marketing and strategy director. “Europlaz is known for our agility and our ability to tackle complex projects, leveraging our design for manufacture experience, our technical knowledge and capabilities that stem from tooling and small batch work to long- term, high-volume production.” She went on to add: “This, combined with our 40-year track record, has seen us build an impressive long-term client list, including the NHS, GE Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic. “We know there is a massive opportunity and have responded by continuing to invest in the first eight months of 2024. This takes our total spend to £3.5m over the last three years and we’ve got more technology on order and on its way. This is the perfect time to press the ‘growth’ button.” Europlaz, which is ISO13485-certified, operates from its state-of-the-art production facility on The Maltings Industrial Estate in Southminster, near Chelmsford.


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fast-growing contract manufacturing specialist for the healthcare sector has completed a three-year, £3.5m investment drive as it targets new opportunities.


market traction as a result of ever-closer integration of business processes, administration and marketing coordination. “Specifically, the scientific and research facilities now at our disposal, coupled with Donaldson’s global reach, are driving competitive advantage in new territories and in growth and established sectors, including laser, electronics, 3D printing and additive manufacturing, ink printing, mechanical engineering, dental, medical and pharmaceutical. This collaboration is delivering technology innovations which will further extend our market leadership in portable fume and dust extraction.” Recognition of this closer relationship is expressed through the new Donaldson BOFA global brand, and the merger of BOFA International Ltd and BOFA Americas Inc into Donaldson Filtration (GB)


Ltd and Donaldson Company Inc. Donaldson BOFA, with offices in the UK,


US, and Germany, is eyeing growing market opportunities tied to the parent company’s presence in more than 40 countries, access to over 100 technical laboratories, and an R&D spend standing at more than $78m. With this resource, Donaldson BOFA is able to test new materials and processes more cost effectively and anticipates potential reductions in the time to market of new products and system evolutions. Although Donaldson BOFA products are already sold to customers in 120 countries around the world, this closer alignment opens up new market opportunities for the business across a broader range of industries and applications.


www.donaldsonbofa.com


£3.5M INVESTMENT DRIVE PAYS OFF AS EUROPLAZ ENJOYS SALES BOOST


From here, the family-run business offers injection moulding, assembly, product validation and access to modern cleanrooms, all certified to ISO Class 7 for the manufacture of Class I, Class II and Class III medical devices.


Most of its work is focusing on helping medical device and healthcare businesses commercialise new technology, with recent success stories featuring a home dialysis machine, a patient friendly and easy-to-use breath operated inhaler and a bio-artificial liver.


Thanks to the vast regulatory approvals it holds, the company also manufactures its own product ranges, including neonatal flow sensors. Rory O’Keeffe, commercial director at Europlaz, went on to add: “Sales have increased by 20 per cent to £12.5m for this financial year and we’ve got


contracts in place to achieve over £14m by 2025. “Investment has flowed into the latest equipment, and we have matched this with a major recruitment drive – taking on 25 new staff, with a good proportion of these in our industry-leading technical team. There are still positions available that we are looking to fill.”


Another area of interest for Europlaz is decarbonising the supply chain, a key feature for the NHS and other healthcare manufacturers. This has seen it employ a full-time Sustainability


Officer, who is responsible for improving the firm’s green credentials by putting in place new supplier environmental processes and exploring ways where it can cut its own carbon footprint.


www.europlaz.co.uk Autumn 2024 UKManufacturing


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