Creating the ‘wow factor’ in workshop installations

Blue Diamond Engineering is a precision machining and fabrication company that has operated successfully for nearly 60 years: “The main reason for investing in the Polstore workshop storage units was for the attractive appearance. The units are the first thing visitors see. We wanted a wow factor for when our clients visit the shopfloor,” explained Carol Brown, CEO of Blue Diamond Engineering.

In the last year, Blue Diamond has invested considerably in new machines, technological advancements and storage facilities. Given the prominent and visible position of the workshop, the aesthetics of the storage units chosen were of equal importance to functionality, security and organisation.

There were three components to the storage solution for Blue Diamond. Firstly, the premium CNC and machine tool storage shelving system. Polstore offers both standard and bespoke systems to suit exact requirements, optimising productivity and efficiency within the workplace.

The CNC tool storage shelving system included sliding lockable doors with pull-out drawers with a load capacity of 200kg – fitted with internal tool cradles and CNC tool holders. The safest way to store and retrieve heavy tools is within a drawer system as access from three sides eliminates the need to reach in. Polstore’s drawer cabinets are covered by a five year warranty and as an added confidence boost all drawer slides and guide rails are covered by a lifetime warranty.

Secondly, Polstore provided two types of industrial workbench systems – a 3m long workbench and a hexagonal variant. Each were constructed with a combination of six workshop drawer cabinets which were tailored to Blue Diamond’s needs with bench mounted roller shutter cabinets and tool shadow boards.

As a flexible and modular system, any storage combination can be created with options including drawer cabinets, hinged and sliding door cupboards, shelves, roller shutters, perforated back panels and tool shadow boards.

A popular product we see engineering clients invest in to organise the drawer internals, is our routed foam inserts,” says Adam Lucas, Polstore’s project director. “These are a cost-effective storage solution which instantly alerts a user if an item is missing through a very simple visual cue.”

The third and final aspect of Blue Diamond’s storage solution were the pull-out vertical drawers for storing small parts and consumable tooling. Each drawer is fitted out with Polstore’s plastic tilt bin system ‘Unibox’. Here the tools are easy to see and access using transparent compartments of various sizes. Manufactured from high quality steel and 500kg SWL rating per drawer, all drawer systems are available in a wide range of sizes to suit all various domestic, commercial and industrial environments. Due to the modular design a variety of configurations are possible.

To optimise efficiency , each machine tool was allocated its own dedicated drawer unit, allowing the team at Blue Diamond easy access and traceability of tooling as well as simplifying the preparation of jigs and fixtures to be used during production.

“We understand that workshop space comes at a premium, and the right storage solution can transform how that space is used and optimised,” Mr Lucas added. “For Blue Diamond, we were able to reduce the area used by previous storage by 50%.

“Originally planned for the workshop manager, when the team saw the hexagonal workbench unit, they decided to change the plan and position it in the centre of the workshop floor to serve three Hartford VMCs, a DMG Mori DMU Monoblock 95 and a number of lathes.”

“It was important for us to ensure our tooling technician’s workstation had ample space and storage to help ease workflow. It’s one of the busiest areas of the factory floor because of how essential it is to the running of every machine we operate,” Carol Brown commented.

Polstore offers a full service from discussing the customers’ needs through to exceeding expectations at install and handover. “In this case, the team at Blue Diamond were more than qualified to install and fit our storage units,” Mr Lucas concluded.

“They invited our team back once the units were all in place, and the results were very impressive. The Blue Diamond team were delighted with the end result and it was great to see the improved organisation in place.”

Polstore Storage Solutions has been at the forefront of storage and retrieval solutions in the engineering and manufacturing arena since 1963. The company designs, manufactures, supplies and installs workshop and warehouse storage solutions throughout the UK. The business has recently invested in a new CNC facility at its premises in Guildford to manufacture bespoke tool and asset foam inserts.

Polstore Storage Systems www.polstore.co.uk

Blue Diamond Engineering www.bluediamondengineering.co.uk