Coming up for air

Filtermist has been developing and manufacturing oil mist extraction systems widely used in metalworking environments for many years.

Ed Hill discovers the opening of a new distribution centre, combined with its 50^th anniversary, also represents a change for the company not only as an oil mist specialist, but also as a complete air handling solution provider.

As the Hollies once famously sang “Sometimes all I need is the air that I breathe” and similarly Filtermist has been working on ways to ensure manufacturers breathe clean air since 1969. The Telford-based company develops and manufactures some of the most widely used oil mist extraction systems found in the metalworking industry.

After its acquisition by the Swedish extraction specialist Absolent Group in 2010, Filtermist has diversified in many areas of air handling and treatment, expanding organically and with the acquisition of various UK companies with allied expertise in the sector.

The group now not only includes Filtermist, but also Dustcheck dust extraction systems; Multi-Fan Systems, which specialises in customised factory air handling; Kerstar industrial vacuum cleaners and the Yorkshire-based Dust Control Systems (DCS).

The milestone of Filtermist celebrating its 50^th year coincided with the opening of a new 30,000ft² facility just a few minutes walk away from its purpose-built headquarters on the T54 Business Park in Telford.

The new building will be a centre for assembly, distribution and stock control allowing the company to consolidate manufacturing at its other site and enhance delivery and lead-times.

Exports and acquisitions

James Stansfield, CEO of Filtermist International comments: “Domestic and export orders have increased dramatically over the past five years as the global demand to create cleaner, safer and more productive workshops that deliver clean air continues to grow.

“With volumes increasing and additional capacity required as a result of some of our acquisitions and us inheriting several key UK product brands, we made the decision to increase our footprint. It made perfect sense to do this by consolidating certain manufacturing operations at our current headquarters and centralising assembly and distribution in the new facility next door.”

The distribution centre was officially opened by the Manufacturing Technologies Association’s CEO James Selka as part of an open house designed to showcase the group’s full product range and celebrate 50 years in business.

More than 120 visitors were given guided tours of the current manufacturing facility, as well as the extensive new building. Among the guest were many of Filtermist’s machine tool manufacturing partners and representatives from its distribution agents around the world.

“There has been investment in new equipment and hardware for both Telford sites, including additional welding bays, cranes and a new CNC spinning machine,” Mr Stansfield continues.

Filtermist’s recent growth strategy is driven not just by increased sales of its own oil mist extraction systems – 90% of which go for export – but also a move to become a total air handling solutions provider.

“Our Swedish backers have ambitions for our business to grow globally,” Mr Stansfield explains. “The extraction and air moving industry in the UK is quite fragmented so to some degree we have been acquiring these specialist companies to complete our portfolio.

“It transforms us from just being a supplier of oil mist filters to a total clean air solutions company. We now have the ability and expertise to go into any industrial facility, whether it is a machine shop, pharmaceutical plant or even an industrial bakery and provide a solution to their industrial processing air pollution problems.

“These acquisitions are helping us to diversify. Oil mist is still our core business and will remain very important for us, but this means we can spread our expertise to woodworking, dust bulk handling, food processing, welding fumes, smoke handling, pharmaceutical and more.

He adds: “We want to be the go-to professionals that provide a solution from start to finish and that includes service and support. We can also provide local exhaust ventilation (LEV) testing so we can provide the complete package.”

Modern and traditional skills

Filtermist is a forward-thinking company continually looking to develop its products, but it also relies on tried and traditional manufacturing processes such as metal spinning to manufacture the cases, drums and filters at its factory in Telford. Many of these were demonstrated at the manufacturing plant which produces its ultra-compact S-Series, FX-Series and S-Fusion oil mist collectors.

The company, which won a Queen’s Award for Export Achievement in 1990, sells its products in more than 60 countries worldwide through a network of distributors. This year the company – which employs more than 90 people – sold its 300,000 oil mist extractor and had an annual turnover of £20 million.

Currently, this is a good time to be working in the air quality industry as legislation drives higher standards for workers both here and abroad.

In fact, global growth has been so successful that Filtermist has established subsidiary businesses in India, Shanghai and Singapore to support local distributors and other customers throughout Asia. The company is also directly responsible for one of its German distributors and it also recently appointed distributors in Norway, China and Malaysia.

“We sell large amounts of products into the USA, China, and India,” Mr Stansfield says. “People may think that low cost countries such as China and India are places where air quality is not an issue taken seriously but it is something that they have to consider too.

“They have a workforce that no longer wants to work in poor conditions and to compete globally they may also have to meet health and safety conditions expected of them from their multinational customers, who have their own supply chain health and safety rules. In fact, a lot of our business in China is with local firms and our Filtermist products are well-placed and priced to make the most of that market.”

Mr Stansfield concludes: “Telford is the home of the industrial revolution so it is fitting that our engineering and manufacturing operation continues to grow in the area. Fifty years in business is a great achievement; this is just the start and we have a lot of exciting plans for further investment and the potential for future acquisitions over the next 18 months.”

Opening the new facility James Selka said: “Filtermist has made a significant contribution to UK manufacturing over the last 50 years. I first visited here in 2015 for the opening of its last new facility in Telford and that pattern of sustained continuous investment has carried on. That is a tribute to the dynamic and committed management team and to the owners who have been prepared to back them.

“Filtermist technology helps to make manufacturing environments healthier workplaces. I am proud that the company is a member of the MTA and you have my wholehearted support and congratulations on reaching your 50^th year.”

Filtermist International www.filtermist.co.uk