Don-Bur Quarterly News Oct 2014

We are delighted to announce that 2014 has proved to be another record-breaking year; the 7th successive year where Don-Bur has enjoyed a turnover trend increase and a clear indicator that our market share continues to expand. As a result of stable and steady growth, we have invested heavily throughout 2014 to improve efficiency, increase production capacity and offer greater facilities. Some of those investments are highlighted in the articles below.

If you haven't been to the site recently, it's certainly worth a visit, if only for a nose around and a chat!

Interestingly, 2014 has also seen some export activity which is new territory for us. Don-Bur is primarily a national company but it seems that the Teardrop™ is raising expectations across the water and we've now supplied to South Africa, Belgium and Germany; including an Airbus contract.

We would all like to wish you well for the pre-Christmas period and if we don't see you before the CV Show, we hope to see you there at our stand from 14-16th April.

Best wishes

David Burton

Managing Director, Don-Bur (Bodies & Trailers) Ltd

Don-Bur Build First Straight-Frame LST Lifting Decks for Leading Parcel Courier

Don-Bur has finished building a batch of straight-frame box van 15.65m Longer Semi-Trailers (LST’s) for a parcel courier, including an industry-first “wedge” shape with a full-length Lifting Deck.ï¿½ The 4.88m high tri-axle parcel-carriers have a volume increase of 16.7m3 when compared to their standard length counterparts and, as a result of the increased capacity, deliveries can be cut by 1 in every 6.4 legs; directly saving 15.6% in fuel and proportional CO2 emissions.

Operated under VSO (Vehicle Special Order), the 123.7m3 mega-volume trailers will support the main trunking operation.

When docking, the global operator uses conveyor loading arms which extend into the rear of the trailers, where loose load is manually packed from front to back to gain maximum space utilisation.ï¿½ Normally, a step-frame would have been the obvious choice for optimal cubic capacity but the client wanted two maximum length straight platforms for ease of loading on both decks.

Cutting Edge Technology for Don-Bur with New Laser Cutter

In one of their largest investments to date, Don-Bur has invested ï¿½1 million in new bays, housing an advanced laser cutter; the first of its capacity installed in the UK.ï¿½ The new machine complements the existing plasma cutter, will triple production capacity and reduce handling time.

Handling sheet sizes up to 6.5 x 3.1m, the laser cutter can process sheet steel up to 20mm thick at an astonishing accuracy of 0.05mm per metre.ï¿½ Due to the constant beam length system, cut quality is maintained over the entire cutting surface and the edge function produces clean corners without burring.ï¿½ Cut speed is also improved as the head can travel at up to 85m per minute and can switch accurately between pieces to allow for cooling time.

The result is a precision cut sheet with an optimised usage of material and minimal waste.ï¿½ Each cut part is cool to the touch enabling immediate handling and the cut accuracy eliminates any re-work time such as grinding, de-burring or re-drilling.ï¿½ In addition, the new laser cutter handles fine work with ease.ï¿½ With a cut thickness of under 0.5mm, it can produce small items with intricate detail such as tab washers or light protection grilles.

Sapphire Graphics Relocation

Don-Bur's Sapphire Graphics division are pleased to announce a relocation and expansion. The Staffordshire based company's move arose primarily as a result of a need for additional space to cater for the increase in demand.ï¿½ The new site is now located next to Don-Bur's Sapphire Curtains division on Clarence Road, Longton, which enables rapid transfer of curtains to and from the Sapphire Graphics division; ultimately speeding up the process of livery production and application.

With a larger conference room and individual offices for all employees, Sapphire Graphics now meets their goal of achieving a customer focussed operation by providing a cleaner, more open environment and a greater capacity for clientele.

Don-Bur Invests £200,000 in New Facilities

After several months of planning and construction works, Don-Bur has opened new facilities for security, training, goods in, stores and parts. The extensive investment introduces improved controls at the tradesman entrance to the Don-Bur manufacturing plant which will reduce shrinkage and ensure rapid parts turnaround.

At any one time, Don-Bur holds anywhere between £4-5 million stock level which consists of many thousands of individual component lines. The new stores department has new facilities and systems in place to ensure an accurate real-time inventory system which will reduce stockholding and provide critical information on readily available materials and parts.

In addition, the new Parts department enables greater control over imprest and ‘to-order’ stock lines which rapidly improves the service both in terms of turnaround and stock holding information. The larger building also provides greater capacity to hold more lines for a wider range of standard and specialist parts.

Argos Delivers More Value with 60 Pallet Capacity Longer Semi Trailers

Argos has ordered 19 Lifting Deck Longer Semi Trailers (LSTs) from Don-Bur with the largest internal cubic volume seen on British roads. The new 60 GKN pallet capacity multi-deck trailers will increase cube by 20.4m3, and have the potential reduce delivery frequency by 1 in every 6 trips. As a result the new trailers could generate a CO2 emission saving of 16.7%, playing a key role in Argos' carbon reduction programme.

The nature of the payload offers the perfect opportunity to minimise unused space where cube then becomes king. To realise the impressive cubic capacity, the 4.88m high, tri-axle box van step-frame double decks have been stretched to 15.65m long and can be operated legally under the government's 10 year LST trial with Vehicle Special Orders. The extra length immediately affords an additional 8 pallets but to shoehorn a further two pallets in, Argos has specified Don-Bur "Bladeï¿½" panels. At just 7.5mm thick, the lightweight and durable composite panels provide sufficient clearance for an extra-width Lifting Deck platform (2.42m), enabling all pallets to be loaded with the longest edges across the width of the trailer.

Don-Bur Builds New Reception & Conferencing Facilities

£100,000 has been spent on a contemporary design reception and well-equipped conferencing facilities to cater for the ever-increasing number of road-based clientele who need somewhere to hold internal meetings or speak to their suppliers.

Located in the heart of England, Don-Bur has always been a popular watering hole for wandering fleet engineers who, due to modern business practices, work primarily from home and spend most of their working hours on the road.ï¿½ In addition to the existing 3 meeting rooms, Don-Bur has significantly extended dedicated floor space and now has 6 meeting rooms, including 1 conference room which can easily cater for up to 22 people.

The new conference facilities provide comfortable leather executive chairs, sound-proofed partitioning, and table-top ports for power and media connections (including VGA, HDMI and Audio).

Don-Bur Set Up For Rigid Type Approval

From 29th October 2014, all rigid vehicles have to be Type Approved.

Following rigorous tests and inspection procedures by the VCA, Don-Bur are pleased to confirm that Type Approval will be applied seamlessly across all their ranges of rigid bodywork without any notable effect to clients.

Don-Bur have two dedicated staff members who manage type approval and have been doing so for the last 18 months; ensuring that either WVTA (Whole Vehicle Type Approval) or SSTA (Small Series Type Approval) has been obtained where appropriate.

Anyone with any questions about Type Approval are welcome to contact us.

Deutsche Post DHL introduces first Teardrop Trailer in Germany and France

Premiere for an efficient freight vehicles based in mainland Europe

6% - 10% reduction in fuel consumptionï¿½

First Teardrop trailer will drive for Airbus transports

Deutsche Post DHL, the world's leading postal and logistics group, further expands its fleet of about 11,500 vehicles with alternative drive systems and aerodynamic modifications. The Group adds one so-called Teardrop trailer for use throughout Germany and France as part of its logistics solutions for its customer Airbus. The aerodynamic form of this teardrop-shaped trailer designed by Don-Bur features a curved roof which reduces air resistance and cutting fuel consumption by up to 6%-10% compared to regular heavy-load trucks. By adding to its green fleet, Deutsche Post DHL not only acts on its environmental responsibility, but due to a decreased fuel use it saves costs per tour.

Don-Bur IT Infrastructure Developed

Running seamlessly alongside the recent investment in new facilities, Don-Bur has allocated significant resource on networking, hardware and software across the Don-Bur group which will support the ‘DRIVE’ Programme (Dedicating Resources to Influence Value & Efficiency)

Introduced in the summer of 2014, the new DRIVE programme was conceived across all departments to focus investment on areas that will generate better value to the Don-Bur customer base.

The primary changes include 1GigaBit speed cross-site communication networks, a new secure file sharing facility for large files, remote disaster contingency facilities and the introduction of the very latest powerhouse workstations for engineering.

The updated infrastructure will improve product turnaround times, internal/external communication and ensure a consistent and reliable service.

Don-Bur to Appear at CV Show 2015

Don-Bur will be returning in style to the CV Show in 2015 with a large stand in Hall 5 at location 5A50 (near to the DAF stand).

Already confirmed is an industry-first trailer design exhibit with plenty of features that will raise many an eyebrow. Don-Bur will also be demonstrating the latest innovations and welcome you with the generous hospitality they have become known for.

Regular updates will be posted on the Don-Bur LinkedIn page.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please contact us if you have any questions about the above articles.

Published: Tue 14 Oct 2014

Updated: Thu 11 Apr 2024

Author: Richard Owens

Published by: Don-Bur