News & Updates Archives | European Springs

With over 70 years of experience, we have worked with an extensive list of companies from a wide range of industry sectors. One of these sectors is construction, as our products are used in almost all mechanical equipment used within the industry.

So, today, we’re looking at just how our springs are used and the types of equipment and technology they are part of within the construction sector. Read on to discover more about our working relationship with construction businesses and what we can do to help your company with safety equipment, manufacturing machinery and more.

Types of Springs Used in the Construction Industry

Many of the springs we manufacture here at European Springs are used within the construction industry, but a few spring types are used much more frequently in machinery and other equipment across the sector; let’s take a look.

Compression Springs

Compression springs are one of the most commonly used spring types in the construction industry used in a wide variety of applications, for example:

Doors and windows. This spring type is used in the hinges to ensure they close properly and maintain a tight seal. They are also used in window balances to help lift and hold windows open.
Elevators and escalators. Compression springs are used to help absorb shock and vibration, provide stability, and ensure a smooth ride. They are also used in the braking systems of these machines.

Bridge construction. They are used in expansion joints to allow for movement of the bridge due to temperature changes, wind, and other factors. These springs help maintain the bridge’s structural integrity and prevent damage.
Building maintenance. Compression springs are used in various building maintenance applications, such as in the suspension systems for HVAC units and in the opening and closing mechanisms for large access panels and doors.

Torsion Springs

Torsion springs are essential in many mechanical systems used in the construction industry. They are used throughout the sector for various applications, primarily to provide torque or rotational force to various mechanical systems. For example, automatic doors such as in garages or warehouses. Torsion springs provide the necessary force and torque needed to move heavy objects, and they can be customised to fit the specific needs of each application.

Our bespoke spring manufacturing capabilities allow us to produce specific torsion spring configurations for an endless list of uses within the construction industry.

Clock Springs

Clock springs are used in the construction industry for various applications that require rotational force or torque. For example, they are used in various safety devices used on worksites, such as emergency switches or kill switches, activated by the clock spring being released.

In addition, clock springs are used to manufacture many of the retractable tools and equipment used by workers in the construction sector, such as measuring tapes, power cords, and hose reels.

Finally, like torsion springs, clock springs are used in automatic doors in construction warehouses and workshops.

Construction Machinery that Relies on Springs

Many types of construction machinery rely on springs for their operation. Some examples include:

Excavators. Excavators use springs in their hydraulic systems to control the movement of the boom, arm, and bucket.
Cranes. Springs are used in the suspension systems of cranes to absorb shock and vibrations caused by the movement of the load.
Bulldozers. Bulldozers use motor springs in their undercarriage and suspension systems to absorb shock and vibrations while operating on rough terrain.
Pavers. Screed systems in pavers use springs to maintain a consistent level and provide a smooth surface for the asphalt.
Compactors. Compactors use springs in their drum systems to help absorb shock and vibrations while compacting soil or asphalt.
Loaders. Suspension systems in loaders use springs to provide a smooth ride while operating on rough terrain.
Backhoes. Backhoes use springs in their hydraulic systems to control the movement of the arm and bucket.

Overall, it’s clear springs are an important component in many types of construction machinery, providing a crucial role in their smooth operation and reliability.

Safety Equipment and Spring Technology

As mentioned, clock springs are used to manufacture a lot of safety equipment in the construction industry, such as kill switches activated as the spring is released. Also known as emergency stop buttons, kill switches are safety devices used to quickly shut down a machine or piece of equipment in the event of an emergency. The clock spring in the kill switch is released, quickly stopping the operation of heavy machinery and equipment, preventing accidents or injuries.

In addition, springs are used in retractable lifelines that protect workers from falls when working at heights. These lifelines use a spring-loaded mechanism to keep the lifeline taut while the worker moves around. As a result, if the worker falls, the lifeline will deploy, and the spring will absorb the shock, reducing the force of the fall and preventing injury. Using similar logic, springs are also found in safety harnesses for construction workers working at height, such as on scaffolding or roofs.

In all of these applications, springs help reduce the risk of injury to workers in the construction industry, making them a vital element in the manufacturing of equipment and tools. This makes our job as spring manufacturers incredibly important too. We work closely with those in the construction industry to design and manufacture springs used in all sorts of equipment and take each customer and their needs incredibly seriously.

We do so by listening to their order’s requirements and the intended use of the spring to ensure complete accuracy in delivering the springs they need.

So, if you work in the construction industry and need springs to help with your business’ safety equipment, tools, or any other application, we’re here for you; get in touch today.

Staying on top of trends is crucial for businesses in almost all sectors but is especially important for those, such as ourselves, in the manufacturing industry. There are constant changes happening all the time, and, as leading spring manufacturers, we must look at these changes and consider how we can implement them into our practices.

We understand that trends come and go, and things we thought would stick around may not have lasted more than a few months before something bigger and better came and took their place. However, others start as trends and remain staples in the industry for years to come.

So, today, we’re exploring this idea by looking into the top manufacturing trends of 2023. We’re predicting what we believe will be popular over the next twelve months, as well as what we’re taking with us and leaving behind from 2022.

Which 2022 Manufacturing Trends Will Carry Over Into 2023?

Last year, the industry welcomed a wide range of technology that we have been proud to implement into our processes here at European Springs. Here are a few of the manufacturing trends (technological and not) of 2022 that we believe will carry over into this year and become industry standard in the not-so-distant future:

Big data. This improves efficiency, streamlines processes, and allows manufacturing companies to better their decision-making quickly.
Smart factories. Whilst this isn’t an entirely new idea, smart factories developed in 2022, becoming more accessible for those in the industry along with a surge of new cyber-physical technology.
Carbon neutrality. Again, this wasn’t new to 2022, but the ways in which it developed last year were impressive. Factories, warehouses, and workshops worldwide pledged to change their processes, use greener systems, and decrease their carbon footprint in line with industry standards.

Which 2022 Manufacturing Trends Will Be Left Behind?

2022 saw many significant changes to the manufacturing industry, and most of those developments were revolutionary, as discussed above. Because of this, there aren’t any stand-out trends that were found to be passing fads.

Trying and testing new practices is never a waste of time because it allows us to use an array of skills and helps us gain experience and develop ourselves and the company; however, we can’t help but feel relieved when no trends are left behind. Here at European Springs, this is always great news, as it means no time, money, or other resources were wasted in investing in trends that didn’t last longer than twelve months.

Manufacturing Trends to Look Out for in 2023

As mentioned, today we’re exploring some of the manufacturing trends we believe will significantly impact the industry in 2023. Whether it’s new technology, tech developments, or improved practices, we’re at the forefront of these changes that allow us to improve our services and products for our clients; let’s take a look.

3D Printing

3D printing has been a staple in the industry for years, but we believe that 2023 is when it will become even more popular. Recently, there have been significant advancements in 3D printing technology, with metal being used in the process in place of plastic. This means that items, such as hinges, screws, and other metal components that need to be durable, can be manufactured using 3D printing. This significantly increases the speed and efficiency of the manufacturing process, especially for bulk orders.

Who knows, perhaps one day we will be 3D-printing our compression springs?

Increased Automation

Automation is a broad term used to describe automatic equipment, for example:

Robotics
AI
Sensors
And much more

It is designed to streamline processes and speed up manufacturing procedures which is beneficial for many reasons. For instance, we could use automation systems for our bulk orders, allowing our technicians to work on other manufacturing areas while AI or robotic technology completes the orders.

In 2023, we believe that advanced automation will be used more frequently across the industry. This is because it means skilled workers can complete more fulfilling roles while AI works on repetitive practices, such as the bulk orders mentioned above.

AI

To further explore the previous point, we believe AI will become huge in 2023. We have already seen evidence of what artificial intelligence can achieve and are excited to see it advance over the year.

With the speed at which AI is advancing, we could use the technology across our company to assist us with spring design, manufacturing, and testing. For example, instead of manufacturing physical products to test for durability, we could program AI with the materials we wish to test and use digital testing. This way, we’re not wasting materials, and, at the same time, we’re speeding up the testing process.

As mentioned, we’re always thrilled to try out new manufacturing technology and see what is trending throughout the industry to see how we could use it to our and our client’s advantage. European Springs is always at the forefront of these industry changes, and it’s exciting to see where technological advancements take us.

To stay updated, please check our blog, where we post the latest industry innovations, and, as always, get in touch with our expert manufacturers for all spring manufacturing queries.

Many factors will help you make the final decision regarding finding a supplier. The task is important but challenging. Due to the continued global growth of manufacturers and the cheaper ability to import to reduce manufacturing costs, there are thousands of suppliers to choose from. Supplier and manufacturing companies need to be able to work hand in hand to offer the best of each service, but what should you consider as a retailer or supplier when choosing one to fit with your business?

As a leading manufacturer of bespoke pressings, we appreciate and understand the importance of finding the right fit for your business. We explore some of the most imperative considerations when choosing a supplier and how European Springs could answer all your wire form and pressing needs.

Expertise and Reliability

Having a well-established expert skill set is one of the main reasons many companies will favour a supplier. As a spring manufacturer with 70 years of expertise in the industry, we understand the importance of providing excellent products and services. Choosing a supplier with many years of experience will offer you the peace of mind that your supplier will deliver what you need. In addition, a well-established supplier will have worked out any kinks in their product designs and will understand the trends that come with each industry.

This extensive knowledge will serve any business well and offer the confidence that the supplier will provide satisfaction in all areas of their services. For example, at European Springs, we pride ourselves in providing our clients with the highest level of services whilst working with them to ensure they receive designs bespoke to their exact needs and requirements. This element of our services offers continuous reliability and is why many of our customers have a long-term loyalty to us for many years.

Quality and Quantity

Although many services will mass produce your desired design, consistency is key to being an excellent supplier. When considering a supplier, they must provide you with the high-quality detail you require and the capabilities to produce the quantity you need to the same standard. This fact is something we take very seriously at European springs.

As wire form manufacturers, we use the industry’s latest CNC automated spring coilers and wire forming equipment. This equipment allows us to generate generic and bespoke pieces without limitation. We produce the wire forms manually for smaller quantities, whereas, for larger orders, we will utilise our highly advanced machinery, which will autonomously make the same high-quality standard.

Knowledge of Various Industries

Unless your business is unique, offering very niche products and services, choosing a supplier with a broad scope of various industries is advantageous. This expertise will allow suppliers to help advise you on designs and strategies which may not be customary for your specific industry but may have worked well in other sectors.

A broad knowledge of various industries helps us stand out as spring suppliers. We can continuously adapt our products and services to our customer’s needs, which has been a leading attribute contributing to our 70 years of high-quality service. It has also helped us to adapt to our customers. The ability to adapt helps to grow a business, so having a supplier that can adapt with you is essential. We provide high-quality spring designs for the following range of industries.

Electrical
Automotive
Agricultural
Defence
Medical
Telecom

However, we also have experience with many more. We are proud to supply a range of industries and always strive to continue to grow into even more fields where we are needed.

Supplier Ethos

Considering the ethos of your supplier may not be a common factor amongst companies, but it is growing with concern. Consumers are becoming more conscientious when making their purchases, so ensuring your products are ethically sourced could be essential to success as a manufacturer. From paying more than minimum wage for their employees to investing in future improvements for their business, an ethical supplier is guaranteed to offer the best products and services. At European Springs, we are proud of our many processes that strive for a better future, including our apprenticeship schemes and strict vetting within our suppliers.

The entire manufacturing industry strives to improve its environmental impact within its supply chains. Many are choosing locally sourced recycled materials, which minimises the travel of products, reducing the carbon footprint. This can also help prevent disruptions with global issues and provide a more efficient service. For example, many manufacturers are utilising the benefits of heat pumps within their processes to help improve the sustainability of their services. This innovation is one-way manufacturers offer more environmentally friendly materials and products.

Finding the Right Spring Manufacturer

Although we have explored many elements of European Springs, which makes us a leader within our industry, there is so much more we can offer. We have complete in-house design facilities which provide the latest technologies for wire form and pressings and offer on-site powder coatings, shot peening, barrel rumbling and polishing. You can enquire online or speak to our team today about any needs, and our fantastic team will be sure to help.

As leading spring manufacturers in the ever-evolving engineering industry, we are always looking for ways to improve our processes to provide the latest and greatest service for our customers. Industry changes occur rather regularly, especially with the ongoing digitisation, so it may seem overwhelming to those entering the field and joining a smart factory if you don’t know what to expect.

So, we’re taking a look behind the curtain of manufacturing and delving into some of the things you may find inside a smart factory. We’ll be looking into some of the high-tech hardware as well as the innovative software that has been developed over the years to help you get a better indication of the machinery and equipment you will be dealing with in this environment.

What Are Smart Factories?

A smart factory is a cyber-physical work environment where machinery and equipment are linked through an interconnected network of computers. Smart factories are indeed smart and have the best technology available and the highest advancements in AI, robotics, and incredibly intelligent hardware and software to enable their devices to talk to each other seamlessly. This technology allows humans to take a step back and let their machinery take over by transforming and streamlining processes to create a more efficient and productive workplace.

Smart factories are just one small part of Industry 4.0, which we have seen taking over the manufacturing and engineering sectors.

What Is Industry 4.0?

Industry 4.0 is the latest industrial revolution, in which digital transformations are plenty. The goal set by the industry was to improve digital manufacturing, such as:

Automation increases
Interconnecting digital and physical processes
Increasing productivity and efficiency
An increase in the use of smart devices
And, of course, an increase in smart factories

These are just a few examples of the goals of the industry. Still, many processes have been implemented to ensure these objectives are met, and we see many improvements throughout the manufacturing and engineering sectors.

Here at European Springs, we produce a long list of custom springs and bespoke pressings, and these digital transformations help us to improve the systems that allow us to create these specific items for our customers.

So, What’s Inside a Smart Factory?

With so many digital improvements taking place all the time, it can be difficult to keep up with equipment changes and software updates. So, to help you better understand what to expect inside a smart factory and learn more about the technology included as part of Industry 4.0, we have compiled a list of some of the tech and equipment the industry uses today.

Robotics

Robotics helped tackle the Covid-19 outbreak, but even since then, they have come a long way. Now, robotics is standard machinery in smart factories, helping to make up the extensive range of equipment under the roof of these working establishments.

These robots are programmed with the latest software, enabling human-robot collaboration to take place before they are set up to automate processes once completed by human workers.

3D Printers

3D printers are used in smart factories to create high-quality prototypes of items that these factories produce. For example, as custom spring manufacturers, we could use this machinery to print a prototype of a bespoke spring for our clients. This allows us to showcase what we could produce for them, meaning we could alter parts, change sizes, and make other amendments freely without wasting materials.

CNC Machinery

CNC machinery, also known as computer numerical control machinery, can be found in almost all smart factories today. This software can be used to programme machines and hardware in smart factories, allowing efficient production without the need for constant human interaction.

5G

5G eliminates the need for wired devices, meaning smart factories can remove almost all of their wiring and depend solely on a 5G network to run their systems. This comes with both advantages and drawbacks, the latter being connectivity issues, a halted production line if the network fails, and increased cybersecurity threats. However, the benefits often outweigh these risks; with impressive speeds and increased flexibility, more factory owners are implementing 5G into their businesses than ever before.

AI

We are seeing a lot of AI in the news right now, with this technology making its mark on the art industry, but it has been a staple in smart factories within the manufacturing sector for some time now. One example of AI used in smart factories is replicating objects that a factory may produce for customers. This allows for initial visual analysis tests to be conducted digitally, which saves money, time, and materials that would have been lost should they have conducted physical tests first.

Big Data

Big data is used in many aspects of manufacturing found within a smart factory. It is used to review large amounts of historical loads or alter major orders, both of which we could use here at European Springs. For example, if a customer approached us and asked to repeat an order they made with us several years ago, we could use big data to replicate their exact specifications and provide them with the same items. Additionally, suppose a customer wanted to make changes to a major order. In that case, big data could help us alter this quickly and seamlessly without affecting the rest of the production.

Here at European Springs, we are always excited by new technological advancements and industry improvements that allow us to streamline our services and offer our customers the very best. To keep up to date with the latest industry news, please check our blog for new posts.

We’re always looking to push the boundaries here at European Springs. From improving our company’s sustainability to investing in new machinery to enhance our manufacturing operations, we’re constantly looking at ways to surpass previous achievements.

This wouldn’t be possible without our incredible and talented team, who consistently go above and beyond to make the business successful.

European Springs Smashing Goals

During this year, one of our many goals as a company has been to increase sales by becoming leading spring manufacturers within the industry. More importantly, we wanted to be a company our clients find reliable and valuable.

As part of this goal, we set our team a sales target of one million pounds each month. We’re incredibly proud to say that this challenge was repeatedly resoundingly beaten.

We decided to bring in a different food vendor each month to show our appreciation and celebrate our success as a team.

Global Food Lunch Hours

Since April, we’ve rewarded our team by bringing a different food vendor every month, allowing us all to enjoy a fantastic range of foods from around the world.

So far, we have enjoyed the following:

Gully’s Indian Curry Wraps – April

“Keep calm and Curry on” was the phrase of the week here at European Springs and was a fantastic way to celebrate this initial achievement, but little did we know that this would be just the start of a fantastic streak of success. Gully’s Indian Street Food van was brought in to provide our staff with a memorable exotic, and delicious lunch.

The Frying Squad Chippy – May

Who doesn’t love a good old fish and chip dinner?

April proved that our initial success wasn’t some random event but one that could continue throughout the year. So, thanks to our continued success in April, we brought the classic seaside food home for our hard-working team members to enjoy.

Chop and Chip – June

This classic burger van (Chop and Chip) provided everyone with excellent choices, such as Aberdeen Angus, Halloumi, sweet chilli, and roasted plant burgers to suit all tastes.

Queen of the Crepes – July

This seemingly unbreakable chain of success was honoured in July with a delicious selection of sweet and savoury crepes from the fantastic Queen of the Crepes.

Kang Foo Noodle Van – August

Everyone at European Springs enjoyed their lunch, and we can guarantee there was no waste. The Kang Foo noodle van supplied a beautiful range of fresh noodle meals with chicken, beef and five vegetable spring rolls. A fantastic choice to help send off the summer in style.

Lil’ Watan – September

In September, we celebrated by introducing Lebanese wraps and salad boxes to our staff. Chicken, falafel, and halloumi were all enjoyed as wraps alongside tasty fattoush salads.

Key to Success

Our excellent customer service allows European Springs to stand out as the number one spring and pressing manufacturers. Good communication is essential, meaning our clients feel reassured throughout the manufacturing process.

To us, customer satisfaction is the real goal and is what makes us an industry leader.

Over many decades of experience providing torsion, extension and tension springs to companies worldwide, we have worked hard to increase our technical expertise and equipment.

As part of this business development plan, we became a proud member of the Lesjofors Group. Businesses can now enjoy the benefits of our superior selection of metal springs, pressings and wire forms wherever they are in the world. This provides us with a significant increase in international clients and contacts.

Again, we would like to thank our talented, elite team of engineers, technicians and administrators.

You can learn more about what it is like to be a part of our elite manufacturing team here

Industry 4.0, also known as the fourth industrial revolution, represents a remarkable technological shift in the way manufacturing companies operate.

The term covers a broad collection of new operational methods and systems connected to digital systems or those entirely online. This digital industrial revolution is set to change many elements of manufacturing for the better, improving productivity, control and costs sector industry wide.

What Is a Digital Industrial Revolution

There have been many industrial revolutions, each creating permanent change in the manufacturing industry. Starting with the first industrial revolution, steam power and mechanisation were introduced. This replaced hand labour and significantly increased a manufacturer’s productivity.

The second revolution involved replacing steam power with electricity. This encouraged a more global industry that could accommodate vastly larger production lines and more cost-effective creation of components. The third revolution is one we’ve been enjoying for many years. Computerised numerical control (CNC) machinery and robotics increased the potential for automation in manufacturing.

The fourth and most recent revolution stands out from the rest because it is a digital industrial revolution. Whereas the previous ones primarily involved developing machinery or computers, this one improves those with cloud-based analytics and AI.

The Goal of Industry 4.0

The first industrial revolution evolved from a German initiative (Industrie 4.0) into a worldwide term for digital improvement across manufacturing. Comprised of many smaller parts, the term covers many changing processes depending on the company, but some aspects are universal.

Here are some of the main goals of Industry 4.0:

Increased automation
Interconnectivity between physical and digital manufacturing (Industrial IoT)
More closed-loop data systems
Increase productivity and efficiency
Increase in the use of smart products instead of a central control system
More customisation and personalisation of products

Many of these goals are focused on automation through digitising processes to make manufacturing systems more efficient and run smoothly.

What Are the Elements of Industry 4.0?

Many new components exist within Industry 4.0, which collaborate to create a robust set of manufacturing tools.

Using Cyber-Physical Systems

This is one of the goals mentioned above of Industry 4.0 and aims to combine the use of physical and digital systems. So, for example, computer systems could be set up to monitor the progress of biological processes, such as custom springs production. It could alert those that need to be altered if anything is wrong, such as the dimensions.

Smart Factory

Industry 4.0 will see the implementation of smart factories in manufacturing companies worldwide. A smart factory is an automated cyber-physical system that uses innovative technology to learn and develop as it works.

The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things is another cyber-physical system that communicates with machinery and operates equipment while simultaneously allowing humans to be proactive and work. It works through a network of connected devices that exchange data with each other to improve communications and productivity in the workplace.

The Internet of Services

This process is linked to the Internet of Things. Still, instead of focusing on the communication aspect, it focuses on the cyber-physical connections and the best ways of integrating these systems seamlessly for an efficient and productive workplace.

The Benefits of Industry 4.0 for Manufacturing Companies

A new industrial revolution will always bring many benefits to manufacturing companies. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of Industry 4.0 for those in the sector:

Less machine downtime. As fewer physical machines are used, there will be much less downtime. When devices are out of action, processes can come to a halt, which seriously impacts productivity. As spring manufacturers ourselves, we understand the importance of the smooth runnings of machinery
Increased knowledge of digitisation. In this digitally evolving world, an understanding of digital practices is essential. Industry 4.0 allows manufacturers to learn on the job and practice their digital skills.
Better supply chain management. Industry 4.0 allows better supply chain management by improving communications between every stage of the supply process.

Are There Any Downsides to Industry 4.0?

Of course, as with any change to the manufacturing sector, there are downsides as well as overwhelming positive factors. Let’s take a look:

It increases cybersecurity risks. When moving onto Industry 4.0, digitisation increases, so it’s essential to ensure your cybersecurity systems are set up and prepared for the changes to protect your business.
Digital inequality. An increase in digitisation will require more money and time put into preparation to guarantee that the transition is smooth. Unfortunately, some companies do not have the facilities for this, creating some industry inequality.

Despite the drawbacks, here at European Springs, we are always ready to embrace change and excited about these changes to the manufacturing industry. Keep up to date with industry news by heading to our blog, and feel free to contact us, as expert bespoke spring manufacturers, for enquires or anything else you believe we could help with.

Category: News & Updates