Local civil and engineering steel products manufacturer and supplier Stewarts & Lloyds has upgraded certain parts of its high-speed, cut-to-length line, installed last year.

Certain modifications have been made to the decoiler to assist in handling coils where the inside diameters of the coil are out of specification or are not up to standard according to manufacturing standards.

Stewarts & Lloyds has also upgraded the guillotine to provide a cleaner cut and installed an automatic stacker with a two-trolley system, which helps to accelerate production, at the end of the cut-to-length line.

“With the cut-to-length line, we want to target industries where steel sheet and plate are used, as we are now making progress into those markets. We will definitely continue to expand and upgrade our machinery to ensure that we remain competitive and can provide all our customers with a quality product in the shortest possible lead time,” says Stewarts & Lloyds director Mark Lavis.

The cut-to-length line can process coil ranging in thickness from 0.58 mm to 6 mm and is currently one of the few lines in South Africa capable of cutting 2-m-wide coils.

“This has enabled the company to process most of its own sheet and plate requirements, rather than having our coil processed elsewhere. This adds value to our manufacturing operation and provides a quick response to the needs of customers in terms of what they need in treatment plate,” explains Lavis.

The company bought the high-speed, cut-to-length line early last year before it was installed in August.

He adds that while the 2-m-wide coils are not common in terms of demand, the company has previously processed coil for customers who struggled to find a manufacturer that was “interested in serving this niche part of the market”.

This led to the company’s decision to acquire and install the machine to better serve this part of the market.

“In the short term, we are focusing on upgrading and upsizing our branch network and looking for opportunities that will assist us with our growth. Outside South Africa, there is a long-term goal to grow this business and put the necessary infrastructure in place to supply sub-Saharan Africa on a larger scale,” he concludes.