Industrial brush manufacturer Cottam Brush has made a six-figure investment in advanced manufacturing technology, increasing production capacity and enabling it to target new markets.
The family-run company, founded in Sunderland in 1858 and now based in Hebburn, South Tyneside, has installed a state-of-the-art Borghi Gemini industrial brush-making machine as part of its strategy to grow its technical and custom-engineered brush division.
It has lifted restrictions on the size and range of brushes Cottam could manufacture, allowing it to produce virtually any size of industrial brush in-house.
Previously, larger or more complex requirements could involve subcontracting production, finding alternative manufacturing methods or, in some cases, turning down work that could not be produced cost-effectively.
The Gemini automates key stages of brush production, drilling brush bodies and inserting the fibres to manufacture a wide variety of technical and industrial brushes, including cylinder, disc and flat/table brushes.
This has increased productivity while enabling Cottam to expand its product range and target new opportunities, particularly among original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
It is already able to manufacture products Cottam has not previously produced, including brush tables and replacement brush panels for sheet metal fabrication.
Used on equipment such as laser cutting and punching machines, the brushes allow metal sheets to move across machinery while helping protect painted, polished or coated surfaces from scratches and damage.
Cottam is targeting both machinery manufacturers and the aftermarket, including operators looking to retrofit or replace brush panels on existing equipment.
Alan Crook, Managing Director of Cottam Brush, said:
“This is much more than simply adding another machine to our factory. It fundamentally changes what we are capable of manufacturing and the opportunities we can pursue.
“In the past, the size or complexity of some brushes meant we had to subcontract production or find another way of making them, and sometimes we simply couldn’t manufacture them cost-effectively. The Gemini removes many of those barriers, allowing us to produce a much wider range of brushes in-house, more efficiently.
“It gives us the confidence to pursue opportunities that previously might not have been open to us and is particularly important to our ambitions within the OEM market.”
A Made in Britain member, Cottam manufactures custom-engineered brushes for multiple sectors including aerospace, defence, subsea, manufacturing, food and beverage, agriculture and logistics.
Applications range from specialist brushes that remove debris from gear cogs during jet engine manufacture to solutions for cleaning subsea pipelines.
He added:
“Cottam has been manufacturing brushes for more than 168 years, but we aren’t relying on our heritage. By investing in technology like the Gemini, we can work more closely with manufacturers and engineers to develop solutions for specific applications and pursue opportunities in new markets.”
