Article appeared in Public Service Review, December 2007
Powrmatic UK Ltd is Europe's foremost manufacturer of commercial and industrial heating and air handling equipment, and a leading specialist in natural, powered and smoke ventilation equipment.
The company offers complete energy efficient climate control solutions and exports globally. Powrmatic has been trading successfully for more than 40 years and is recognised as a leader in the warm air market.
The company completed the purchase of flue manufacturer Selkirk's assets from the receiver in 2003. Powrmatic's own flue division was integrated in the Selkirk business and set up under the name SFL Limited. SFL is run as a separate wholly-owned entity, with one manufacturing facility in Barnstaple, North Devon.
Powrmatic and SFL have a strong track record with their products, which have been proven in some of the world's most prestigious and demanding commercial and public sector applications. Customers include Lothian and Borders Police Headquarters, Edinburgh; numerous local authorities; British Aerospace; Honda; Tesco; and Toyota.
The company's commitment to product safety, quality and reliability is also demonstrated by equipment certification to all current European standards and an ISO 9001 registered quality system. All products conform to current EU and international standards and regulations, and are in line with CE mark requirements. Powrmatic is also BSi registered FM414/FM1957, and is an ICOM Energy Association, HEVAC and EEF Member. SFL is a British Flue and Chimney Manufacturers' Association member.
The company recently rationalised its three factories, at separate locations in Ilminster, into just one. Where travel between the sites for its workers had been the norm, the changes have already achieved a massive efficiency saving, as well as boosting communication between production lines. This significantly reduced the company's carbon footprint and is further reinforced by manufacturing 100% of its products in the UK.
Consolidation of the factories has led further economies of scale, enabling the cabinet range to be rationalised around one main model and part numbers to be reduced from around 40,000 to a mere 5,000.
A new brand identity has been developed to visually represent these changes. Its house colour was updated from the green units that are a standard feature in most commercial and industrial units to white, and can be supplied in any colour to customer requirements.
SFL Case Study
Lothian and Borders Police Headquarters, Edinburgh
SFL flues have been installed in Lothian and Borders Police Headquarters, Edinburgh, as part of a refurbishment designed to upgrade the heating system in line with the Force's energy policy. As a plant becomes redundant, it is replaced with the most energy-efficient option available, in combination with a building management system; this strategy has proved to offer a significant reduction in fuel consumption and consequent savings in running costs.
Lothian and Borders Police Headquarters was built in the 1970s and, as a result, the original heating plant was due for replacement. The two 1,000kW boilers were oil-fired, had been converted to gas firing and, after 25 years, had reached the end of their operational lives. In designing a replacement system, consulting engineers Taylor & Associates assessed occupancy patterns in the building, which, whilst operating on a strategy has proved to offer a significant reduction in fuel consumption and consequent savings in running costs. JRF Chimney Specialists, SFL's principal distributors in Scotland, were approached by the consultant to provide a solution and together they agreed a route and appropriate diameter for the new chimney run.
A spokesman for Lothian & Borders Police Estates Department commented: "We expect to make major energy savings, in the order of 30%, due to the new equipment that has been installed during the refurbishment. The heating system will be largely responsible for the reduction in fuel consumption as the modular, condensing boilers are much more energy-efficient than the plant they replace; previously, any demand for heat brought in a 1,000kW boiler. The building management system also makes a major contribution, and other energy saving measures include a CHP plant and variable speed drives on pumps and air handling units."
The new system was installed by heating and ventilating engineers, Express Heating.