Monthly Archives: March 2021

Twinfix help healthcare establishments enhance their outdoor space

Twinfix is a family owned and managed company with over 30 years’ experience providing canopies and shelters to the healthcare industry.

Our design team enjoy creating attractive and useful outdoor shelters to suit our clients’ varying needs and understand the importance of protecting individuals who are ill and elderly from the elements and provide structures which could benefit healthcare facilities in several ways, including entrance canopies, walkways and ambulance or patient drop off shelters.

When Clatterbridge opened its new site at Liverpool hospital, it quickly became apparent that there was a requirement to provide shelter for patients, visitors, and staff as they moved between buildings. Twinfix designed, manufactured, and installed two fully sealed link corridors with aluminium frame and squared posts between the new hospital and Clatterbridge Centre.

New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton had a requirement for two walkways at their new Eye centre and approached Twinfix to design, manufacture and install structures spanning 34 sqm.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has had a noticeable impact on healthcare design and many centres and hospitals need more space for staff and patients in-line with social-distancing guidelines. Over recent months, we have been working with several healthcare establishments to design various structures, including canopies that provide a safe area for carrying out COVID vaccinations and testing.

For those who are looking for an elegant, useful, and functional outside glazed cover the Twinfix design team await the challenge!

Second Tangent Rail event

Our Second event with Tangent Rail was another great experience and we are delighted to have been involved again.

Below is a link to an informative article on our Multi-Link-Panel roof glazing system and the benefits that it can bring to the rail sector. The article also contains a link to the event where you can watch it in full.

https://tangentrail.co.uk/twinfixs-multi-link-panel-system-stands-the-test-of-time/

Twinfix Joins the Manufacturers Alliance Community

Twinfix are a high quality, safety focused, British manufacturer and installer of roof glazing and canopy systems. From its original roots as polycarbonate and glazing bar suppliers, they now offer a full range of glazing products including their non-fragile Multi-Link-Panel which is often incorporated into a wide variety of canopies, covered walkways, and shelters. Working across many sectors, including rail, education, industrial and retail, Twinfix offers a full service from initial enquiry and advice on projects, to design, manufacture and installation.

Twinfix are a family run business and celebrated their 30^th Anniversary during 2020.They take great pride in their forward thinking approach to product development and introducing new roofing and canopy products to the market.

Sarah Kench, Managing Director at Twinfix shared why she joined the Manufacturers Alliance and how her experience has been so far, “I was keen to improve my awareness of best practice across the manufacturing industry and to create a network of industry professionals that are working with similar challenges, the Manufacturers Alliance seemed like a really good avenue to go down to achieve this. So far, I have found the content interesting and I’m looking forward to getting involved in more sessions and hopefully some face-to-face meetings in the not-too-distant future! From my membership I am hoping to share insights and best practice, as well as create a network of discussion partners”.

Gary Sheader, Founder and Managing Director of the Manufacturers Alliance shared his thoughts on Twinfix joining the Cheshire based Peer Support Group, “Twinfix are a business that we have admired for a good few year’s. We are really chuffed to have them on board. They are a forward-thinking business with an impressive track record. Their ambitions to progress are infectious and will inspire others in the peer group to think for the long term. A good fit for our peer group ethos.”

Twinfix has recently joined the Rail Alliance

Twinfix has recently joined the Rail Alliance

The Rail Alliance is a leading representative of the UK rail supply chain community, establishing itself as the go-to membership organisation for business-to-business diversity, ingenuity, and innovation within the rail industry.

Over the years Twinfix has supplied modular polycarbonate panels for use as rooflights in many railway stations and depots. The polycarbonate used to glaze these panels can either look like the original Georgian wired glass or appear as clear as plate glass, depending on the grade of polycarbonate glazing specified.

Vicky Evans, Managing Director commented: “We are delighted to be joining the supply chain community and look forward to sharing best practice and presenting our high-quality, safe products to the Rail Alliance community.”

Multi-Link-Panel Assembly

What better way to demonstrate how incredibly quick and simple our Multi-Link-Panel roof glazing system is to install than to produce an animation.

Below is a summary of how you can benefit from using this system over the more traditional bar and sheet method or glazing:

The Multi-Link-Panel is an innovative polycarbonate glazing product that, due to its ‘fix and link’ method of installation, is incredibly quick to fit, making it an excellent choice for installation in stations where possession times are an issue. An important safety feature is that Twinfix Non Fragile Multi-Link-Panels conform to the HSE recommended test method ACR[M]001:2014.

These rooflights consist of pre-assembled modular glazing panels, manufactured to size for each individual project. Each panel comprises of aluminium structural bars that are glazed with lightweight, yet tough, multiwall or solid polycarbonate. As panels are pre-assembled in a controlled factory environment possible errors caused by on-site cutting of the glazing sheet can be avoided and ensures the high quality of the product as we control the manufacture in our factory.

Also available as part of our Multi-Link-Panel is our in-line access hatch. The in line access hatch allows access from below to clean gutters and therefore avoiding the need to go onto the roof. The key to the hatch is that it is in-line with the rooflight glazing – making it ideal for heritage areas.

Key Points below:

Long lifecycle – Polycarbonate is virtually unbreakable and will eliminate the maintenance costs involved in replacing broken glass. Polycarbonate is UV coated on both sides.
Twinfix Non Fragile Multi-Link-Panels conform to the HSE recommended test method ACR[M]001:2014 (as outlined in document HSG33) and achieve a ‘B’ Classification.
Our Multi-Link-Panels are pre-assembled in our factory ensuring strict quality guidelines are adhered to which cannot always be guaranteed when roofing products are assembled on site.
In Line Access Hatch, to allow cleaning of gutters and roof – manufactured as part of our Multi-Link-Panel these hatches are hardly visible and allow safe access through the glazing without needing to get on the roof.
Our Georgian Wired Polycarbonate has been used at many listed stations throughout the UK. It looks the same as Georgian wired glass, but it won’t break.
The Multi-Link-Panel is light in weight and due to its modular format it is very quick to install which is very good for short rail possession works.

Casestudy: Ysgol Rhys Prichard

When plans were made by Carmarthenshire County Council to move Ysgol Rhys Prichard into the former Ysgol Pantycelyn site in Llandovery, Twinfix were approached by Principal Contractor Lloyd and Gravell to provide seven canopies, spanning a total of 158sqm as part of the enhancements to the site.

Twinfix are a family business, that have been operating for 30 years as a reputable and accredited designer, manufacturer and installer of high-quality, safe canopies which have benefitted many education establishments throughout the UK.

All the canopies hold the CE mark of safety, were installed by our team of DBS checked installers and are manufactured at our factory in Warrington. The roofs comprise of our non-fragile Multi-Link-Panel roof-glazing system, glazed with tough 16mm clear multiwall polycarbonate. The aluminium frames were powder coated in RAL 7016 a matt anthracite grey, to blend in with the school exteriors. Using aluminium for the framework is our material of choice as it is such a versatile product. It can be formed into many shapes and it is relatively light in weight – making it easier and safer to handle and install.

The canopies were fitted with vertical glazing and doors offering protection from the weather all year round and an added element of security. The solid polycarbonate used in the doors and windows is virtually unbreakable meaning it can withstand flying footballs or even cricket balls!

We hope the staff and pupils at Ysgol Rhys Prichard enjoy their new school and the improved facilities there.

Vacancy: CAD Technician / Designer

We are recruiting for a full-time CAD Technician/Designer to work in our busy design department.

Main duties/Responsibilities:

Assist in the creation of standard drawings which can then be used as templates and updated as practices change
Assist sales with any new enquiries having an early involvement advising clients direct with new projects
Attend sales meetings to assist and answer technical questions
Attend any site meetings that require designer input
Design and prepare detailed (CAD) general arrangement drawings including plans, elevations and section drawings, and/or scale drawings for complex projects from observation, survey measurements, sketches, and specifications
Interface with other departments to assis with the flow of work from sales, planning, factory, delivery and installation.
Prepare electronic (CAD) fabrication drawings, cutting lists, material schedules/allocations, packing lists and paint schedules
Prepare basic requirements on structural design for assessment by structural engineer
Liaise with customers to obtain and agree details
Chair pre-site meetings with the installation teams to discuss your designs helping the installation process
Provide any sales drawings requested to help win new projects
Preparation of risk assessments and method statements for use on site
Preparation of ‘as built’ drawings for inclusion in O&Ms
Must be exact in their work

Competencies:

Microsoft Word, Excel and Access
AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor
Sage
Good communication skills – both written and verbal
Awareness of CDM and other mandatory regulations

Benefits:

Working within a close knit family business that has been in operation for 30 years
24 days holiday plus all statutory bank holidays. An amount of holiday allowance must be saved for Christmas shutdown – normally 4 days
Staff pension scheme with Peoples Pension in line with auto enrolment rules
Medicash staff health care plan (qualifying after 3 months employment)
Staff death in service life insurance plan (qualifying after 3 months employment)
3 paid days sick which roll over year on year if not used