Author Archives: Twinfix

Preston Station

Preston railway station is on the West Coast Main Line, about half-way between Euston railway station and Glasgow Central station, the North Union railway station was opened in 1838. The current station was built in 1880 and extended in 1903 and 1913.

From Preston you can get to London Euston in 2h 47m every day, connecting the south to the north in a matter of hours. It is therefore a station that is both historical as well as an important transport route.
Alongside the elegant 19th century station building the station has a lot of interesting history. The Free Buffet Association fed servicemen 24 hours a day during the First World War there and the waiting room on platform three eatures a plaque that marks where the buffet once stood.

Moving on to something quite different, but another key feature of this historic station, is the glazed gables at the end of the station. These gables were one of the station’s original features. The gables were last updated in the 1960s and were badly rotten and in need of repair.

In July 2019 we were approached by MPH Construction Ltd and Crouch Waterfall to look at a solution to renew the gables. The solution had to be in keeping with the original features, require limited maintenance and be able to stand the test of time. We visited site to look at
possible solutions, wanting to provide a product that was cost effective as well as in keeping with the heritage features of the original gables. Our Multi-Link-Panel solid polycarbonate glazing system with a bespoke rolled aluminium ladder frame and flashing fit the bill.

We formed a great partnership with main contractor MPH, with MPH commenting:

“As a trusted delivery partner Twinfix have worked with MPH on numerous railway station refurbishment schemes. For this scheme the brief from Network Rail was to replace the life expired glazed façade to the gable end of the train shed building. MPH approached Twinfix to propose a replacement façade using light weight sustainable materials that would sympathetically replicate the historic features of the station. Twinfix assisted MPH with achieving the aspiration of the client and the end result speaks for itself.”

Andy Savage, Executive Director of the Railway Heritage Trust said:

“The Railway Heritage Trust gave a grant of £100,000 towards the renewal of the screens at Preston. We are delighted with how this project’s use of modern, Twinfix, materials has enabled the retention of the original appearance of the screen, whilst making it both stronger and safer to maintain in the future. We are particularly pleased at Twinfix going the extra mile in designing and manufacturing bespoke elements of the glazing bars as part of this.”

Many complexities had to be overcome making it a challenging project to work on. Firstly, taking accurate measurements during the survey was difficult due to the steel frame that had twisted over time. However, we paid time and attention on this up-front survey work to ensure that the project ran smoothly, and the product fitted correctly.

An additional design feature was that we had to clamp to some the existing cast steel rather than fix through it. Although time consuming, it was the correct method for the existing metal framework.

Appearance wise the clear polycarbonate that is glazed into the Multi-Link-Panel frame has the same look as glass, so allows light to flood through. Polycarbonate stands no
chance of breaking so a great safety enhancement for the station.

Polycarbonate and aluminium can both be recycled after their long-life span. They are also manufactured from partly recycled material.

A feature that further enhanced the sympathetic refurbishment of the gables was the addition of a moulded detail that featured at the top of the glazing bar, MPH sourced machined high-density material to replicate the timber details. This really complemented the new Multi-Link-Panel gables and ensured they looked as in keeping as possible.

All in all it was a fabulous project to work on and we are delighted with the finished result which is now a long lasting and durable feature of this historic listed station.

Preston Station

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.

 

Vacancy: CAD Technician / Designer

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

Main duties/Responsibilities:

  1. Assist in the creation of standard drawings which can then be used as templates and updated as practices change
  2. Assist sales with any new enquiries having an early involvement advising clients direct with new projects
  3. Attend sales meetings to assist and answer technical questions
  4. Attend any site meetings that require designer input
  5. 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
  6. Interface with other departments to assis with the flow of work from sales, planning, factory, delivery and installation.
  7. Prepare electronic (CAD) fabrication drawings, cutting lists, material schedules/allocations, packing lists and paint schedules
  8. Prepare basic requirements on structural design for assessment by structural engineer
  9. Liaise with customers to obtain and agree details
  10. Chair pre-site meetings with the installation teams to discuss your designs helping the installation process
  11. Provide any sales drawings requested to help win new projects
  12. Preparation of risk assessments and method statements for use on site
  13. Preparation of ‘as built’ drawings for inclusion in O&Ms
  14. 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

Tangent Rail event

Last week’s Tangent Rail event was a rewarding experience for us and we are delighted to have been involved.

We have a huge passion for our work in rail so it was good to be able to showcase this at the event.

Below is a link to our interview with Catherine from Tangent followed by another link to the recording of our very own Vicky Evans talking all things rail with Network Rail‘s Ingrid Norman MCIPS AMICE.

Interview: https://tangentrail.co.uk/twinfix-innovating-rail-for-future-generations/

Live event recording: https://globalmeet.webcasts.com/viewer/event.jsp?ei=1387283&tp_key=e3eb73b3f3

Our next event is on 16th March and we hope to see you there.

Kilmarnock Station Revisited

We recently revisited Kilmarnock station to take some photos of this shining example of our Multi-Link-Panel NF system glazed with 6mm thick solid polycarbonate.  Below is our project case study together with the new photos.

New Roof Glazing for Kilmarnock Station

Travel 170 miles south of Aberdeen and you arrive at Kilmarnock station, East Ayrshire. This station opened in 1846 and is a ‘Category B’ listed building, which has 4 platforms and 0.6 million passengers travelled through it last year.

Following the successful re-glaze at Aberdeen and Stirling stations, Network Rail approached Twinfix to carry out the refurbishment of the canopy glazing at Kilmarnock station. Platforms 1, 2 and 3 were covered by a partly glazed roof, where many of the glass panels were stained, in poor condition, detracting from the canopies and station environment.

Twinfix replaced a total of 1829 square meters of glazing panels with the Multi-Link-Panel NF system. The canopies were originally glazed with Georgian wired glass, but 6mm clear solid polycarbonate was specified for the new system, maximizing the amount of natural daylight in the station and drawing attention to the decorative features found on the column arches and truss ends. Twinfix also installed a total of 59 access hatches across the canopies.

The successful roof re-glazing has provided Aberdeen and Kilmarnock stations with non-fragile, virtually unbreakable and attractive roofs that have restored these stations to their former glory and Twinfix, Story Contracting and Covanburn Contracts can be extremely proud of the refurbished premises.

 

Vacancy – Project Coordinator

Objectives of position

To provide Twinfix Limited with the support and expertise needed to deliver the project planning activities in a timely and efficient manner to meet customer and business demands.

Scope of position

Managing construction based projects and associated activities from sale through to installation/delivery

Main duties/Responsibilities/Competencies

  1. Individual project ownership for construction projects
  2. Maintaining all project actions and ensuring timely progression of all projects
  3. Communicating verbally and in writing with customers / construction sites – assessing sites to ensure readiness for install in line with programme. This will involve reviewing site conditions for initial site survey and as the projects progress confirming readiness for install. Talking to site managers regularly to understand their site programmes and where our install falls in the critical path of the overall project
  4. Attending site to carry out any necessary site meetings
  5. Support Project Office Manager with transport coordination activities for the business
  6. Input into installation schedules – ensure an understanding of resource available to achieve customer and business requirements
  7. When appropriate coordinate with the necessary suppliers and the procurement coordinator for project based materials / equipment. Cover any procurement related tasks during holiday times
  8. As appropriate arranging and coordinating with subcontractors for installation and groundwork
  9. Issuing all relevant project paperwork to clients and subcontractors plus housekeeping of all project paperwork when returned from site
  10. Work with the manufacturing coordinator regarding production schedules in line with programme
  11. Liaising with our design and technical team for drawings and technical paperwork
  12. Liaising with sales to extract project information and coordinating pricing variations
  13. Reviewing project order paperwork to ensure agreement to terms
  14. As necessary support project office admin and procurement coordinator to create and book in purchase orders using Sage

Preferred Competencies:

  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Access
  • Sage
  • Basic CAD viewing
  • Construction industry experience
  • Basic contracts experience
  • Good organisation skills
  • Good communication skills – both written and verbal

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

This job description is not an exhaustive list of tasks. Additional activities will be required above and beyond those listed to carry out the role. Changes to the role will occur as the needs of the business change.

Application deadline: 14/02/2021

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: £21,000.00-£25,000.00 per year

Experience: Construction related: 1 year (Preferred)

CHAS Premium Plus

CHAS Premium Plus  We are delighted that our application for CHAS Premium Plus has been assessed and Twinfix are deemed compliant against the CHAS standard for:

  • Health & Safety Assessment
  • Environmental Verification
  • Quality Management Verification
  • Equal Opportunities & Diversity Verification
  • Financial & Business Standing Verification
  • Anti-Bribery & Corruption Verification
  • Modern Slavery Verification

As a health and safety focused company we are especially pleased to have passed the Health & Safety Assessment again this year.

Chas Premium Plus Certificate

Twinfix joins the Manufacturers Alliance

We are pleased to announce that this year we have joined the Cheshire Manufacturers Alliance.  The Manufacturers Alliance brings together like-minded manufacturing businesses to share ideas and best practices.  Through its many group events as well as coaching and mentoring between the members the organisation is a great place for members to work together to help their businesses grow and develop.

Gary Sheader, Founder and Managing Director of the Manufacturers Alliance shared, “We are happy to welcome Twinfix to the Manufacturers Alliance community. They are a good fit with the profile of manufacturing businesses we support; progressive, open to learning and sharing with others, and very much down to earth. Vicky will be joining one of our established peer support groups based in Cheshire and will meet monthly to develop her leadership skills, work on the Twinfix strategy and share best practice ideas with other local SME manufacturers. Welcome aboard Vicky.”

Dry run at Twinfix factory
Twinfix Truck getting ready for delivery