Knight Warner, the manufacturer of process automation equipment, has secured a new £1.1m order to produce robotic bottle handling and control equipment for two large Australian dairies.
The Chesterfield company will supply the equipment for Icon Equipment International after beating off foreign competition to win the contract.
Robotic equipment to be supplied as part of the order includes four FA250 fully automatic debagging and bottle feeding machines which will deliver lightweight HDPE milk bottles tothe Diaries’ milk filling lines.
The FA250 machine utilises patented “Stripping and Cutting” mechanisms which are capable of feeding bottles into production lines at a rate of up to 250 bottles per minute.
Dave Knight, the company’s commercial director, said it had spent the last six months developing new markets to build on its existing UK designed and manufactured equipment.
He also expressed his delight that Icon had placed faith in Knight Warner’s technology, which has been developed over the last 10 years under the guidance of company technical director Colin Powell.
Kevin Parkin, Knight Warner’s managing director said: “This is great news for our apprentices and gives them faith that there is a good future for manufacturing.
“We’re hopeful that the good news stories emanating this week will reinforce this belief.”
Mr Parkin added that Knight Warner intends to continue developing its export potential and to utilise the Made in Sheffield brand as a mark of quality UK manufacturing.
For insights into exporting to global markets attend TM’s Accelerated Growth: Exports Connect event on October 16 in London.
