Before this major step could be accomplished successfully, a plan to deliver a smooth transition of production from York to Thorp Arch had to be put in place, with the assurance that the new manufacturing facility was fit and ready from the get go to create new bespoke props, repair and maintain existing stock, and to constantly prepare items for dispatch to an event in ‘as good as new’ condition. Event Prop Hire now has state-of-the art production facilities including 3-D scanning, 3 and 4-axis CNC machining, as well as a design and print studio – and all of these facilities are enjoyed to the full by a team of passionate professionals, each skilled in different areas of expertise.
In setting up the new production facility, the directors recognised that investment in the best available plant and equipment was a major contributory factor in their quest for unrivalled quality of finish. And, when it came to procuring design and construction of new enclosures for the finishing department, a Google search for prospective suppliers turned up an ace within half a mile of their new premises, on the same industrial estate… Gallito Limited has been involved with the design, manufacture, and installation of quality spray booths and paint finishing systems for over 40 years, and has itself expanded rapidly since it becoming part of the DCS Group of companies. Today, Gallito offers advanced, cost-effective solutions, and a capability that extends from standard spray booths and ovens, through to turnkey finishing systems.
Gallito’s Sales Manager, Mike Lodge, handled the initial enquiry and, following site visits and discussions with Matt to assess the requirements, was able to present a proposal to Event Prop Hire which fully met the company’s needs for a range of different sized enclosures; providing a series of clean, safe areas for carrying out a multiplicity of manufacturing and maintenance tasks – but all with the same common requirement for efficient and effective extraction of potentially harmful fumes and particulates.
Everyone involved with the new finishing department is complementary about the installation which Gallito’s team fitted in just 20 working days. “We supply products on hire for over 2000 events every year,” says Matthew East, “including corporate events for some of the biggest brands and blue-chip companies and, to maintain our reputation for excellent quality and service, our production facility must be able to cope with anything and everything we throw at it, in an efficient and timely manner. This installation by Gallito has achieved what we asked for and has fulfilled all our expectations – from first enquiry through to the day of commissioning, Mike Lodge and the team of Gallito designers, engineers and fitters have performed outstandingly.”
The paint store is centrally-located for easy access from all areas, and is situated adjacent to the largest enclosure in the facility. With a personnel access door directly into the paint store, and two further double-width sliding doors providing access to 112 sq. metres of workable floor space, this enclosure provides filtration across an area of around 45 sq. metres; with one entire wall fitted with filter media, and extraction being provided by four separate 7.5kW fans – capable of extracting over 90,000m3 of air per hour from this large open space. The mezzanine area is accessed from either end of the structure via steel staircases, and a gated loading area on the first floor landing area allows items to be forklifted up and down as necessary. This area provides two further independent spray booth enclosures, each having a filtration area of around 15 sq. metres. These enclosures have 3 metre high ceilings and each room has independent extraction provided by two 5.5kW fans.