Manufacturing and Engineering Magazine Volume 425 - January 2016 | Page 64

CIVIL ENGINEERING PCP GRATINGS
that statement. Through the development of
bespoke manufacturing equipment which, in turn
is able to then manufacture bespoke gratings,
every step of the process is tailored to the needs of
the customer so as best to ensure the end product
ticks every box and yet more. This is a unique
process available only with PcP.
This technology also allows PcP to push innovation where no other can afford to, which is
something that the company does indeed do
incredibly well. Instead of resting on the laurels of
past success or providing the bare minimum
requirement, PcP has become increasingly
renowned for developing new solutions to traditional problems. Merrington explains this yet further, commenting: “We'll take a look at an existing
marketplace, analyse that market, look at the
products being used throughout it, decide if it's a
viable product, if there's room for improvement
and if technology available in the 20th century can
bring the design forward.
“As an example, with scaffolding, we took a
long, hard look at the UK scaffolding industry
where traditionally companies use timber. Now,
to start with, that involves the cutting down of a

“Now we're looking to keep
ahead of the curve by
looking at new materials,
alternative designs and
faster techniques so that we
can produce them quicker”

vast number of trees and, in the days where we
need to be ecologically sensitive, we questioned
why we shouldn't be using a material which is
wholly reusable, so instead we looked at steel,.
By looking at an already existing timber product, we tooled up and designed a steel version of
the same, yet stronger, more effective, and with
an end-of-life usage due to the ability to scrap it,
recycle it and reuse it in anything from cars to a
baked bean can further on.”
This approach is only possible, however, due
to the expertise and drive for innovation which
is maintained behind the scenes at the company itself. And while company leadership it made

up of individuals with a passion for this innovation, PcP doesn't stop there, and actively looks
to recruit bright minds, with bright ideas.
Explaining further as to what the company
seeks out, Merrington explains: “We look for
people with specialised skills as designers, with
an inventive nature. People who look at an idea,
pull it apart and come up with a new solution, a
new way forward. As a group, our origin is initiative, with our founder inventing some of the
most favoured grating products around the
world and now, other people copy that. Of
course, now we're looking to keep ahead of the
curve by looking at new materials, alternative
designs and faster techniques so that we can
produce them quicker, also fetching the price
down and making them very cost-effective.”
Looking to the future, PcP is presently investigating the use of high strength, high yield materials
so that products can be made lighter, yet equally
sturdy. Not only does this enable PcP to improve
upon traditional material applications, but provide
far more sustainable solutions with greater
strength to weight ratios – this, in effect allows a
minimisation of the impact on the ecology and
allow for the usage of fewer materials in the production process itself. And on a closing sta [Y[