Manufacturer targets European markets with new products

A COVENTRY manufacturer is targeting European markets for two of its latest innovative products.

Penso, which employs 230 people across sites in Coventry, London and Pune, is using the JEC World 2016 trade exhibition in Paris as the platform for two new lightweight products designed for the rail and automotive sectors.

The innovative train door offers a 30% reduction in weight when compared to the current aluminium models.

Michael Collins, Penso’s marketing and sales director, said the company was already in talks with train manufacturers about adopting the new product.

With the extra profile offered by the trade show, which starts today, he is hoping to convert the interest into new orders.

“A lot of firms have been looking at R&D into this area, but very few – if indeed any – have gone to the next level and actually invested in technology and the experts needed to produce a lightweight rail door out of composite material,” he said.

“We designed our own tooling and press formed the door at our dedicated composite facility in Coventry. They have been tested by a number of third party experts and come out as being robust and offering up to 30% weight savings.

“This is a major attraction for the train operators and manufacturers and we are currently targeting a number of companies in Europe with view to achieving millions of euros in new orders by 2017.”

In addition to the train door, the company will also be displaying some of the work it has carried out as part of the £16.8m VARCITY programme to create affordable carbon fibre body architecture.”

Partners in the programme include Jaguar Land Rover, Cytec/Solvay, Expert Tooling, Warwick Manufacturing Group, the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, Sika and Avdel Fasteners.

“Together, we have researched and developed new composite solutions to aid with industry’s drive to reduce C02 and Nitrogen Oxide emissions,” said Mr Collins.

VARCITY positions the company and the UK supply chain at the forefront of composite development and should be the catalyst to tender for more contracts in the automotive sector.

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