Cornish company Advanced Panel Systems (APS) has installed a custom-made closed panel timber frame production line which has increased production from 100 house kits a year to 1,000.
APS worked with Norwich-based product and process development consultancy Agathos Solutions to create the system – the only one in the country to come with insulation, drylining, windows, doors, floor cassettes and roof cassettes.
Selleck Nicholls, the parent company of APS which uses the system on its own developments, can deliver a dry shell ready for second fixing – excluding the capital costs of windows and doors – from £160 per m2.
Agathos managing director Christopher Gaze said: “The production line was installed over the summer and is now fully up and running. A number of manufacturers were involved including Makron, Weinmann and Palamatic.
“We helped design the product so it was cost effective to manufacture. APS had been doing timber frame for some time, mainly for its own consumption, but it wanted to expand production so it could offer the system to others.”
Mr Gaze added: “This is a good example of a well thought out, cost effective automation applied to a product designed to be manufactured efficiently. The result is a high quality product at a highly competitive price and it shows that even small companies can compete against the bigger ones.”
Mr Gaze said: “Production lines like this are modular in nature. If you plan wisely investments can start at around £50,000-150,000 for an initial piece of automation. Additional customised modules can then be added later. Major line investments can run into several million.”
