10th Anniversary of DaRo Products Ltd
DaRo Products Ltd celebrated their 10th Anniversary on July 1st 2010, and continues to maintain the record of continued growth in every consecutive year since the formation of DaRo Products Ltd, in 2000.
DaRo, originally the manufacturing arm of UV Systems plc, was formed as a result of a management buyout and the name was derived simply as a combination of the names of the two original Directors, Damon Goodyear and Rob Benson.
By 2001, DaRo Products Ltd moved to its purpose built factory in Churchfield Road, Sudbury, (on the Essex borders) but at an original size of 10,500 Sq.ft it was not many years before our footprint had outgrown the current size.
With a strong belief in expansion through customer partnerships by 2004 DaRo Products Ltd had expanded the manufacturing unit by another 2000 Sq.ft in order to accommodate the assembly department. This offers a fully inclusive service which, if required, can stretch from mechanical and electronic assembly, test and inspection, right through to storage, distribution, sales and administration. As Damon states; “We have a genuine philosophy of working with our customers to find ways of offering the best service and solutions”, all of which adds to the customer benefits of a truly “one-stop” shop facility.
By 2005 DaRo had paid off their original DTI secured loan and investment started in new equipment so that they could offer advanced sheet metal processing technology- offering customers greater speed and efficiency whilst maintaining accuracy – The first serious purchase was a new Rainer CNC Punch, followed in 2006 by investment in a new CNC Press Brake – customer growth also continued during this period by DaRo Products Ltd gaining significant business from Tyco.
2007 was a very significant growth year for DaRo:-
- As a fundamental part of the “one-stop strategy” DaRo acquired the UV product range from Wedeco which also took them back to some of their roots and original customer base.
- A further 3,000 Sq.ft expansion took place, purpose-built to house a full powder coating production line. comprising 45m of conveyor track running through an online cartridge filter spray booth into a 14m multi pass curing oven.
- Purchased another Rainer Punching Machine. This is not only energy efficient but has larger tool and sheet capacity allowing DaRo to meet with new customer requirements.
- Expanded into new front building giving two-fold growth opportunity by 3000 Sq.ft of production space and a further 2000 Sq.ft of office accommodation.
- December 2007 invested in a Safan Press Brake 7-axis CNC which gains a great deal of accuracy by replacing the hydraulic technology for electronic controls, giving very precise bending
In 2008 DaRo invested in 2000 x 1250 capacity new Vacuum Forming technology which enabled them to handle a greater range of products and components, from very large sheets down to tiny components. DaRo Group Ltd was formed to ensure that both the UV business and DaRo Products Ltd could each stand alone and retain their own individual identity.
In June 2009, a 3000 Sq.ft capacity mezzanine floor area was installed to further expand the increasingly popular product assembly department, and thanks to the commitment to customer partnerships philosophy, significant expansion to the design facility has also been undertaken.
In order to do this we have taken on Rob Thomas as our new design manager (new news items soon to be shown introducing Rob formally) and have introduced Autodesk Inventor and Radan software to enable us to offer full in-house 3D design and prototyping. Adding this facility has greatly contributed to the recent continued success story by:
- allowing closer partnerships with customers to develop new product lines
- increased flexibility
- the ability to design out costs on existing products
- helping customers become more competitive.
Still only part way through 2010 but already taken on another unit to house the DaRo UV business and now preparing for the imminent arrival and commissioning of the latest investment acquisition, a new phosphate pre-treatment plant, which has been funded through the carbon trust grant scheme. A separate news item will be published shortly.
