Here is a case study of how the installation of Brückner machines has benefitted H & C Whitehead Ltd.
Family-owned textile finisher H & C Whitehead Ltd. was founded in 1925 by Harold and Carl Whitehead. The company is a recognised world-class textile finisher with more than 90 years of experience in coating and finishing an extensive and varied range of textiles. Within recent months they have successfully commissioned several Brückner machines. As part of an ongoing capital upgrade strategy, a new state-of-the-art Brückner finishing stenter with an Eco-Heat air and air heat recovery unit has recently been installed in their factory in Brighouse, UK. This complements two other Brückner stenter lines, both of which have heat recovery systems in-stalled.
Essential requirements were the highest performance heat-setting consistency across and throughout the oven for delicate woven fabrics and minimal energy consumption in support of H & C Whitehead’s sustainability initiatives. The stenter frame is mainly designed to process fabrics for the apparel industry with anti-pilling, stain-resistant or anti-microbial finishes, but also flame-retardant chemistry is applied on to upholstery fabrics to meet fire safety regulations. The Brückner Eco-Heat backpack heat-recovery unit is integrated into the stenter structure, which does not require a separate support structure, but provides for safe access to the unit.
It significantly reduces the stenter heating energy requirement up to 20%. The unit is equipped with several cassette type heat exchangers, which can be removed easily for cleaning or maintenance purposes. One of the other existing Brückner lines has been retrofitted with a Brückner Eco-Heat air and water heat recovery plant on the exhaust system. It is used to heat up process water for their new open width washing range and can, depending on the heat requirement of the process, regain up to 85% of the stenter exhaust air heat.
David Whitehead, owner and CEO, has successfully led the company for many years and has invested a great deal of effort in preparing the company for the future. Next to the investment into the new Brückner machines and the new washing range, he has had a new production building built to house these new lines.
Says Whitehead: “Brückner have been instrumental in the transformation in the quality of our end product over the last 10 years. The reliability of their machinery has also proven essential to the ‘just in time’ nature of our business. I cannot fault the company and their flexibility in finding solutions to our specific requirements, especially floor space limitations.”