Having the right tools in a workshop is essential; they can minimise workloads, improve health and safety for workers and ensure the quality of a vehicle is maintained
“Quality from start to finish,” that’s Mirka’s motto – and in every area of the coach and bus industry, whether that be operating, sales, driving or maintenance, quality is the foundation to ensuring a successful business.
Based in Milton Keynes, the abrasives specialist is putting quality at the forefront of its products. It is not simply sanding; it provides the tools and expertise to enable a vehicle to retain its excellence while also protecting the health of those that use Mirka’s tools.
Dust-free
Long periods of exposure to dust can very be harmful – causing skin irritations, eye and lung issues.
Mirka is a pioneer in dust-free solutions, and its equipment would be a welcome addition into any workshops due to the improvements it can make to both working conditions and employees’ health.
Steve Smith, national sales manager, says: “For more than 15 years, we have continuously developed dust-free concepts, products and have set a new industry standard.
“Mirka has converted the sanding business from dry sanding to dust-free sanding, which saves time, money and the environment. Dust-free sanding has significantly improved health and safety aspects for our customers too.”
Besides improving health and safety for the user, it means less rework and faster processes, saving both time and money.
Dust-free properties are always taken into consideration when it comes to developing new tools.
“Over the years, we’ve built up a comprehensive knowledge of our customers and the challenges they face,” says Steve.
“Mirka’s dust-free concepts revolutionise the process. Our solutions are faster, cleaner and cost-effective so they fit in well with our bigger vision – to be your most sustainable partner.”
routeone tested ‘dust-free’ sanding, and it does exactly what is says on the tin – a minimal amount of dust rests on the test area, not floating in the air.
The dust extraction is a huge benefit, not only to the vehicle which it is being used on, but also to the user of the product. Steve says the company is so confident in its dust-free solutions, Mirka’s staff will wear dark-coloured suits and black overalls to illustrate how little dust is produced.
Environmentally focused
Sustainability is a major priority for Mirka. So much so that it has its own bioenergy power plant.
It has stopped using oil as a heating source therefore reducing its greenhouse-gas emissions considerably.
The plant began incinerating production waste in Jeppo, Finland in September 2013 and runs on a mix of abrasive waste and renewable materials.
Training
Mirka UK opened a new stateâ€ofâ€theâ€art national training centre at its Milton Keynes base in September 2018.
The investment is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to providing its customers with expert training and development around its highâ€quality abrasive, tooling and polishing solutions, enabling businesses to improve production, output and profit performance.
The training centre will offer customised training programmes for groups of up to 12 delegates based on the customers’ needs and requirements.
The 2,500ft² site has been designed to maximise the user experience, with a practical demonstration space, where Mirka’s in-house technical experts can showcase the company's latest processes and products and where attendees will be able to complete the handsâ€on technical training in a workshop setting. It also features classroom space for more knowledgeâ€based learning, which can then be transferred into the practical elements of the training programme.
Craig Daycock, managing director of Mirka UK, says: “We understand that the sectors we work in are constantly evolving in terms of the processes and products required to improve production, output and profit while still reducing cost and waste.
“Training is essential for our customers to achieve this. To take our on-site customer training to the next level, we made the decision to invest in our own training centre.
“We look forward to ensuring those users who come through our doors will leave knowing they have developed and learned new skills and techniques that will assist them in their jobs and enable their companies to expand their business opportunities.”
[Blob] For more information on Mirka’s full product range, visit: www.mirka.co.uk
