At the end of 2018, ScanStone moved their assembly line into a new state of the art building adjoined to the existing buildings, complete with air-sourced underfloor heating and all the necessary tools and lifting gear the building creates an excellent working environment for the assemblers. Added capacity has allowed the development and construction of increased product range as well, particularly in the vegetable harvesting line with ScanStone coming to the market this year with their very own Haulm topper range which includes a front mounted version which can be coupled with a rear mounted machine giving a 3 bed topper or the front piece can be easily adapted to go on the rear of the tractor for single bed topping. No guards or belts need to be changed unlike other machines, the ScanStone needs only the gearbox flipped and it is good to go.
Naturally, with the increase in one area of a manufacturing business, it is not long before the chock point moves elsewhere. You are only as fast as your slowest man, as the saying goes. This has led to further construction work at ScanStone’s main site outside Forfar, in Eastern Scotland. Work is currently underway, due to be completed in Spring time for an additional paint drying facility, adjacent to the painting and shotblasting area of the factory. Colder weather at busy production spells through the winter has meant that the drying area has had to be increased and improved. With underfloor heating being installed and eventually an automated carrying rail, parts can be painted and dried within 24 hours. This system adds to the companies lean manufacturing and just in time parts being made available for final assembly.
Covid-19 restrictions have also called for additional staffroom area and canteens to be spaced further out, to that end the firm has invested in a first floor mezzanine of 300 square metres for canteen space which will also have a training area. ScanStone believe training is paramount for optimisation of production techniques and machine capacity when at work in the field. Maintenance costs can also be improved with concise training as well and mean less downtime for the farmers. The training facility will have capacity to include personnel training, driver training and service training. All headed up by the senior members of ScanStone and their wealth of knowledge within aforementioned sectors.
Finally, the most recent building will include a service workshop which will be fit for overhauling second hand machines to give the second hand buyers an excellent value for money product with the option of a warranty and also for in and out of season repairs. William Skea, the front man of the ScanStone organisation commented: “Our local customers in the Angus, Aberdeenshire, Perthshire and Mearns areas often road their machines directly to the ScanStone factory resting assured in the knowledge that the experts will sort the problem first time and be guaranteed to have all the parts available there and then to complete the job.”
This model is being rolled out and replicated across 5 newly established ScanStone owned depots across the UK and Europe, Including the latest introduction of ScanStone France in Cheppy, Picardie, Northern France. Other depots include Brigg, Lakenheath and Kilkeel (NI).
The new assembly hall of 2018 cost the company around £300k and the building under construction now is another £300k. The firm said “although these investments are of significant magnitude, and particularly when they are in close succession like this, we want to give our customers and staff the best experiences and the best services. This can only be done by making investments in infrastructure as the number of machines working in the ground each year is always increasing. Typically, a destoner or any of our product line requires parts and service back up when it is being used, it is not really a one-off purchase for the farmer.
ScanStone has seen revenue increase by 28% on the previous year pushing sales of just short of £10M. The company has been extremely fortunate to be able to stay open and keep supporting the food industry amidst the travesty of the global pandemic that is Covid-19.
The new assembly hall of 2018 cost the company around £300k and the building under construction now is another £300k. The firm said “although these investments are of significant magnitude, and particularly when they are in close succession like this, we want to give our customers and staff the best experiences and the best services. This can only be done by making investments in infrastructure as the number of machines working in the ground each year is always increasing. Typically, a destoner or any of our product line requires parts and service back up when it is being used, it is not really a one-off purchase for the farmer.
ScanStone has seen revenue increase by 28% on the previous year pushing sales of just short of £10M. The company has been extremely fortunate to be able to stay open and keep supporting the food industry amidst the consequence of the global pandemic that is Covid-19.
