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Leading Gasket maker opens £2.8m hi-tech manufacturing facility in Oldham

J. A. Harrison and Company unveiled new hi-tech production facility this month, designed to slash lead times on their innovative sealing products.

The £2.8m installation houses advanced technology, machinery and manufacturing processes designed to cut down-time for customers operating in the Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Power Generation and Engineering industries. 

The company, is a specialist supplier of bespoke and standard-dimension gaskets and seals to customers including Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.

Its new state-of-the-art facility is in Middleton, Oldham the home town of the Shepherd family who have owned J.A. Harrison since the 1940s. It incorporates computerised industrial presses, lathes, ovens and implementing cyber-safe systems capable of maximising the 38,000 sqft installation’s output of specialised sealing product designs at industry-leading speeds. The new production efficiencys will enable the company to compete on price with gasket manufacturers in China and India.

J.A. Harrison’s managing director Keith Shepherd said:

“The new facility gives us a capability to design and produce a new generation of the most advanced, specialised and innovative sealing products in the world.

“Leakages or down-time lost to maintenance can be extremely costly and speed is of the essence. This facility allows us to respond more quickly to customer problems.

“J.A. Harrison already supplies gaskets and seals to companies as far afield as Australia because our turnaround times in the UK are still faster than our competitors over there. But our new facility will speed up manufacturing processes further, in some cases saving precious days or hours on fast moving projects.

“It is a showpiece for the gasket and seals industry giving us scope to produce specialised gaskets and seals in more volume and at a faster rate. We are delighted it is now operational.”

The facility was opened on 11 November with a launch event  which also launched the businesses new apprenticeship scheme, new website and the rebranding of J.A. Harrison to appeal more directly to overseas users of it products.

The business received a raft of support from the Business Growth Hub and the Department of International Trade−read the full J.A. Harrison case study. Alternatively, find out more about fully funded support for manufacturing firms.

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J.A. Harrison's original factory
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J.A. Harrison's new facility in Oldham
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J.A. Harrison's hi-tech production floor
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Advanced manufacturing utilised at J.A. Harrison's new factory

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