Author: Rebecca

Welcome to the April edition of the Straaltechniek newsletter. This month, we’re pleased to share a range of updates that highlight the continued progress, dedication, and teamwork across the business.

From key project milestones, including a successful Factory Acceptance Test at our manufacturing facility, to the delivery of multiple systems to customer sites, April has been a busy and productive month for the team.

We also take a moment to recognise and celebrate the people behind our success, including marking the retirement of a long-standing colleague whose contribution has made a lasting impact.

As always, thank you for your continued support and interest in Straaltechniek.

Double Delivery Success This Month

This month marked a significant achievement for our team, as we successfully completed the delivery of not just one, but two key pieces of equipment to separate customer sites.

A refurbished table machine and an automatic recovery system were both carefully prepared, transported, and delivered, ready for installation at their locations.

This accomplishment reflects the strong teamwork, coordination, and planning demonstrated by everyone involved. Their combined efforts ensured a smooth and efficient process from start to finish.

A great result and a testament to the team’s commitment and collaboration.

Factory Acceptance Test Completed

Last week, our Managing Director, Andy visited Croatia to conduct a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) at our machine manufacturing facility. This represents a significant milestone in the production process, ensuring that the machine fulfills all necessary performance and quality criteria before shipment. A big thank you to everyone on-site for their dedication and support in reaching this vital stage. We are another step closer to delivery!

Thank You, Jay – A Remarkable Career

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Jay for his 16 years of dedication at Straaltechniek.

After an incredible 38 years in the Surface Preparation Industry and 48 years of continuous employment, Jay officially retired on 2nd April 2026. His knowledge, experience, and guidance have made a lasting impact across the team, and he has built strong relationships with colleagues and customers alike.

We marked the occasion with a night out at the dogs and a buffet on his final working day to show our appreciation for everything he has contributed.

While Jay has retired from his front-facing role, we’re pleased that he will continue to support the business behind the scenes, sharing his valuable expertise and guidance on ongoing projects.

We thank Jay for his commitment and wish him a long, happy, and well-deserved retirement.

Welcome to our March Newsletter.

This month we’re pleased to share two recent developments. We have launched a new page on our website dedicated to Agriculture OEMs, highlighting how we support manufacturers in the sector with tailored solutions and supply chain expertise.

We’re also featuring a recent case study where a fully automated abrasive recovery system was installed to remove a production bottleneck in a customer’s shot blasting process. By eliminating the need for manual media recovery between components, the solution increased throughput from 6–7 components per day to 12 – an 84.6% increase in daily production capacity.

Eliminating a Production Bottleneck with Automated Abrasive Recovery

During a routine site visit, a customer highlighted a key challenge in their shot blasting process: operators were required to manually recover abrasive media between components, creating significant downtime. By installing a fully automated recovery system, the need for manual intervention was eliminated, increasing throughput from 6–7 components per day to 12 — an 84.6% improvement in daily production capacity while also saving around 30 minutes of manual labour per component.

Read more: Improving Shot Blasting Productivity with a Fully Automated Recovery System – Straaltechniek

Latest Updates and Customer Success Stories

Explore what’s new on our website. Alongside the launch of our dedicated Agriculture OEM support page, we’ve also added two new case studies highlighting how practical engineering solutions are helping customers remove production bottlenecks and improve productivity.

Take a look: Agriculture – Straaltechniek

Read our customer success stories here: Case Studies Archive – Straaltechniek

February highlighted Straaltechniek’s commitment to customer support. Our team responded quickly to two unexpected breakdowns at valued customer sites and recently supplied and installed a new table machine, with excellent feedback on the results. From urgent assistance to delivering new solutions, we remain dedicated to supporting our customers any day, any time.

Always There When It Matters

At Straaltechniek, customer service is at the heart of what we do.

This month, our team responded to two unexpected breakdowns at the site of a valued customer. With speed and expertise, our engineers quickly attended site to provide support and help restore operations.

Breakdowns are never planned – and neither is our commitment.

Any day. Any time. No exceptions.

Thank you for your continued trust in Straaltechniek.

Installation Success: Cycle Time Reduced by 50%!

We’re excited to share another successful machine installation for one of our valued customers.

Our team recently supplied and installed a new table blast machine, and the results have been outstanding. Prior to the upgrade, the customer was processing their component in 4 minutes per cycle. With the new system now fully operational, that time has been reduced to just 2 minutes.

This improvement represents a 50% reduction in cycle time and effectively doubles production capacity – a significant boost to efficiency, output, and overall workflow.

Most importantly, the feedback from the customer has been exceptional. They have reported noticeable gains in productivity and performance, and we’re proud to have delivered a solution that creates real, measurable value for their operation.

Delivering efficiency improvements like this is exactly what we strive for – helping our customers work faster, smarter, and more competitively.

If you’re looking to improve your blasting processes or explore equipment upgrades, our team would be happy to help.

As we step into 2026, we’d like to thank our customers, partners, and colleagues for their continued trust and collaboration. The new year brings fresh opportunities, new projects, and ongoing innovation in surface preparation and blasting technology. In this first newsletter of the year, we’re pleased to share a recent equipment modernisation programme delivered for a valued customer in the North East.

Minimised Downtime, Maximum Performance: GN Wheel Upgrade Completed Before Festive Shutdown

Straaltechniek successfully completed a pre-Christmas upgrade to our GN wheel technology for a valued customer in the North East. The project saw four wheel assemblies and associated shot gates upgraded, delivering improved blasting efficiency, reliability, and consistency.

Planned and executed to minimise downtime, the installation was completed ahead of the festive shutdown, allowing the customer to start the new year with enhanced performance and reduced maintenance demands.

This upgrade highlights Straaltechniek’s commitment to proven technology, high-quality installations, and customer-focused solutions that deliver real operational value.

Transform Your Blasting Process with Automation

Did you know we can automate your blasting process? Depending on the components and application, automation can improve consistency, reduce manual handling, and deliver meaningful reductions in overall blasting time. Each solution is assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure efficiency gains are achieved without compromising surface quality or specification.

Contact us today to find out how we can help improve your blasting process.

Customer Feedback

Our collaboration with Straaltechniek UK commenced with the purchase of four blast wheels, aimed at enhancing the maintenance programme of our aging roller conveyor system. The performance gains were significant- so much so that the same wheels have been successfully transferred and operated across two separate machines over a 25-year period, consistently delivering exceptional results.

We acknowledge Straaltechniek UK for their confidence in a system that has demonstrated exceptional reliability and operational integrity. We now believe that the equipment has gone far beyond its designed service life, and continues to maintain consistent performance, with no failures attributable to the design or manufacturing.

Any component replacements for this particular machine have been exclusively due to operator error, rather than deficiencies in the media type or process parameters.

Previously the level of downtime suffered due to blade or impellor wear would easily result in shift being lost, the commercial impact of this in an already competitive industry can be significant.

Straaltechniek UK have consistently provided us with products and services that are second to none in the marketplace, setting a benchmark for quality, reliability, and technical support.

Meet the Finance Team

Enhanced Performance: Swing-Out Table Machine Modernised with High-Performance, Long-Life Blast Wheels, Resulting in a 60% Reduction in Blasting Time

We have successfully completed an equipment modernisation programme on our valued customer’s swing-out table machine. This upgrade included replacing the existing wheels with our high performance long life GN Wheels and installing new abrasive gates designed by Straaltechniek.

In addition to these enhancements, we carried out a full refurbishment to give the machine a refreshed, like-new appearance.

Since retrofitting the blast wheels, the customer has achieved a significant productivity improvement- reducing blasting time from 25 minutes with their old conventional wheels to just 10 minutes, delivering faster throughput, improved efficiency, and consistent blasting performance.

Why choose the GN Wheel®?

• Increase Production Uptime

• Reduce Production Downtime

• Reduce Maintenance Downtime

• Improve Blast Quality

• Reduce Energy

• Reduce Consumable Spares

• Reduce Abrasive Usage

• Prolong Machine Lifetime

• Overall Improved Efficiency of the Machine

• Overall Reduction in Operational Costs

Christmas Jumper Day 2025

We were delighted to support Save the Children through this years Christmas Jumper Day.

Our team showed great festive spirit with some fantastic jumpers, and all donations went directly to the charity.

Thank you to everyone who took part and contributed!

Straaltechniek UK Limited Christmas Party 2025

This year we hosted the Straaltechniek UK Limited Christmas Party at Bramall Lane. We had a fantastic time celebrating with our brilliant team and reflecting on what has been an amazing year.

Meet the Production Management Team

Meet our Managing Director, Andy Allen

Andy first joined the company in 1999 as a Service Engineer, quickly establishing himself as a valuable member of the team. His commitment and technical expertise led to his promotion to Service Manager, and later, Works Manager.

His career progression didn’t stop there. Andy’s leadership capabilities and strategic mindset earned him the position of Works Director.

In 2015, Andy was appointed Managing Director, a role he continues to serve with vision, integrity, and a deep understanding of the business.

Please join us in recognising Andy’s incredible contributions and the impact he has made over more than two decades of service. His journey is a testament to hard work, perseverance, and the opportunities that lie within Straaltechniek UK Limited.

Job Vacancy

Welder/Fabricator – Full Time (Permanent)

Location:        Sheffield
Company: Straaltechniek UK Ltd

Straaltechniek UK Ltd is a leader in the design, development, building, and refurbishment of shot blasting, air blasting, and shot peening equipment. We are currently seeking an experienced Welder/Fabricator to join our busy workshop in Sheffield. This is a full-time, permanent position.

Key Responsibilities:

• Welding & Fabrication: MIG and Stick welding to high standards.
• Fabrication    Equipment: Operate bandsaws, guillotines, grinders, pillar drills, hand drills.
• Site     Work: Occasional site work (full driving license advantageous).
• Cranes & FLTs: Operating overhead cranes and FLTs
• Engineering Drawings: Interpret and work from basic engineering drawings.

Working Hours:

• Monday to Thursday: 6:00 am – 4:30 pm
• Friday: 7:00 am – 12:30 pm
• Occasional weekend work as needed and opportunities for overtime as and when required

Salary:

• Base Salary: 40 hours paid at normal rate and 5 hours paid at time and a third (discussed at interview stage)

 Requirements:

• Experience: Experienced welder in MIG and Stick welding.
• Machine         Operation: Use multiple fabrication machines – Bandsaw, Grinder, Guillotine, Pillar Drill
• Driving: A full UK driving license is advantageous.
• Cranes & FLTs: Operate overhead cranes and FLTs is advantageous.
• Interpretation: Must be able to read and interpret basic engineering drawings accurately.

Please send your CV to [email protected] or alternatively please call us on 0114 2571077.

Meet the Sales Team!

STRAALTECHNIEK SPONSORS MATCH BALL AT SHEFFIELD UNITED FC VS MILLWALL FC 23RD AUGUST 2025

Looking to retrofit your existing Blast Wheel?

Look no further!

• Up to 70% Higher Blasting Efficiency

• 10x Longer Blade Life

• 25% Energy Saving

Machine Spotlight! 

🛠️ For Sale: 2nd Hand Y-Track Hook Machine

Work Zone: 900mm × 1300mm