News

NB: High resolution images and more information on these news stories are available from marketing@btindustrial.co.uk, tel: +44 (0)1204 842818

April 2008

Managing Director For Almost 50 Years Retires

John Entwistle, founder of British Turntable Co, has retired from his post as Managing Director and is succeeded by his son, Tim Entwistle, whose engineering background and experience of both large and small companies make him ideally placed to take the British Turntable group of companies to the next level.  Read the full story here...

 

April 2008

THIRD BTI HGV ACCESS TURNTABLE FOR WAITROSE

BTI has supplied a third 15 metre diameter HGV access turntable to Waitrose, creating an efficient loading and unloading operation at the company’s new store in Ampthill, Bedfordshire. The contract follows the success of units BTI has previously installed in the underground loading area at the Surbiton store in Surrey and the overground service yard at Wallingford, Oxfordshire. Read the full story here...

March 2008

THREE GREAT NAMES UNITE TO CREATE BTI

After extensive expansion of British Turntable’s commercial and industrial divisions, the company has brought together these areas of the business into a single new operating division and re-branded it as BTI. A contemporary, fresh corporate identity, reflecting modern developments and technology, has been created, as has a comprehensive range of literature affirming the breadth of product and technical know-how available from the UK’s leaders in equipment moving and positioning. Read the full story here …

 

February 2008

British Turntable Works to Benefit Customers

British Turntable and its customers are reaping the benefits of a series of workshops, ‘Marketing and Planning for Change’, run under the auspices of Business Support Solutions as part of the Manufacturing Productivity Programme. No fewer than four directors have attended the workshops, including Managing Director and founder of the company, John Entwistle, who says they have produced remarkable results.  Read the full story here...

 

April 2007

New Director for BTI

British Turntable Co. has appointed Tim Entwistle to the board to oversee operations activities, including production and project management and purchasing; he will also be charged with developing system improvements to provide better efficiency and effectiveness.  Read the full story here...

 

 

February 2007

Craig Wright appointed Technical Engineer

After completing two years with British Turntable under the Knowledge Transfer Scheme (KTP) supported by the University of Bolton, Craig Wright has been appointed to a permanent position within the company as Technical Engineer.  Read the full story here...

 

 

November 2006

MOBILE HOMES MADE TO MOVE 

When Pemberton Leisure Homes were upgrading their factory at Wigan in Lancashire and looking to improve the assembly line operation, they turned to British Turntable for a manually operated revolve that would speed up production and, at the same time, save space.

The 2.5 metre diameter turntable, which has a capacity of 7.5 tonnes, is used to manoeuvre the company’s large static caravans into another part of the factory. By placing the caravan’s wheels on the revolve, which is sunk into the assembly line floor, the caravan can be rotated easily through 90 degrees on its own axis, thereby saving valuable ground space and labour. Read the full story here …

November 2006

RESIDENTS’ PARKING PROBLEMS EASED

A 4.5 metre diameter vehicle revolve from British Turntable has allowed Coyde Construction to create extra parking facilities for residents in a new block of town houses, apartments and commercial units at Harbour Yard, Salcombe, at the same time providing extra revenue for the building owners. The powered unit, which has a vehicle capacity of 2.5 tonnes, is operated remotely from a push button station near the turntable, allowing users to point their vehicles accurately to the car park exit or parking space as required.

Access to the block, which comprises three 3-storey town houses, three apartments and three commercial offices, is situated off a busy main road at the end of a narrow street which incorporates a 90° bend, making it impossible for vehicles to reverse in and out of the shared courtyard safely. Without the turntable installation, therefore, a turnaround area would have been needed within the car park to satisfy town planners’ safety requirements. Read the full story here … 

August 2006

BTI TURNS WITNESS

British Turntable has helped a North West theatre company add an extra dimension to their productions by designing, building and installing a 6 metre diameter revolving stage at the Theatre Royal in Ramsbottom. The stage, which was supplied with a timber deck and AC drive, was built to a standard design to meet the theatre’s needs in as cost-effective way as possible. The installation coincides with the design and installation of telescopic stage extensions for Bury Grammar School, demonstrating the company’s ability to provide practical solutions in areas as diverse as educational establishments, commercial and amateur theatres and the events, TV and film industries. Read the full story here …

June 2006

ASDA BENEFITS FROM BTI HGV ACCESS REVOLVE

A 15 metre diameter HGV access revolve installed by British Turntable at the new Asda store in Bearsden, Glasgow, is not only speeding up delivery turnaround times but is also proving to offer other economic and operational benefits.

The 44 tonne capacity revolve, which is capable of carrying an articulated truck up to 16.5m long, has been sited in a covered service yard, which is accessed from a busy main street. Vehicles must enter and exit this street in a forwards direction, and a solution therefore had to be found which would allow delivery vehicles to be turned round in the restricted loading area. Read the full story here …

June 2006

STAGING SUCCESS

British Turntable has helped a local grammar school celebrate the 100th anniversary of its hall by designing, manufacturing and installing a telescopic extension to the stage that will allow the school to extend it by just over four metres when required.

Located below the main stage area when retracted, the manually-operated, polyurethane-wheeled extensions are divided into four separate segments, each of which can be extended in two stages, the first by 2.44 metres and the second by a further 1.83metres. British Turntable manufactured and supplied the telescopic sections with fire-retardant plywood decks, brakes and locking plates, while the school provided its own apron to complement the hall’s new décor. Each segment can be used individually - to create a catwalk, for example - or in a variety of combinations to cater for major drama or musical productions. Read the full story here …

October 2005

SECOND BTI HGV ACCESS TURNTABLE FOR WAITROSE

British Turntable has supplied a second 15 metre diameter HGV access turntable to Waitrose, creating an efficient loading and unloading operation at the company’s new store in Wallingford, Oxfordshire.  The contract follows the success of the unit British Turntable had previously installed in the underground loading area at the Surbiton store in Surrey.

Installation of the turntable has allowed the service yard to occupy as little land as possible, leaving more space for the store’s sales area; additionally, vehicles can drive straight into and out of the service area, a safer procedure for the village, whose roads are very narrow and busy. Read the full story here …

June 2005

BRITISH TURNTABLE LIFTS OFF WITH NEW ACQUISITION

British Turntable has made further expansion into the materials handling field by acquiring the business assets of Cawley Marine Industrial and with it the exclusive rights to distribute Jung lifting and moving equipment equipment in the UK. This is the second major acquisition for British Turntable in just over a year: in April 2004 the company bought the assets of Hovair Systems, world renowned suppliers of air film movement equipment, to extend their expertise in this field.

Adding Jung equipment to the portfolio means that British Turntable can now offer customers the best handling solution, whether conventional wheeled, omni-directional air film, mechanical, manual or powered, depending on the load and site conditions. No matter how awkward or heavy the load, British Turntable’s engineers will be able to advise on the most effective and cost-efficient means of moving it. Read the full story here …

March 2005

UNIQUE COLLABORATION FORMED TO ADVANCE AIR FILM TECHNOLOGY

A unique collaboration between the Hovair division of British Turntable and the UK’s newest University, The University of Bolton, has been formed to advance air film technology, a long established method of moving heavy industrial loads by floating them on a thin cushion of compressed air.

The two partners in the deal have forged closed links with each other under the Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme, through which UK academic institutions and industrial companies are increasingly sharing technical knowledge and experience to improve manufacturing and technology practice and advance innovation. Read the full story here …

February 2005

BTI AIDS LANDING CRAFT TRAINING

British Turntable has supplied two manually operated turntables to the Ministry of Defence for use on landing craft to assist with the training of drivers of amphibious vehicles and to speed up testing procedures being carried out by ATTURM (Amphibious Trials and Training Unit Royal Marines).

Drivers are trained and vehicles waterproofed in deep fords of up to 1.5m of water, a depth which enables them to cross the water gap between beach and landing craft. With a limited tidal window available for training and testing, speed is of the essence to ensure that as many serials as possible are conducted at one time.

Using the turntables on the decks of landing crafts has significantly reduced the turnaround time for these vehicles as, instead of having to conduct a multi-point turn on the limited area of the deck, a vehicle can be turned simply and quickly through 180 degrees to allow it to drive off the landing craft in a forwards direction. Read the full story here …

November 2004

AIR FILM TURNTABLE SAVES SPACE AT GEORGIA-PACIFIC PLANT

The Hovair Systems Division of British Turntable Co. has supplied a manually-operated air film turntable to Georgia-Pacific in Sheffield to streamline the loading of large reels of tissue paper into processing machinery in the minimum space available. The 3.6 metre diameter unit is similar to one supplied by British Turntable to a Georgia-Pacific mill in South Wales to create the same desired effect.

In operation the paper reels are placed on the turntable by a forklift truck and are then turned through 90 degrees so that the reel of paper can be picked up by a crane, which loads the reel into the machine. Read the full story here …

April 2004

HOVAIR SYSTEMS ACQUIRED TO STRENGTHEN AIR FILM MOVEMENT PORTFOLIO

British Turntable Company, the UK’s leading designer and manufacturer of movement solutions for commerce and industry, has acquired Hovair Systems, a name heavily associated with the supply of air film technology to a wide variety of markets. The acquisition includes ownership of the Hovair brand name and all intellectual property rights; Hovair’s design and manufacturing operations, including existing stock and replacement parts will be transferred to British Turntable’s headquarters in Bolton, Lancashire.

The takeover represents the perfect fit to British Turntable’s portfolio, augmenting the company’s current industrial product range, which has been developed over the last 45 years, almost 25 of which have included air film technology. Customers attracted to British Turntable’s industrial portfolio include BAe Systems, Marks and Spencer, Rolls Royce, Ford, Jaguar, Georgia Pacific and Waitrose among others. Read the full story here …