Neil Nixon reports from the Newhaven headquarters of Brightwell Dispensers and discovers a company protecting the quality of its products by doing more or less everything in-house.

As profit margins become ever tighter in the current global recession, the common practice is to move manufacturing overseas to ‘more competitive’ markets. Quality, some would argue, might be compromised, but margins will be preserved - at least in the short term. But this is not the Brightwell way of doing things.

Founded in 1947 by the Brightwell brothers, the company was acquired by its current owners in the 1970s, and has continued to grow and develop at its base in Newhaven ever since. Starting out manufacturing hand cleaning products, the company now offers a range of paper and soap dispensing systems, concentrate dilution systems, and electronic dosing systems for laundry and dishwashing - and manufacturers 95% of all components in-house.
Matt Dwelly, marketing executive at Brightwell, said: “We are Europe’s leading innovator, designer and manufacturer of dispensing solutions for liquid chemicals and paper products. We employ over 130 people throughout the business, and have invested heavily in state of the art facilities and systems to ensure our products meet the most stringent requirements of all our customers - large or small.”
From design to delivery

Brightwell employs eight full-time designers and electronic engineers using the latest 3D?CAD software and rapid prototype modelling equipment to bring unique designs to life. The only time I have previously seen such advanced modelling equipment was during a tour of the Renault F1 facility, and this significant investment allows Brightwell to conduct thorough product evaluations prior to full-scale production.
“This investment at the design stage carries through to our testing laboratories,” continued Dwelly. “It enables us to accurately control the quality of all our products and components from start to finish, and to offer all our customers extremely short lead times on new designs.”

The manufacturing facility has also received significant recent investment, and now covers some 9000 square metres. As previously mentioned, an incredible 95% of all components are manufactured on-site, this even extending to printed circuit boards and a dedicated pad printing facility for logos and instructions.
Just around the corner from Brightwell is sister company Ferryfield Mouldings. This facility was formed in 1989 to supply Brightwell with all its injection moulded products. The facility has 17 moulding machines, many controlled by robots, in sizes ranging from 30 to 1000 tonnes.

Washroom dispensers

Brightwell launched its Modular soap dispenser in 2004, and has so far sold over 1,000,000 units throughout the world. During June, the company is launching its new Mercury range.
“First previewed at the Cleaning Show March, the Mercury washroom range revitalises the look and feel of traditional washroom dispensers,” said Dwelly. “The new range is designed with a mix of anodised aluminium and robust ABS plastic for a stylish and luxurious look, combined with the durability and ease-of-use customers have come to expect from Brightwell washroom products. Until this year, customers had to order expensive, bespoke washroom ranges if they wanted a high-end look for their bathrooms. With the Mercury range, timeless style is much more affordable. It’s great for cost-conscious businesses who want to create a stylish finish without a designer price tag.”

And all this without compromising on quality. The same rigorous design and testing processes are applied to all products.

Chemical concentrate dilution systems

Brightwell has developed an enviable reputation in this sector since it first started developing products over 30 years ago. Matt Dwelly explained: “Our chemical concentrate dispensers ensure the cost-effective, safe use of chemicals and are very simple to install, operate and maintain. Our award-winning dispensers work without the need for water connections, plumbing or electrical supply meaning they are considerably less expensive and easier to install than tradition venturi systems.”
With an environmental hat on, the company’s Super C and Smart Pump dilution systems also encourage the reuse of trigger spray bottles.

Electronic chemical dosing systems

Brightwell offers dosing systems for a variety of apparatus from glass washers to water cooling towers. The company offers a bespoke design service to meet individual needs, and many dispensers are offered with access codes for added security.
The company has recently launched its BrightLogic dosing system. Matt Dwelly said: “We’ve offered innovative dishwasher and laundry machine dosing systems for years. But after many, many, months of invention and product testing, our design team has created substantial improvements to previous models - so much so that we’ve created an entirely new range. We’ve totally reinvented our pump technology, which allows users to automate chemical doses to their dishwashers and laundry machines, and made the whole product much more durable and easy to maintain, with the addition of our new super resistant BrightChem tubing. We’ve listened carefully to our customers and designed a range that uses the latest technology and innovation without over-complicating the system. This means is it easy to install with new software that allows the dishwash units to be programmed in seconds.”
Brightwell has also invested a lot of time and money in designing a tube that is super resistant. The outcome is the new Bright-Chem tube that has been on test for 12 months with a wide range of chemicals.

Quality assured

From the smallest manual pump to the most complex electronic dosing system, you can be assured of the highest quality in design, manufacture and testing every step of the way. Brightwell and Ferryfield have operated a combined QA system since 1996 to ISO 9000 and currently to BS?EN?ISO 9001: 2008, and all products are compliant with ROHS, LVD and EMC regulations. This has been further supported by recent investment in state of the art testing equipment including a vertex optical measuring device, environmental test chamber, digital microscope and force gauges. Add to this a new shop floor management programme, and you find a company in excellent shape for the journey ahead.

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For more information visit: www.brightwell.co.uk