Erik's Sealing Technology launched
September 1st 2007 Eriks Sealing Technology has
been launched in the UK. The new
division is the combination of
Wyko's established seals business
in the UK with Eriks, a leader in the
seals market. The division will
provide a new option for both OEM
and MRO companies looking to
source innovative sealing products
and services.
Eriks Sealing Technology
combines Wyko's mature seals
business in the UK, which includes
the Seals division based in
Halesowen, and Pioneer Weston in
Warrington. This business currently
has a 4% UK market share but with
the launch of Eriks Sealing
Technology it plans to have a 10%
market share in 2010, which
represents a turnover of around
£25 million.
Pioneer Weston has operated as a
specialist dynamic sealing designer
and manufacturer and a company in
its own right with a reputation for
application engineering. With the
launch of the new division the name
Pioneer Weston will now be found
predominantly on dynamic axle seals
and mechanical seals.
All the Pioneer Weston experience,
know-how and expertise will be
channelled into the development of
its asset base in Warrington to create
the Eriks Sealing Technology Centre.
Eriks is investing £500,000 in
simulation software and test and
analysis equipment and is also
investing in staff. John Weston,
managing director of Eriks Sealing
Technology says: "Our staffing levels
have already increased from 40
people to 60 and will eventually level
off around the 80 mark. The
recruitment has brought in PhD's,
Material technologists, chemists,
design specialists and testing
technicians, as well as people who
are already working in the field."
The Technology Centre is an ISO
TS 16949 accredited manufacturing
site that offers both OEM and MRO
customers access to the company's
R&D capability. The centre has CAD
capability and also develops its own
compounds while there is a great
emphasis on FEA (Finite Element
Analysis) modelling with full data
logging support. A large amount of
investment is going into this material
testing area where, by artificially
ageing the material, customers can
see how their seal would perform in
the field in a given application.
Eriks has more than 50 years
experience in the production and
distribution of O-rings and
elastomeric seals, as well as
producing and distributing gaskets,
rubber products, engineering
plastics, valves and hoses. The
division has a range of 60,000 seal
and gasket stock items, including
15,000 different O-rings. More articles from ERIKS UK: | 
