Ukraine – what can we do?

UkraineFlagHere at DLS we stand, like most, incredulous at the events unfolding in Ukraine.  As Vladimir Putin and his henchmen stamp around creating havoc the feeling of powerlessness is hugely frustrating.  At the same time the Russian population seems oblivious to the damage that Putin is doing to the very way of life that they have become used to!  What can we do to help?

At DLS Medical we are donating medical supplies, PPE and hygiene packs to a local haulier P C Howards who will deliver these to the Ukrainian people along with our solidarity and sincere wish that this madness comes to an end soon.

And a side message to all those Russian hacker sites that fill up the comment database of this blog site – get lost will you?  Honestly, haven’t you got better things to do?

News from DLS

Happy New Year from all at DLS.

Regular visitors will notice that we are falling into the same trap many companies do by not publishing regular news bulletins.  How many times do you visit a site where the last news was over 2 years ago preceded by a flurry of news items presumably created in a fit of enthusiasm?

We are no different and often one wonders who actually reads this type of thing?

At DLS we have had our head down working hard to negotiate the various headwinds that businesses in the UK face.  Apart from the Covid Pandemic we have suffered from erratic supplies and lack of labour like everyone else.  So far at least we have managed to meet customer deadlines without too much immediate disruption.

We have continued to develop our product range and supply customers with new products designed and brought to fruition through a collaborative process working with customer in house designers and our own CAD design experts. We have a number of interesting projects underway where we are helping our customers with re-shoring their production.

Perhaps in amongst all the excitement around environmental crisis, cost of living crisis, labour shortage crisis, energy supply crisis, Covid pandemic crisis and of course Brexit there is some hope for professionally run, responsible UK manufacturing?

Anyway, if you have read this far then please get in touch if you think we can help in any way!

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Gruelling Exasperation

pingIt seems as though the UK Government is determined to turn a crisis into a drama.  Despite the success of the vaccination programme and allowing hundreds of thousands of sports fans to attend “test events” the rest of us are left dealing with an out of control NHS App that is pinging large sections of the working population into a pseudo lockdown.  It’s all a demoralising mess.

At DLS we are working hard to maintain our supply chain, ensure that we are anticipating  customer orders and trying very hard to meet our delivery targets.  We would appeal to all customers to maintain clear lines of communication as, despite all this effort, we are starting to feel the effects of the perfect storm around us.  I am sure you are too!

If there is anything that DLS can do to help please get in touch.

DLS Medical New Website

news-websiteDuring the lockdown we have been working hard in the background to prepare for our customers returning to some sort of normality. We are re-launching our website which we hope users will find more useful and responsive.

We have put a great deal of effort into improving the product information presented and updated the information available. We are particularly keen to provide details of the service that DLS Medical can provide including Clean Room and on-site, UK based, sterilisation equipment.

The website will continue to evolve, if there are any questions or you require more information please get in touch.

New DLS brochure: Analogue marketing in a digital age

IMG_5448DLS produced its first product brochure in 1975. All the illustrations were ink drawings and the document was printed using an old photocopier. Fast forward to today’s digital marketing techniques with targetted customer profiling and search engine optimisation. It seems old fashioned to be printing documents and sending them by mail to customers.

Never-the-less many of our long term customers have been asking when we would be printing out next catalogue -so here it is! New customers too find it easier, even though we keep our website bang up to date with new products, to leaf through the pages of our brochure to find the products they want.

IMG_5449We have put a great deal of effort into making sure that the pictures give a clear idea of what the products look like and we have included details of sizes and colours where relevant.

Please get in touch if you would like a copy and if you have any trouble finding the product you need we can help!

In House 3D Printer Improves Product Development

 

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3D printing is a process in which materials are joined or solidified under computer control to create a three dimensional object. The technology was originally patented in the early 1980’s by an inventor called Chuck Hull who envisaged a system that could create 3D items by building up layers using a cross sectional pattern of an item. Today the 3D printing market is worth $8 billion and the applications of 3D printed solutions are endless. Everyone, from doctors creating organs, skin and bones to NASA 3D printing pizzas for Astronauts to eat, are realising the potential of the fast and efficient process created by 3D printers.

As part of DLS Plastics’ constant strive to provide the best in product development, we now have a Makerbot Replicator Z18 3D printer on site. Having this facility available, allows our design department to place a 3D plastic model of a future product in a customer’s hand to ensure it meets requirements without having to produce an expensive and time consuming injection mould first. This 3D printer in particular is able to produce components as big as 30cm long x 30cm wide and a massive 45cm high, all whilst using the minimal amount of material required. This, combined with the expertise of our in house designers, allows for a much quicker and more efficient product development and fine tuning process – meaning we can deliver perfectly honed final products quicker than ever.

To discuss your injection moulded product requirements with our design or sales team, call today on 01476 564549.

 

 

 

An Oldie But A Goodie: DLS Corner Joints

According to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Internet access is now a basic human right and they condemn any country that restricts or disrupts their citizen’s access to the world wide web. Rating Internet access just below physiological needs such as shelter, air, food and water shows just how reliant modern society is on gadgets and connectivity.

With advances in technology being made every day, its easy to forget and overlook the simpler things in life – the cornerstones and core components of the world that have been effectively doing their job effortlessly for decades.

Designed to be robust, lightweight and strong, the DLS range of corner joints is just one of these components. Manufactured in the UK, our Single and Double Corner Joints with lids are sold and despatched to destinations all around the world.  These uncomplicated but resilient brackets can create a strong and rigid joint between two pieces of wood with the addition of two screws, then simply press the lid into place to hide the fixings and leave it to do its job. Its this straightforward concept that makes the corner joint so dependable and popular, with over 1 million units being manufactured and sold every year. DLS is able to supply both the Single and Double Corner Joints in a plethora of stock colours, but also offer a colour matching service for customers requiring a unique finish whilst maintaining excellent value for money .

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So next time you sit down at your desk to access the internet or work on your latest project, spare a thought for the humble corner joint holding that piece of furniture together and consider whether your product would benefit from the strength, support and reliability of a DLS Corner Joint.

Call the DLS Plastics Sales Team today on 01476 564549.

 

 

 

 

Product Profile: DLS Gravity Vent

Extractor Vent aLExtractor Vent bL

Picture the scene, your customer has taken delivery of their pride and joy new holiday home on a leafy and peaceful site deep in the countryside. They’ve taken a considered approach and opted for a green exterior to minimise any visual impact on the surrounding environment. As they stand back and take joy from their new escape stood resplendent in front of them, one small detail seems to break the colour continuity – a bright white gravity vent sticking out like a sore thumb.

OK, so that might be a little dramatic – but DLS Plastics think its important that even the smallest of details are taken care of for total consumer satisfaction. That’s why the DLS team have designed and engineered a gravity vent which can be moulded and supplied in colours to match the exterior of your holiday homes.

The product itself is designed to work with standard 4 inch/101mm flexible ducting to exhaust fumes from the kitchen cooker hood. A screw hole in each corner ensures secure mounting and three moving fins permit maximum air flow but provide minimal weather ingress.

For more information, please contact the DLS Sales Team on 01476 564549 or Sales@DLSPlastics.co.uk

 

 

 

DLS Plastics Highly Commended In Business Awards

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The Grantham Journal Business Awards were recently held in St. Wulfram’s Church Grantham, to recognise and celebrate local business success. Guests were entertained by awards host Melvyn Prior (BBC Radio Lincolnshire), and magician Max Francis, whilst music was provided by Moonstone String Trio.

All 3 companies from each of the 11 judgement categories were assessed by judges and sponsors during a company visit and provided videos to show off their individual attributes. These short films were then shown at the awards ceremony to give everyone present an understanding of each business’ background.

DLS Plastics were fortunate to be awarded ‘Highly Commended’ status among tough competition in the Manufacturing and Engineering category. Judges were impressed with DLS’ manufacturing facilities, engineering prowess and innovative approach to developing and supplying solutions for new and existing customers.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank The Grantham Journal, Viking Signs and everyone else who was involved for considering DLS Plastics – we look forward to being involved with future awards.

UV Resistant Black Is The New Black…

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Ultraviolet (UV) rays are electromagnetic radiation rays that are invisible to the human eye and make up 10% of the total light output of the sun. Different types of radiation create different effects and although UV radiation doesn’t have the energy to ionise atoms and pose adverse health effects like other radiation forms, it does have the potential to trigger chemical reactions.

UV degradation is the name given to the reaction caused by materials absorbing UV rays and the break down process that this causes. Plastic materials such as polypropylene and LDPE are particularly susceptible to UV degradation after being exposed to unfiltered sunlight and atmospheric oxygen. Plastic UV degradation is often characterised by mouldings fading in colour, having a chalky or cracked surface texture or components becoming brittle and failing completely. In order to produce mouldings and components for external use that are resistant to UV radiation, a UV resistant additive or material must be used during the moulding process.

DLS Plastics has been using UV resistant additives in its external use components for many years.  Designers and engineers have been using knowledge gained from use of an in house weather tester to optimise mouldings and make the most of additives to provide as much protection as possible. More recently DLS has been able to offer a white material that has been developed and compounded specifically to provide a higher level of resistance to the effects of UV radiation and significantly extends the life expectancy of the final plastic moulding.

After considerable interest and a high number of requests, this material is now stocked in black – providing glossy, stylish black mouldings that still have the same high level of protection against UV rays. Please see below a selection of existing products that have already been manufactured using this material.

7915050 a 7917050 b 7046050 a7046050 b

If you have an external plastic component that you think would be benefit from a black UV resistant material, please contact our design team today on 01476 564549.