Continuing its sharp focus on systems innovation, automation and efficiency for ceramic tableware manufacture, MLC Ceramic Machinery closed another year with a boost to exports and a broadening of its global reach. Equipment is being installed right across Europe – UK, France, Poland, Norway and Turkey, for instance – while important contracts have also recently been gained in Africa (Egypt, Algeria), Asia (Thailand) and South America (Brazil, Colombia).
João Cardoso, MLC’s Commercial Director, commented: “Our ongoing development programme ensures that we remain at the forefront of technology, always ensuring that our clients, existing and potential, can depend on us. Our successes across the world are testament to this approach, while our willingness to adapt to fresh technical challenges means that we are quoting systems for completely new clients, some of them in countries where we haven’t done business before. We have seen a tremendous expansion in our exports in the past couple of years, and we are encouraged by the positive feedback we have received with regard to operational performance and our customer support levels.”
The company has benefitted enormously not only from its decades of experience in the ceramics industry, but also its highly flexible approach to project design and execution. This quality and service ethos applies equally to the contract for a single glaze dipping machine as it does for the installation of a complete plate line equipped with the latest automation and control technology, one of which has just in fact been completed, for one of the world’s foremost hotelware manufacturers. Commissioning is nearing completion, and it looks as though output nearing 1,000 pieces per hour is within reach.
An area of notable achievement has been medium- and high-volume glazing. MLC’s expertise here has been paying dividends once again, including a project part of which included the installation of automatic spray glazing machines handling twice-fired porcelain dinnerware. These units can be delivered as turnkey projects, although they operate equally well when introduced alongside existing glazing concepts.
On occasions there are technical challenges, particularly with unusual shapes or tough production requirements, but these are things that the MLC team relishes. Automatic glaze dipping is just one example. A highly successful project has seen the design, manufacture and installation of a unit that is currently dealing with a holloware item that is neither smooth-sided nor symmetrical and must be completely glazed – inside, outside, base and handle. The customer is delighted at how this unit is operating and is contemplating additional machine orders.
No less important for customers is the question of energy efficiency. What is vital here, though, is that any new system integrates smoothly and maintains consistency of output and quality. MLC’s technically advanced pre- and post-heaters have certainly been making their mark. These units employ infrared ceramic technology, as opposed to open-flame gas heating, so they directly heat the ware rather than the surrounding area, and there’s no production of wasted hot air that ends up being vented outside. These heaters are made effective via a four-zone design and immediate benefits are felt from energy efficiency, improved thermal control, and reduced carbon footprint/emissions. One customer has already reported energy inputs reduced by between 15 and 20% shortly after installation.
As the worldwide ceramic tableware industry continues to focus on its carbon footprint, production efficiencies, and health and safety compliance, MLC Ceramic Machinery has positioned itself as a global leader and an increasingly vital cog in the equipment/technology supply chain.
MLC Ceramic Machinery designs, manufactures, installs, and services all major pieces of production machinery required by ceramic tableware, dinnerware, hotelware, general pottery and decorative art pottery companies. The range comprises preparation, forming, drying, glazing, finishing and ware storage and transfer systems.
The photo shows a special MLC dryer designed to dry high pressure cast items.
