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How one upholstery manufacturer cut costs and simplified production with hotmelt

How one upholstery manufacturer cut costs and simplified production with hotmelt

Belfield Leisure manufactures and upholsters soft furnishings for the UK leisure sector, supplying caravans, motorhomes, and residential lodges. They’re known for their commitment to quality, choice, customer service, and speed to market. While focused on maintaining these high standards, the team faced ongoing challenges with the upkeep of the extraction systems required to bond foam to the frames of their soft furnishings.

The problem 

Belfield Leisure were using a water-based spray adhesive that required spray booths with extraction systems. Regular filter changes, spray booth maintenance, and residue build-up on equipment and surrounding areas all required a significant ongoing maintenance programme. At one point, a dedicated staff member was assigned solely to maintain the spray equipment. This was a huge drain on resources and a significant overhead for the business. With rising energy costs and constant maintenance demands, it became clear that Belfield Leisure needed a low maintenance and more efficient gluing system.

Our solution 

After conducting a technical review on-site, we recommended that the company switch to a hotmelt system to achieve greater operational efficiencies. Hotmelt is a much easier system to work with and requires no maintenance-heavy spray booths. An onsite demonstration showed the team what the hotmelt system can do:

  • Zero bleed-through, reducing wastage and costly rework.
  • Easy to apply – simply plug and play.
  • Bonds to a huge variety of substrates.
  • 100% solids for effective bonding even with single-sided application, significantly reducing glue consumption.
  • Instant bonding, allowing for immediate handling.
  • 100% solvent-free with zero emissions, reducing the need for space-hungry, costly spray booths and extraction.

The results

After a two-week trial, Belfield Leisure quickly realised that the hotmelt system would be able to dramatically transform their operations. The compact hotmelt system is fully mobile and has enabled them to dispense with two spray booths, freeing up valuable space on the workshop floor that can now be used for storage. This has also added a much-needed degree of flexibility as they are no longer restricted to a dedicated gluing area. The system can be used in-line at the bench, making application easier, especially for larger pieces of furniture that previously could not fit within the booth easily.

The hotmelt system provides instant bonding, so items can be sent to upholstery immediately, removing the need to store and dry them after gluing. Additionally, they’re using a lot less glue. Where they were spraying two sides before, they’re now applying to just one side, and not even full coverage. Combined with the amount of glue that was being wasted on overspray and extraction, that’s a huge cost saving. All told, Belfield Leisure will make estimated annual savings of £13,000 through reduced adhesive usage, lower maintenance costs, and the elimination of hidden operational expenses. It’s a story being mirrored by many making the switch, check our blog for more on this!

“Switching to Adkwik’s hotmelt system has made our process quicker and much more efficient. The glue adhesion is better, and only needing to bond to one surface has really simplified things. We’ve seen significant cost savings, both in adhesive usage and reduced spray booth maintenance. It’s also a safer, more environmentally friendly solution overall. Plus, the support from the team at Adkwik has been spot-on.”

Kieron Greatorex, Operations Manager

Wondering if hotmelt could be for you?

Hotmelt has the ability to be a real game-changer – why not call us to see what it can do for you? We can conduct a no-obligation, technical review on-site to see if and how we can help. If you’re interested in the hotmelt system, we can arrange a trial so that you can see for yourself how it performs.

Call us on 01223 412373 or email our team online HERE to find out more.

Contact the team

PRODUCTS

Timbond Fast Drying D2 Framing Adhesive 25KG

Timbond Fast Drying D2 Framing Adhesive 25KG

£112.50
(exc. VAT)
£135.00
(inc VAT)

Hear what our customers say:

John- Production Director at Furniture Makers company
"Adkwik are helpful, efficient and quick. Their next day delivery is invaluable in our business. They are extremely knowledgeable and a great asset to our company. I highly recommend them."
Kevin- Technical Director at a SIPS Company
"As a company we require specialist adhesives. From the onset Adkwik have provided us with an unrivalled service. Free samples to test, high competitive prices, speed of service and guaranteed next day delivery. They are quick, reliable, competitive and provide very tasty biscuits! Highly Recommended."
Nick- Procurement Manager
"Pleasure to deal with, reliable and deliver on time every time".
Paul- Commercial Manager at a Timber Frame Company
"Adkwik have provided us with a bespoke product labelling service for our D4 glue. This addition has greatly benefited the end user. Their next day delivery service is a great piece of mind".
Luke- Production Manager at Specialist Joinery Company
"Technical and Product support has been very good, much better than when we used to purchase from general suppliers that sell a variety of products. The whole team at Adkwik have always been helpful when we have needed them!"
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