Excalibur Screwbolts have worked with the Essex Innovation Programme testing that their Excalibur Screwbolt PLUS would fulfil the stringent design life requirements of Crossrail. This has resulted in Crossrail awarding a contract to Excalibur Screwbolts to supply the new Crossrail station at Tottenham Court Road with their Excalibur Screwbolt PLUS.
Crossrail is the biggest construction project in Europe and is one of the largest single infrastructure investments undertaken in the UK. This high profile project places high demands on their supply chain adopting stringent quality standards.
Crossrail requirements
The standard European Technical Approval (ETA) for design life of a product is 50 years. Crossrail specify a design life of 120 years. Excalibur Screwbolts needed to ensure that their products were of sufficient quality to satisfy this specification. In order to do that Excalibur Screwbolts needed to work with a partner with engineering expertise to test their products.
Engineering assistance through the Essex Innovation Programme
EIP referred Excalibur Screwbolts to their partner organisation, the Ford Motor Company, who work with EIP to disseminate their engineering knowledge and expertise to relevant businesses. Ford helped Excalibur Screwbolts to test their unique corrosion protection system using Ford’s 9 week Accelerated Cyclic Corrosion Test for evaluation.
The results of this gruelling test proved that the Excalibur Screwbolts PLUS products are of suitable quality for use with Crossrail resulting in the Excalibur winning a contract with Crossrail main contractor Laing O’Rourke for the first Crossrail station to be completed, Tottenham Court Road.
Developing their products. . .
In 2009 Excalibur Screwbolts received its first “Queens Award for Enterprise” in the “Innovation” category in recognition of the continued development and success of the original Excalibur Screwbolt, This original bolt revolutionised the construction fixings industry due to its high tensile strength & shear performance and simplicity of installation.
Excalibur Screwbolts went on to develop the innovative Excalibur Screwbolt PLUS fixing which provides a simple and secure method of anchoring into the toughest of materials – such as concrete - without the need for additional fixings, adhesives or special tools.
Whilst the original design used standard commercial plating, the Screwbolt PLUS uses a unique “patent pending” surface protection system which greatly increases its resistance to corrosion and product life.
“Our Screwbolt PLUS is a high corrosion-resistant fixing that can be used in locations where stainless steel is currently the only option. It’s a pioneering product that has high corrosion resistant properties and has the potential to be used in applications where durability is of paramount importance and at a more affordable price tag than stainless steel. The Excalibur Screwbolt PLUS has the potential to benefit all sectors of the construction industry, saving money, speeding up project completion and reducing whole-life maintenance costs.”
John Stevens, Sales Manager, Excalibur Screwbolts
About EIP and the Ford Mentoring Programme
The Ford Mentoring Programme is a joint project between Ford Motor Company and EIP which offers early stage, developing and established businesses access to Ford mentors free of charge.
“The programme disseminates Ford’s knowledge and expertise in areas such as purchasing, finance, cost estimating, cost reduction, lean manufacturing and marketing communications to a wider business audience.”
Mark Lawson, Buyer, Ford Motor Company Ltd
About EIP
The Essex Innovation Programme works with established companies and small businesses to help them to develop, and take to market, innovative products and services.
See here for more information on the Essex Innovation Programme.
