Canyon Europe hosted the NIPA Advanced Polymer Academy class on Advanced Material Processes and Applications last week and everyone agreed a ‘Grand Time’ was had. Delegates got to see the world class manufacturing facilities for trigger sprayers at Canyon’s premises in Mallusk.

Canyon Europe are the ‘home of trigger sprayers’, with many of their designs evident in everyone’s kitchen cupboards where cleaning agents or other similar items are used. The Managing Director of Canyon Europe, Hugh Ross, was chair of NIPA for more than ten years before stepping aside about 5 years ago. Hugh remains a very active NIPA board member.

Course director Gerry McNally noted that “The Advanced Polymer Academy developed by NIPA is really special because trainees get to really experience so many different polymer manufacturing environments. Im not aware of many other courses worldwide that has a delivery model like this one: Theoretical teaching takes place in the boardrooms of local manufacturers before tours and technical demonstrations are given on the factory floor. Each week, the course rotates around a different partner company.” Gerry noted that this is all achieved through the collaborative work of NIPA members such as Canyon in advancing the sector.

The company was first established on the Mallusk site in 1986 and Hugh took over as MD over twenty years ago, turning the company around over those years. Hugh told the class that he and his team developed a data driven operation throughout the factory years before the introduction of industry 4.0. The advances made by Canyon were evident for all to see. The facility at Mallusk houses around 65 injection moulding machines and Hugh’s team manufacture around 7.5 million trigger components a week with each trigger comprising 12 individual components which are assembly in 12 auto assembly within the factory. The company produces over 80 million trigger sprayers a year and exports to over 50 countries worldwide.