DON'T be fooled by Magic!

Propane Torch Fire Test – The truth behind the magic?

When it comes to magic, most people can be fooled most of the time. One manufacturer of insulated sandwich panels with combustible foam plastic cores has taken the opportunity to put their own ‘magic trick’ on the web, and have uploaded a propane torch fire test video on its web home page. As with all 'magic tricks', the intention of this video is to fool people into thinking 'seeing is believing', thus creating the impression that PIR panels don't burn, giving the illusion of non combustibility.

We have kindly provided you with the secret to this magic trick, and a video showing the REAL combustible performance of PIR and Stone wool composite panels, which is situated at the top of our web home page.


The text concerning the magical propane torch fire video reads:

“This video shows the fire performance of PIR insulation when exposed to a propane torch burning at over 1000º C. The naked PIR insulation core is exposed to the torch for over 75 minutes. The temperature on the non fire side of the PIR core reaches a maximum of 46º C despite the torch burning at over 1000º C”.


Question : What is the propane fire test?

Answer: Nothing more than a ‘magic trick’ to suggest that PIR is in some way non-combustible and comparable to truly non-combustible materials such as stone wool. The propane fire test is not in any standard nor used by any reputable fire-engineering laboratory. It is not a real test – it is a trick! And like any other magic trick it is aimed at fooling people.


Question: How does the trick work?

Answer: The propane torch has relatively low heat output but fairly high velocity. The torch is placed initially on the surface using the hot end of the flame and the PIR burns to form a thin layer of char. This acts as some protection to make the trick work. The flame is then moved closer and fixed making sure the PIR is exposed to the cold part of the flame. At the same time the high velocity gas hits the surface of the PIR and forces out most of the oxygen containing air preventing any combustion. The fact is that very little heat energy enters the PIR and the surface is relatively cool with little oxygen – hence no flames and no burning.

Question : Will the trick work on other materials?

Answer: Yes. You can use the cold part of the flame and gas velocity to get rid of air on any combustible material to make it look like it will not burn. You can repeat the trick with untreated hardwood, a paperback book and even a piece of coal. You should remember that only a small part of the propane flame is at 1000ºC with most of it considerably cooler. There is a simple experiment used in school laboratories to demonstrate the temperature variation within a flame. A match head is placed on the end of a piece of wire and this is moved about inside the flame from a Bunsen burner. This shows that only the top of the flame and its outer surface is hot enough to ignite the match head. Would this convince you that matches do not burn?

Question: What else is wrong about the test?

Answer: The company says the PIR was exposed to 1000ºC. However PIR is classed as combustible when using a real test such as BS EN ISO 1182: 2002 Reaction to fire tests for building products – Non-combustibility. BRUFMA the plastic foam insulation trade body says that PIR has a self-ignition temperature of 450ºC. So the conclusion has to be that the PIR did not get to 1000ºC.

Question: What does the low temperature recorded on the face of PIR away from the flame indicate?

Answer: Taking the claims at face value you have a sample of PIR which looks about 70mm thick with 1000ºC on one face and other reaches only 46ºC after 75 minutes. The only conclusions are:

1. The PIR is non-combustible and can resist 1000ºC for over 75 minutes suspending the basic laws of chemistry.

2. The PIR has a thermal resistance, lambda value, that is orders of scale better than that demonstrated by any other foam plastic insulation in the world.

3. The face exposed to the flame was not at 1000ºC and there was little heat entering the PIR.

We hope our blog helps you to distinguish between the real 'tricks and treats' within the our industry in 2009

Two Weeks and a Tuk Tuk

Eurobond recently sponsored David Russell Jnr in his extraordinary race across India to raise money for a life saving charity. David works as a contracts manager for Holden Installations, a valued customer of Eurobond based in Cork, Ireland

Here he shares his personal story:

Every year, a band of intrepid (or possibly insane) individuals take part in a wild ride across India, battling against each other and their mechanically challenged transports to reach the finish line in only 14 days. Starting in Kathmandu and finishing in Pondicherry, the teams race each other in 150cc, 2 seater rickshaws (also known as tuk-tuks), reaching a maximum speed of 50kmp (30mph) if they are very lucky and desperately hoping that they won’t break down.

It’s a no-holds-barred kind of race in which each team buys a map from which they have to work out their own route to the finish line. A finish line that is approximately 3700km away. The 2008 race saw a total of 64 teams taking part.

The race began in the main square of Mumbai on a busy Sunday afternoon. “The first difficulty that we encountered was the severe lack of fuel available in Nepal” stated David. “The problems we experience in the western world with price and supply is nothing compared to the problems encountered in Nepal, compacted by the high degree of poverty. As visitors to the country, we were very lucky in that we were able to source fuel via the black market and the army but only because we had the money to afford it. For the Nepalese, sourcing petrol is a real struggle, with the result that we came upon 8-10km’s of truck lines either side of one petrol station. On chatting, we found out that some of the drivers had been there for several days just to get 1 tank full of fuel.

If the poor petrol supply wasn’t problem enough, within a short time of starting out on their journey, there was a political coup and the Nepalese king was ousted. The country basically became a new republic. The media blew this up out of all proportion reporting on fighting and unrest etc., whereas there was actually very little taking place. The worst thing that happened was that the power was shut off for one night and a curfew put in place. David’s team even sat around waiting for something to happen but nothing actually did, thank goodness.

Disaster struck when they ran out of fuel 30 metres from the Indian border, so the team had little choice but to push their Tuk tuk, expecting the other side of the border to be “the land of plenty” where fuel was concerned. Unfortunately, a great many Nepalese had, had the same idea and they found that it was just as bad trying to get fuel there.

And their problems didn’t stop with finding fuel. “We also struggled to find somewhere to stay,” said David, “…ending up one night in a tiny village sleeping in a hospital.” He goes on to explain: “I use the term hospital very loosely - the owner had a medical background and the land it was on had a well – that was enough for the building to be classed as a hospital. As a team of five with two rickshaws, we were faced with spending the night on 5 wooden benches that the doctor had managed to round up. The kind man also arranged for us to have food at the homes of friends/neighbours and with only the prospect of those benches to sleep on, we ended up spending most of the night singing and talking with the locals.”

With nights like these India was beginning to make sense to David and his team mates. However, they had little time to ponder on this as they entered in to the poorest parts of rural India. David says with feeling, “The beauty of the country swept me away and got very much under my skin. Also the people because they were so very genuine.”

They travelled on and reached Varanasi in 5 days where they finally came across other races. By this time one of their poor, badly abused tuk-tuk’s was much the worse for wear and needed a total re-build, even down to having the roof-rack welded back on (up to then it had been held on with “gaffer” tape). It took 12 hours of labour at a cost of 11 euro’s to complete all the repairs, during which time they saw several other racers experiencing similar difficulties. Confirmation that although they weren’t last in the race, these troublesome machines were very badly made.

However, by this time the team was rather panic stricken. “We had travelled 800 kilometres which meant we had another 2,900 kilometres to go” said David. “We continued on but now with more urgency, rising each day at 6am and ensuring that we were packed and ready to roll by 6:30am.” Drive until dusk, hope for a beer that night and do the same again the next day.

They found that the towns were quite filthy and experienced a lot of problems getting accommodation. In the vast majority of the towns that they visited, approx. 95% of the people had never seen a white man in the flesh before. They would find ourselves surrounded by people in minutes. A curious mob of shy, smiling faces chattering amongst themselves but who would still fix your tuk-tuk – most refusing to take any payment. To replay such kindness, all one needed to do was shake many hands and smile back.

The team finally reached their lowest point in one of the built up industrial areas. They were all very tired and road beaten and hadn’t spoken to each other for hours because they were all feeling pretty disheartened. “With only a grunt I was instructed to dig out an MP3 player and put on Kings of Leon” says David. “It was what we needed. It lifted our spirits and one by one we began to rally around. I said to myself, “India, do your worst.” It’s a country that can completely frustrate you one day then completely lift you up with awe the next.”

Without even realising it, the team had gradually improved, working together so that getting packed and ready to go became less and less of an effort, to such an extent that they were making much better time. So during the last 5 days, coming in to rural Pondicherry, they had time to spare and visited a temple that thousands of people make a pilgrimage to each year. The women were all painted gold and it wasn’t long before David’s girlfriend was surrounded by them. They are the sort of people that can see right in to you and judge you in seconds. They could clearly see her good nature and within minutes they became part of a big wedding party. David says, “We had no Hindi and they had no English but I remember that somehow we were talking for hours. It was one of the most amazing experiences. “

Their journey was finally coming to an end and in fact, they made the finish with two days to spare. Having spent so many nights bedding down in some of the most dreadful places, they checked in to a French Colonial house. It was like a palace compared to the conditions that they’d become used to.

On the Sunday night that marked the official end of the race, a party was held for all the brave souls who had entered. Some of the revellers should really have been in hospital going by the injuries they had sustained during the race. One poor team had overturned at 40Kph and slid along the road removing paint and skin..

The good news is that a substantial amount of money was raised. Our own team raised £2,500 sterling and with all the contributions together, the total came to approximately £100,000. This was a phenomenal result. 80% of all the deaths in India are from people drinking contaminated water. With all the money the race raised, over 44,000 people could now have access to fresh water.

All in all, the tuk-tuk race is an experience that I will never forget. India is a place of extreme contrasts. I adored the country and fell in love with her people.

Up and Coming Projects – July/August 08

The UK Government's capital expenditure programme in both the Health and Education sectors remains strong and is forecast to continue for a number of years. This considerable financial commitment underpins its commitment to continuously improve the quality of schools, academies, colleges and hospitals in our built environment. Eurobond's non-combustible panels have been used extensively in both sectors in recent years.

As a composite panel specialist, we have developed our cladding products so that they not only have the ability to meet the aesthetic requirements of designers but can also meet the stringent NHS Fire Codes and BB100 legislation in relation to the use of non-combustible materials where appropriate. The emphasis on this is even greater of late, especially after the Royal Marsden hospital fire that happened in January this year.

As a result, our composite panel products have recently been specified for numerous projects within these sectors and the following projects will receive their cladding product throughout the month of July for installation.

• Frimley Hospital in Surrey will have approximately 278m2 of our cladding panel installed
• Royal Preston Hospital
• Burnley College will have approximately 2,938m2 of Europanel delivered
• Orpington College in Kent will receive approximately 1,337 m2 of our composite panel

Once complete, if worthy, a case study will be completed on these projects and added to our case study archive and interactive map, accompanied by photographs so keep a look out for them.

The Eurobond Evolution

Sounds exciting and it is ! Since evolving from being a supplier of cladding to many food application customers, Eurobond has come on in a big way. We now supply some of the UK’s major brands with thousands of square meterage on an array of projects ranging from Tesco and Asda to Cardiff City FC, Stirling Hospital and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. These projects are no longer about just supplying food application companies with our Firemaster Wall and Ceiling composite panels, they are about supplying big named customers with architecturally inspiring cladding products.

Whether it is our Rainspan rainscreen support panel or our signature product, Europanel that inspires who is to know but there is choice and a lot of it – especially with the array of colour finishes offered by Corus Colorcoat®.

So what better way to mark this evolution than to re-brand the company. Historically, we have been known for our red and blue corporate branding. This will still feature, on occasions, but it was felt that it was slightly dated and not really in line with where we are now as a company and where we want to go. The executive decision was made – a new company image that will be reflected in all forms of communication, both internally and externally.

The new corporate image, which you will be aware of from this website and various other marketing communication materials, is a graduated black background with a white logo and a touch of green. The reason behind the colour choice was to create a look and feel that was somewhat different to your average run of the mill construction website and to create a nice, crisp, clean contemporary look that exemplifies the company’s new contemporary coming of age.
Cladding has the ability to transform a building – it dresses designs and brings them to life. In isolation, a composite panel may not look much or be awe inspiring but collectively, our composite panels can create a wow factor through contemporary architectural designs. We wanted the website and our other marketing communication materials to convey this image.
We used colour coding aids to help the user navigate through the site and created it in such a way that made usability very, very easy. The introduction of green breathes life into the site and makes it easy for the user to find the mouse pointer. We wanted all of our literature to accompany the growth and changing face of Eurobond and to illustrate where we are heading as a company.

With the recent release of the corporate brochure, SID (Specifier Information Disc) and newsletter, Eurobond’s panel is now being viewed in the market as the product of choice when it comes to a mineral wool specification.

The Eurobond evolution has become a revolution through improved fire performance, changes to legislation and exceptional environmental credentials - all unparalleled by plastic foam PIR composite panels. We are ambitious people with clear goals and determination. We have developed a fantastic range of panel products and have a wealth of new ideas in the pipeline. We’re really excited about the future potential of our business and where we see ourselves going.

The Golden Games - Beijing 2008

This is the 8th Olympics I have attended, this time in my role of President of UK Athletics. I will be there with the British Athletics team, about 60 athletes all together, with managers, coaches, doctors and physios.

Our athletes have been selected from our Olympic trials in Birmingham. The criteria is pretty straight forward. First achieve the qualifying standard in your event during the season, then finish in the first two at the finals in a head to head competition. We can take 3 athletes per event and this will be at the discretion of the selectors. It’s a fair and objective system.

Our athletes are well prepared, thanks mainly to lottery funding. It’s called ‘The World Class Programme’ and enables our top performers to train full time at home or abroad in excellent facilities and with their personal coaches present. They also get medical and physiotherapy provided and lots of advice on nutrition, lifestyle management and psychology. It’s really a scientific approach to sport helping to make our athletes competitive with the rest of the world.

Beijing is hot and humid with lots of smog, difficult conditions to run it, especially in the middle and long distance events like the marathon. To help acclimatise to this the team spent two weeks in Macau, an island south of Hong Kong, also very hot and humid before they travelled to Beijing to compete. They did this before the World Championships in Osaka, Japan last year and we came back with five medals!!!

So what are our prospects. In Athens four years ago we won three gold. Kelly Holmes got two in her great 800 and 1500 metre wins and our men’s 4 x 100metre relay beat the Americans to take gold.
To be honest, I would be pleased if we achieved the same in Beijing. Every four years it is getting tougher and with 210 countries taking part gold medals will be a huge challenge. We have set a target of five medals and fifteen finalists. Our best medal chances are in the men’s triple jump with Philip Idowu, the woman’s 400 metres with Christine Ohurugo and Nicola Saunders, the heptathlon with Kelly Setherton and our men’s 4 x 100 metre relay.

Medals are important because success inspires our young people to emulate our champions and of course to show our sponsors that we are world class. But it is not just about medals. Our athletes have worked very hard to be selected to represent Great Britain at the Olympics, this in itself is an achievement. We should also congratulate those who make finals and be in the top eight in the world, then there will be those who achieve a personal best performance in their event. We can ask no more of an athlete if they manage this at the Olympics.

So I am looking forward to a great sporting occasion in Beijing. Hopefully it will be a peaceful games devoid of politics.

Good luck to our sportsmen and woman in all the Olympic sports involved – 28 in all, let’s hope they do come home with the 35 medals predicted and then it’s London 2012 – here we come!!!

Lynn Davies

What's in the Sandwich?

Often referred to as "sandwich" panels, steel faced composite cladding panels can have a variety of different "fillings". Hence the title. Like their namesake, some sandwich fillings are healthier than others.

Eurobond's steel faced composite "sandwich" panels have all the ingredients for a healthy environment and a successful build.

The core of our composite cladding panels (the sandwich filler if you like) is made from mineral wool, which is 100% recyclable, has zero Ozone Depleting Potential and zero Global Warming Potential. The "bread" to our composite panels is a pre-finished steel face supplied by Corus Colorcoat®. For Prisma® and HPS200® Ultra finishes, there is the additional option of Confidex Sustain® – the first CarbonNeutral building envelope in the world.

Each sandwich panel is manufacturered with a high recycled content due to the fact that we purchase our composite panel components from the same companies as we recycle them with – a unique ‘cradle to cradle’ approach. This ‘cradle to cradle’ approach separates the steel and stone wool core of our composite panels at end of life where they are then sent back to Corus and Rockwool respectively. Each component is then recycled to make new, virgin products. It is with credentials like this that make up the ingredients for success when using our composite cladding panels and why brand names such as Tesco, Asda and Marks and Spencer choose us for many of their buildings. In fact, that sandwich that you bought for lunch and are about to devour in 2 minutes flat might well have been made, stored or sold within a building built with our composite cladding panels.

When it comes to steel faced composite panels, many different core materials can be used and ultimately it’s this core, like the filling of a sandwich, that most differentiates one composite cladding panel from the next, especially in relation to environmental performance. Plastic PIR foam cored composite panels are usually manufactured where a blowing agent like HFC-134a is mixed with the component materials creating a light cell structure that hardens. HFCs (Hydrofluorocarbons) were virtually unused before 1990 but since then they have been used to replace ozone-depleting substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and (HCFCs). However, the EU continues to push hard to reduce the use of fluorinated gases such as HFCs and although the use of HFCs in composite panels has not yet been outlawed, the general consensus is that they will be under increased scrutiny during the next Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 review in 2011. A bit like a sandwich that’s past its sell by date.

Comparatively, stone wool cored composite panels rely only upon trapped air for their thermal properties. Rockwool mainly comprises diabase rock, a natural, plentiful resource and according to Eurisol, the UK Mineral Wool association, producing stone wool requires only half the energy needed to manufacture other types of insulation.

The preferred route to disposal requires composite panels to be cut down for processing at one of the existing fridge recycling plants, again do you see the sandwich theme here. I told you that my lunch today was related to this blog. The processes involved separates the various materials and the steel can then be made available for recycling. The polyurethane dust is liberated from the foam for landfill and the gases captured and sent to specialist waste companies for high temperature incineration. The Corus Colorcoat® Technical Paper estimates the cost for this process to be £8/m2. Fridge recycling facilities also currently offer a practical means of truly recycling stone wool composite panels. The facility allows for the successful separation of the mineral wool and the steel face, which can then be recycled back into the manufacturing process. Corus estimates the cost for this process is only around £2/m2, which covers the transport cost.The environmental impact of our everyday decisions is continuing to move up the news agenda, especially when it comes to specification and end of life disposal.

Architects and designers need to look at every aspect of a product’s environmental impact, in order to make a responsible and healthy decision – just like you would with your sandwich choice for lunch. On a Friday you probably opt to have the big fat, greasy burger from Macdonald’s because you think you have eaten reasonably healthy all week but can you truly say that you have made reasonably healthy choices for the environment in your choice of composite panel for your design.

Colorcoat and Confidex Sustain is a registered trademark of Corus

Lynn Davies on the Parallels of Sport and Business

For the past few months Lynn has been involved with Eurobond as an ambassador and consultant. He has met with a range of people in the company and attended numerous managers’ seminars.

Here are some of his thoughts based on his experience with us and how our roles, applications and challenges match those in the world of sport and especially Lynn’s sport of Athletics where he is the President of UK Athletics – the governing body in this country.

Lynn’s Thoughts:
I have always believed that there are many similarities between the worlds of sporty and business. Essentially both are about teams of people who set goals, plan and prepare, compete and aim to be the best at what they do.

My meetings and discussions with people in Eurobond has given me insights into the aims and objectives of the company and confirmed my belief that the motivation involved to achieve success can be compared with top class sport.

At the highest level of sport is a tough uncompromising business, highly competitive with little room for error. it was interesting to hear a Eurobond manager say his was also an unforgiving industry where the challenge is to get it right first time and every time.

In sport we need a clear aim, a direction, a vision of success and it must be ambitious. My vision was to compete with the best in the world at the Olympic Games. With this in mind, I made the commitment to channel my energy and resources towards achieving my goal.

At a recent Eurobond managers seminar which I attended we discussed the importance of ambition and the aim of being number one in the industry and agreed this is vital to achieving success.

We also discussed the importance of coaching and mentoring talent to achieve your full potential and bring out the best in people. So the role of managers in business is the same as coaches in sport, to help maximise performance.

The aim of good coaching is to provide people with the basic skills and techniques of the tasks involved and then allow them the independence and responsibility to perform. Self motivation is the key and the phrase, my coach Ron Pickering often used the phrase “Roots to grow, Wings to fly”.

The coaching process must also involve mutual respect between managers and the people they work with. We agreed that the key is to create the right working relationship and a team commitment to training and development and also where success is recognised and reinforced.

A strong parallel between Eurobond and my sport of athletics at the moment is that of creating a safe and fair environment for our ‘consumers’. I know that Eurobond is working hard through education and information to ensure the build environment is safe for today’s occupants and for future generations. Nowhere is this more important than in the construction of school buildings!

In athletics we are equally concerned about a fair and level playing field and the safety of our current and future athletes. We are also working hard to ensure a drug free sport with strong messages to our stakeholders that we will not tolerate those who cheat and try to beat the system. Like Eurobond, we do this through a rigorous process of testing, education and legislation. Our ‘consumers’ in athletics expect us as the governing body of the sport in the UK – UK Athletics, to lead the way and set high standards in safety, quality of performance and delivery of services, as do the customers of Eurobond.

My experience in sport has taught me there are three main reasons why people excel at a high level. Firstly they wanted to win and set their sights high, secondly they developed a self belief that they could be the best, and finally they preserved until they were the best.

So my message to Eurobond is develop the talent which you have, be ambitious, believe in yourselves and keep at it!

Good Luck,

Lynn

Eurobond’s Euro 2008 Contenders

With the recent appointment of Lynn Davies and Gareth Edwards as ambassadors for the company and Euro 2008 having grasped the nation, it only seems right that we too invest some time and money into a youth sporting programme.

With Euro 2008 fever hitting our television screens (much to many WAGS dismay), we thought it was only right to invest in a local youth football team and provide them with some sponsorship that will hopefully free up some extra funds for coaching and training facilities.

As part of the sponsorship to Splott Albion Under 14’s, they will receive a completely new FILA football strip in their team colours of blue and white (colours which are also available as finishes for our composite panels). On the front, the shirts will feature the Eurobond logo across the chest and on the back, the Eurobond logo will feature along the bottom of the shirt, underneath where each players number will be.

Splott Albion FC competes in the Cardiff and District League and contains a few potential Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy replacements within their current squad. The team itself comprises of three players head hunted for Cardiff Schools and another three who also train for the Cardiff Academy. Splott Albion FC finished third in their league this season but like Rangers FC won their League Cup this year, which contained teams from the first, second and third divisions. This is the second year in a row that they have won this accolade and an even more impressive statistic is the fact that they haven’t lost a single cup game in two years. That is a record that would be more at home with Chelsea or Man United fans.

Let’s hope the team rest well over the summer months and have picked up a few tricks from the likes of Ronaldo, Podolski and Torres during this summers Euro 2008 competition.

Our Karate Kid

You will be forgiven for thinking that most people who work within the composite cladding sector either a) have no lives outside of work b) if they do it will not involve excitement or c) as my colleague has just highlighted go to the extreme and performing extreme activities such as bungee jumping every second night of the week to bring some excitement back into their lives.

Carl Grant, our Transport and Logistics Manager leads a double life as the modern day assassin. Like Daniel Larusso, from the famous ‘hardcore’ karate movies, Carl has disciplined himself in the art of Goshinkwai Yawara which is a form of ju-jitsu and self defence. I somehow think Carl’s reasons for entering into the sport were slightly different from puney Larusso’s ‘to fight of the evil Cobra’s – hiiii-yaaaa’.

The style is simply a method of 'self defence' based on Goshinkwai Yawara principles and methods - It involves Atemi (Striking), kicks, grappling and footwork amongst others, with little of the locks and throws seen in many traditional arts. This version of martial arts involves no element of competition but may have perhaps involved several hours of painting his kind neighbor’s fence in return for a classic car for his 16th birthday.

So why on earth am I talking about this in our company blog. Well all will become clear now but to give you a slight idea – sponsorship!!! I also feel it is important for you (the customer) to get a sense of some of the individuals that you are dealing with within our company. I personally feel that it helps to create a welcoming and pleasant atmosphere to do business in. I know that I personally love a gossip with our creative agencies on a Monday morning and hearing about a star studded wedding they attended where they rubbed shoulders with the likes of Liz Hurley and Ralph Lauren. It also helps when I go to them needing something done in rapid time. We all know that work can be dull, boring or even monotonous at times so it is nice to have a bit of light relief even if it is talking to your supplier about what you got up to at the weekend.

Well Carl and his team displayed their art at the UK’s largest Martial Arts show “Seni 08” on the 26th and 27th of April at the Excel in London. Over the course of the 2 days, 20,000 people attended and we as a company sponsored him and his team so that they are able to attend and put on their martial arts show. This sponsorship allowed Carl and his team to reach a far bigger audience than they had ever managed to reach before and it proved hugely beneficial. As a sponsor, we had presence at the event with adverts, flyers and various other marketing materials being distributed on our behalf. As an employee of Eurobond, I can truthfully say that this is a company that is very keen to invest in their staff not only on a commercial level but where applicable on a personal one too. As a company they firmly believe that it is important that their staff feel happy and part of the team and it gives them great satisfaction to see staff achieve something outside of their work commitments.

The Total Body Defence Team were a huge success, performing four Displays as well as an hour workshop. This was the teams first ever exhibition and public demonatration of their unique system. Carl and his team won the top award at the event, ‘Best DVD of the Year’ and were hailed for the expert and professional display of their art. The DVD took 6 years from concept to completion and was the brainchild of Charlie Rawlins and Alun Williams. Well done guys! You should watch it, it’s awesome (http://www.totalbodydefence.com/).

Our very own Daniel Son is also a 3rd Dan in Goshinkwai yawara and has over 20 years experience in training and physical fitness. But his fitness credentials do not stop their, he has also had extensive experience of training his brother Dennis Grant (6 times Welsh schoolboy’s boxing champion and one time British) and one can only wonder what training methods this may have involved, perhaps the modern day equivalent to waxing a car – busting some moves on the Playstation dance mat. Well it is some form of cardio after all.

Although the aim of this blog was to highlight how Eurobond as a company invests in their staff, if anything it will hopefully have scared you into buying our products over our competitors. If not, we know where you work and will be sending round Carl and his fellow team members for a ‘chat’. Just in case you didn’t know, Mr Miyagi died on the 24th November 2005 at the ripe old age of 73 – at least he had 13 years use of his OAP bus pass.