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.