The Problems and Issues

The global economy in which we all live today brings with it many business opportunities. As we all come under pressure to reduce costs, the opportunity to source products from a "low cost centre" can appear very attractive.

But often, along with these opportunities can be pitfalls which may not be initially obvious. Even large multi-national companies have fallen victim to global sourcing problems, for example the computer laptop battery fire recall of 2006, lead paint scare of 2007 and more recently the melamine tainted milk crisis.

It is generally quite difficult to control product quality, and the supplier will often provide little, if anything in the way of formal QC procedures, batch traceability, proper product packaging and documentation, etc… Delivery lead times are erratic, and in the event of any quality problems, at best replacement parts may be offered with the next order, but there will rarely be any attempt to identify and resolve the core problems on an on-going basis.

Then there is the problem of product development. The supplier may consider that they have a captive market, and hence see no requirement to develop or improve on existing products, let alone invest in new ones. This then leaves the supplier, the customer and the entire market itself somewhat stagnant, making growth into new markets difficult.

Add to all this the usual tyranny of distance, time zone and cultural differences, not to mention all the commercial aspects, it can be very easy to find yourself caught in a downward spiral from which it can seem very difficult to extricate yourself.

The Value Proposition: Premium Product Quality and Batch Traceability at Non-Premium Prices

By using Shanghai as its manufacturing base for very competitive product pricing, Pan Abrasives is in the position of being able to supply to other industry OEM’s as well as master distributors on a global basis. Third party branding and color schemes are done per customer supplied specifications and artwork.

The key difference with Pan Abrasives as your supply chain partner is that we combine our 100% owned in-house manufacturing facility with our other group resources:

• Central distribution and assembly centre in Singapore features ISO9001 accreditation, quality plan is done in accordance to ANSI/ASQC Z1.4-1993 (formerly US Mil Spec Std 414)
• Engineering base in Australia providing product design and development, bench and field testing of new prototypes and product samples.
• An International sales team which works with customers, receptive and responsive to both ideas for new products, and for design improvements on existing products.

To facilitate production batch traceability, transparency and history, they maintain real-time serialized lot number tracking in their manufacturing database. This is done via the MRP manufacturing suite of our ERP software such that component or raw material quality batch inspections sheets are linked together with quality assurance inspection drawings, incoming goods receipt notes, engineering change orders and production works orders.  Such linkage is done from raw materials to finished goods, thereby allowing for cradle-to-grave tracking of production components and product assembly operations.

Design Refinement

There is no better example of Pan Abrasives improving on an existing product in conjunction with our customers than the PanBlast™ Corsa II valve.

The Corsa II valve is an air operated abrasive media flow control valve, which not only meters the abrasive media flow, but also acts as an abrasive shut off valve. This feature allows for the blasting operator to stop the blasting process and still keep the blast pot pressurized. This not only reduces the time required to stop and start blasting, it also greatly reduces wear and tear on the system.

The Corsa II valve is also perfectly suited for use with automated systems, where multiple outlets on a single blast pot are employed, as they allow for individual control of each outlet.
Issues with many similar valves in the industry include poor seating of the plunger seal, dust entry into the clean air cylinder, the piston jamming in the cylinder, and abrasive/dust bypassing the plunger seals, causing premature wear.

As a result, Pan Abrasives developed the Corsa II Valve with upgrades such as:

• Increased return spring force for faster response and better sealing
• Relocated breather hole with micron filter added to prevent dust entry into the piston cylinder
• Improved piston and piston seal design for smoother operation
• New "quad" plunger seal design
• Solid tungsten carbide plunger tip and abrasive metering sleeve
• 1" abrasive drain plug added for improved maintenance
• Clock face and control knob indicator for more precise adjustment
• Excellent corrosion resistance by using stainless steel internal moving components and valve components that are first anodized, then powder coated
• Nitride hardened stainless steel urethane seat holder
• Fiber reinforced PA66 nylon control knob for added toughness

Attention to detail was key to developing the Corsa II valve, and this can be seen in our choice of "best in class" manufacturing processes.

For example, the solid tungsten carbide plunger tip is first silver brazed at low temperature to a stainless steel core and then cylindrically ground and polished to size.  The resulting component is then annealed for added toughness.

Another example would be the use of molded TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) in the manufacture of all sealing components, rather than standard cast urethane, thereby overcoming the usual problems of air bubbles, inconsistent hardness and rough surface finish.

Pan Abrasives continues to manufacture the Corsa I valve, but offers a Series II Conversion Kit to give customers an upgrade path without fully writing off their investment in the Series I valve.  Both valves are available in BSP or NPT threads to suit all markets.

Extensive Product Range and Support

The present Pan Abrasives website, www.pan-abrasives.com, is an extensive industry resource tool that also provides a preview of upcoming new PanBlast™ products which are currently in the development phase, and will be launched in the near future.

For Information:
Pan Abrasives (Pte) Ltd
2 Woodlands Sector 1, #05-20 Woodlands Sprectrum l, Singapore 738068
Tel.  +65.6861.6988, Fax +65.6861.0919
www.pan-abrasives.com