Spear & Jackson has recently announced a brand refresh of its Eclipse Professional Workshop Tools range of products. Few brands have the history and heritage of Eclipse Professional Workshop Tools. The brand dates to 1889 when James Neill, a successful Sheffield accountant, turned to steel making and patented composite steel, steel-backed iron, for hacksaw blades. The Eclipse trademark was registered in 1909, and in 1911 Neill launched the world’s first composite steel hacksaw blades under the Eclipse brand.
The Eclipse bright blue hacksaw blades are instantly recognisable, and the same colour is used across Eclipse branding. The new Geometric design which forms the basis for the brand refresh takes its inspiration from the flashes within the existing Eclipse logo and the new look places greater emphasis on the well-known Eclipse bright blue.
Export Director Steve Turner says “We have shared our plans for the new Eclipse branding with customers around the world and all are looking forward to seeing the new Geometric design as it is rolled out across our range. It gives us an eye-catching new look in the competitive hand tools market whilst retaining the most recognisable elements and trusted heritage of our existing Eclipse brand identity”.
The new Eclipse identity is being introduced on a rolling basis with plans for a full Trade preview in early Spring 2024 at the International Hardware Fair in Cologne.
The Team at Spear & Jackson UK has recently returned from their most successful Chelsea Flower Show yet. A week of lovely sunny weather had everyone in the mood for gardening and visitors to the show couldn’t wait to snap up some new hand tools from the S&J stand.
This year for the show S&J teamed up with another Sheffield-based company, Orchis Floral Design. With an established reputation for creating beautiful floral arrangements, Orchis were excited to be presenting their own floral installation for the first time in the Great Pavilion. When S&J approached them about the possibility of helping with the floral displays for their stand, it made perfect sense to join forces. Tooled up with the best Spear & Jackson hand tools, Orchis created the arrangements for the S&J stand on site at Chelsea using flowers and plants in the red, white, and blue colours of the S&J logo, with specially designed S&J letters picked out in lush green succulents. A great example of collaborative working between two Sheffield-based companies!
Spear & Jackson France are now using the ‘Made in the EU’ logo on approximately fifty of their tools. The Made in the EU label indicates that the product is mainly made in the European Union and meets criterea on its conditions of purchase and manufacture, enabling them to use the “Made in the European Union” marking on products.
Spear & Jackson France has subsequently developed a new label, in the form of a small button that will be affixed to all the products concerned to display its ‘Made in Europe’ credentials to customers and demonstrate the quality.
Eclipse Magnetics has received accreditation as a Real Living Wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation, reflecting the company’s commitment to providing fair pay and improving the lives of its employees.
The Real Living Wage is an independently-calculated hourly rate of pay based on the cost of living in the UK. The Living Wage Foundation recommends that employers pay this rate to all employees over 18 – regardless of whether they are part-time, casual or temporary workers.
Eclipse Magnetics is committed to providing a fair and living wage for all employees and believe that staff are the backbone of their business, and want to ensure they receive a salary that reflects the cost of living in the UK today.
Managing Director Steve McAllorum said: “We are delighted to have received accreditation as a Real Living Wage employer. Our people are what makes our business successful, and we want them to thrive. We are proud to be part of the growing movement of employers who have pledged their support for the Real Living Wage and hope that other employers will join us in supporting this important cause.”
Spear & Jackson are delighted to announce a new partnership with Benross Marketing, the leading UK supplier of electrical homewares and appliances, in a collaboration brought together by IPR licensing.
The new exclusive licensing programme will launch later this year and feature a range of Air Treatment products for the home including de-humidifiers, diffusers, air purifiers and related accessories, plus Air Temperature-Control priducts for the home such as heaters and fans.
Commenting on the partnership, our MD Ian Archer said “we are thrilled to enter this new relationship with Benross Marketing and it marks a new milestone to see our brand further incorporated across an ever-growing category of Spear & Jackson performance products for the home. Our core tools business continues to innovate and evolve from our proud heritage in Sheffiled since 1760, and over these past few years we have been delighted with the success and growth of our brand licensing programme. Welcoming Benross to the programme has been positive from the start and we are looking forward to working together and bringing new Spear & Jackson products to customers across a wide retail landscape”.
Amit Juneja, Managing Director, Benross Marketing, commented “we are all very excited to be part of the Spear & Jackson family of licensees. We have been keen to work with S&J for some time and when the opportunity presented itself, we were delighted to forge this new relationship and we’re looking forward to bringing some stand-out products into retail later this year and beyond”.
As a renowned British metrology company, Bowers Group took full advantage of the bumper crowds and highlighted its expertise in quality control and assurance.
Control Exhibition is a highly respected international trade fair that takes place annually in Stuttgart, Germany. It provides a platform for professionals, manufacturers, and service providers to showcase the latest advancements in technology, products, and services related to quality control and assurance in manufacturing, production, and engineering.
Richard Grocott, Bowers’ Export Sales Director, was thrilled with the turnout, stating, “We’ve had a fantastic time exhibiting at Control 2023. It always proves to be a highlight in our calendar, but this year has been something special. Control offers us the invaluable opportunity to catch up with distributors from around the world and we would like to offer our sincerest thanks to everyone who took the time to visit us. It was great to see such a large turnout; it completely exceeded our expectations, and we really enjoyed getting to see both old faces and new.”
During the exhibition, Bowers Group demonstrated its excellence in connected metrology by showcasing several innovative products. Offering live demonstrations of a range of Bluetooth-enabled hand tools that worked in conjunction with Sylvac’s Sylcom software, the team was able to highlight how connectivity can improve efficiencies and reduce errors.
Visitors were also able to see Bowers’ highly accurate digital external micrometer, DigiMic, which features advanced, built-in Bluetooth connectivity, as well as the Baty Venture Plus XT, which features standard zoom optics and programmable, segmented LED surface lighting. Baty’s SM350 vertical light path 350mm / 14″ diameter screen bench projector was also on display.
The group was also delighted to be able to showcase its oldest brand, Moore & Wright, offering a range of high-quality and affordable handheld metrology instruments, including micrometers, height gauges, calipers, indicators, and general workshop measurement tools.
Bowers Group’s successful participation in the Control Exhibition once again proves a testament to its continued dedication to advancing the field of metrology and its commitment to providing the highest quality solutions to its clients.
Robert Sorby were pleased and honoured to host the Master Cutler – Dame Julie Kenny DBE, and the Hallamshire Mistress – Rachel Abbott, at the Robert Sorby facility on the 15th May ’23.
Robert Sorby has a long history and association with The Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire, which dates back to 1624 when Robert Sorby became the very first “Master Cutler”; two of his sons also held this high office! The Master and Mistress Cutler were introduced to the Robert Sorby Management team, chatted with the office staff, and had lunch and a brief presentation on the history of Robert Sorby.
During a factory tour, they interacted with several highly skilled employees and observed some of our world-class products manufactured using traditional methods and modern CNC technology. The event culminated in a Robert Sorby tooling presentation, which will be displayed in Cutlers Hall, Sheffield.
Eclipse Magnetics is delighted to announce it has become an official member of the Made in Britain certified list of British manufacturers.
Made in Britain brings together the British manufacturing community, and it is widely regarded as a symbol of quality manufacture, service and reliability. The Made in Britain mark helps consumers, buyers and specifiers identify products that are made in Britain.
Steve McAllorum, Managing Director at Eclipse Magnetics said: “We are proud to be a UK-based manufacturer and to now use the Made in Britain mark as a worldwide symbol of quality. It’s an honour to have been certified by Made in Britain and shows our dedication to our investment in UK based technology, manufacturing facilities, skills and training. We have an extensive UK design, engineering and manufacturing site in the UK which uses magnetic technology to provide a competitive edge to a variety of industries, we’re delighted to fly the flag for Great Britain. We believe the “Made in Britain” mark will be a great positive for both our export and home markets.”
With an unrivalled magnetic products portfolio and wealth of expertise, Eclipse Magnetics has been at the forefront of magnetic technology for over 100 years. Its Sheffield based manufacturing centre produces high-performance magnetic filtration systems, fine particle magnetic separators and safety-critical handling systems.
Magnets and magnetics continue to be key components used in most industrial and commercial and even consumer arenas; Eclipse magnetics is fully committed to investing in the UK to serve these markets.
A major European material producer and distributor based in Rugby, UK, has enjoyed impressive results from its Eclipse Magnetics MicroMag supplied by Q8 Oils.
A bright/cold finished bar producer, specialising in the manufacture of high-quality engineering steels, including Rounds, Hexagons, Squares and Flats, the company installed an Eclipse Micromag MM10 from coolant pump to flood delivery.
The patented, compact Micromag magnetic filter allows contaminated fluid to enter the inlet port where it is dispersed by the unique tapered radial flow channels. Fluid passes down the outside of the centrally mounted rare earth magnetic core which captures contamination particles along its length, resulting in excellent filtration efficiency.
The geometry of the magnetic flux circuit means that contamination builds up in a controlled way, ensuring that the filter can never block, irrespective of how much contamination is held. Channels remain open allowing fluid to continue to flow freely.
The filtered fluid flows through the return slots located in the upper section of the magnetic core, down through the centre and exits through the outlet port.
Chris Pybus of the company’s Maintenance Department said: “On commissioning of the grinding machine, the coolant system features a settling tank only, allowing fine metallic debris to be suspended in the metalworking fluid. Our Q8 Certas service technician introduced the concept of magnetic filtration to increase the efficiency of the process. Installation was extremely easy by a straightforward tee into the line between the coolant pump and delivery nozzles.”
Results from the installation certainly didn’t disappoint, with surface finish improvement from 32 micro inch to 26-28 micro inch and its wheel dress frequency reduced by 20%.
Bowers Group is attending MACH Exhibition from 4th April – 8th April, showcasing a variety of metrology solutions and offering live demonstrations to illustrate how effective data transfer between measurement equipment and applications can boost manufacturing productivity. With a strong focus on connective metrology, Bowers Group representatives will be willing and ready to show visitors exactly how Bluetooth enabled equipment and connectivity can improve efficiencies and reduce errors.
Attendees will have the opportunity to find out more about the range of precision measurement equipment available from Bowers Group, including a selection of products from Baty, Trimos, Sylvac, Gagemaker, and WYLER. From bore gauges, micrometres and indicators, to sophisticated vision systems, profile projectors and software, the Bowers Group stand will offer a comprehensive range of metrology solutions to suit all needs.
As official metrology sponsors of the University of Wolverhampton Racing Team (UWR) and the University of Wolverhampton Engineering School, Bowers Group will also have the Mobile Metrology Centre on display in MACH’s Education Zone, along with the University of Wolverhampton on stand 17-354. Apprentices, students and visitors will have the unique opportunity to witness first-hand the vast range of metrology equipment on board and learn more about how they are used.
