L.J.A. Miers order a second Zünd cutter

L.J.A. Miers, specialists in the conversion and lamination of rubber, foam, plastic and fabric for the automotive industry, have recently diversified their manufacturing efforts into the production of personal protective equipment with the purchase of another Zünd cutter.  

Established in 1954, L.J.A. Miers & Co. Ltd is one of the longest running rubber, foam and plastics converters in the United Kingdom. Using a wide range of conversion techniques and their 66 years of manufacturing experience, L.J.A Miers manufactures products used in a wide range of industries and applications which include Automotive, Manufacturing, Glazing, Packaging, Construction and Medical. Offering a one stop solution for laminating, adhesive coating, converting, cutting and processing. This versatility has enabled the company to operate in a flexible manufacturing environment with ongoing commitment to investing in the latest cutting technology.

In late March this year, the company saw their order book drop to almost nothing as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United Kingdom. Many of LJA Miers’ customers halted production as the situation unfolded which took an inevitable knock-on effect. Keeping abreast with the latest media updates and Government guidelines, the company sought to make an early response to the call-to-arms for UK manufacturers to support our highly valued and appreciated NHS.

Jack Miers, Production Manager explains “We had to rethink our approach and decided to work closely with the NHS to develop a face shield for Addenbrookes. Once we met the specifications, we started to get small orders for face shield production. At first, we received orders of 1,000 to 2,000 units which our current Zund could cope with.” This changed very quickly he explains “It soon became apparent that we needed to ramp up production to meet the demand at that time as greater cutter capacity was required. We received a substantial order from Addenbrookes & other local NHS trusts, which led us to contact Zund UK”.  

Zund UK were keen to help and arranged for a demonstration machine from its demo suite to be made available. Within a week of the initial enquiry, the Zünd G3 L-3200 was on site, installed and ready to go, cutting the PET for the shields. The company is also awaiting the arrival of their third Zünd cutter, a purchase planned after a customer experience event they attended in Switzerland at the beginning of the year. L.J.A. Miers opted for the 120mm high beam G3 L-3200 with top of the range 3.6kw router and high specification vacuum, enabling them to cut foam quicker and far more efficiently. Jack Miers said “During our trip to Switzerland, we had the pleasure of seeing the different options Zünd offered and went ahead with an order for a fully configured cutter that meets our requirements. This purchase will help us open doors to pursue foam packaging business”.

Since the installation of the ex-demonstration Zünd G3 L-3200, LJA Miers have now recruited a further 120 employees to its workforce locally onto their shift patterns and run a 24/7 operation.  The company is currently producing 120,000 face shields per day from their factory in Cambridgeshire and is now one of the largest employers in St Neots. 

Reflecting back on their recent Zünd machinery purchases Jack Miers said “With the many machines produced by many manufacturers at L.J.A. Miers, Zünd really stand out from the rest. Their support network is second to none, with help available at any time of the day, just a phone call away. Zund UK’s Material testing service at their demonstration centre in St. Albans is a fantastic tool for us to develop our products further and ensuring our customers’ demands are met. Being a family run business, we are not shy to invest and with our third Zünd on the way, I think this is a testament to the quality and performance of their digital cutters.”  

Thomas Scott Sales Account Manager at Zund UK said “When L.J.A Miers approached us to support them with PPE production, we knew we had to act fast. We were able to secure a machine from our demo suite in St Albans, which we had shipped, installed and production-ready in just 3 working days. The tremendous work that L.J.A Miers have been doing for hospitals all over the country has been vital to national effort and we are pleased we were able to do our bit to help. It was a great effort by all in involved.”