Rayner's new global HQ features glazing systems by Kawneer.
Architectural aluminium systems by Kawneer are helping a unique fellow UK manufacturer realise ambitious business plans.
Kawneer's AA®100 zone-drained curtain walling and series 190 heavy-duty commercial entrance doors have been used on the £20 million new global headquarters and R&D, training and production facility for Rayner Intraocular Lenses in Worthing, West Sussex.
Rayner designs and is the only UK manufacturer of intraocular lenses (IOL) and proprietary injection devices for use in cataract surgery. When Sir Harold Ridley designed the world's first IOL in 1949, he chose Rayner to manufacture the ground-breaking invention. Now the company's product range is available in more than 80 countries.
Its new HQ, The Ridley Innovation Centre, is a state-of-the-art, dedicated IOL production facility with the capability of manufacturing three million IOLs each year. Manufacture is supported by a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) quality system which enables the company to trace every lens, from source materials to a patient's eye.
The new flagship centre was designed by BakerHicks, a multi-disciplinary design and engineering company, to optimise production efficiency, allow for significant future expansion in production, facilitate on site research and development, comply with current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) and minimise energy use.
To achieve these objectives, BakerHicks undertook a series of detailed studies in conjunction with Rayner, including a review and implementation of lean manufacturing principles. The design features large flexible production spaces, including a series of interconnected cleanrooms on the ground floor and research/training facilities on the first floor. This enables Rayner to engage with surgeons and academics in new product development.
Testament to this culture is a product pipeline of 11 new products in three years, planned to transform Rayner into one of the leading manufacturers of IOLs worldwide.
Tim Clover, CEO, explained the significance of the new building: "The opening of The Ridley Innovation Centre marks a significant step in what we plan to be an exciting, transformative period of growth ahead for Rayner. This major investment will treble our manufacturing capacity and put us in the best position to support the company's ambitious business expansion."
The Kawneer systems were installed on the building and included an atrium that was curved on plan to a 2,950mm radius, by JPJ Installations for main contractor TSL Projects.
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