Alex Whinfrey-Gibson (22) joined H+H two years ago, while studying in his second year of a maintenance engineering apprenticeship at the AMRC Training Centre, which is based at Rotherham in South Yorkshire.
One of his first projects involved upgrading centrifugal slurry pumps to improve reliability, reduce repair costs and optimise the production process. Alex successfully identified a bottleneck in the company’s production line that was causing a critical inefficiency in its slurry pumping process.
“The work I did to upgrade the centrifugal slurry pumps resulted in a significant improvement in mean time between failures (MTBF) which meant less frequent failure of equipment. It has led to massive savings for my company, alongside several benefits in other key areas,” Alex said.
The project upgrade has resulted in reduced downtime for the company, saving both repair costs and time spent on maintenance to allow for greater operational efficiency, as well as lower operational expense and a reduction in environmental impact, due to reduced water wastage and energy consumption.
Alex’s changes also increased system reliability, which enabled H+H employees to make better use of their time to focus on higher-value tasks, thus improving overall productivity.
“Alex has been a breath of fresh air for us, taking on what had been quite a complex problem to resolve. We have already seen significant benefits in respect of uptime on our slurry pump fleet, which of course brings with it various financial and production volume benefits,” said Geoff Wray, site manager at H+H Pollington.
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“What I am really pleased to see now, however, is how Alex is moving the solution on further and leading a project on upskilling the team on site with some of the things he has learned over the last couple of years. This will put us in a good place for years to come.”
Manufacturing aircrete blocks involves converting fly ash into a highly abrasive slurry, which is difficult to pump and often leads to frequent pump failures. Traditional pumps, while essential, are expensive and hold the potential to significantly disrupt the operation line.
Alex saw an opportunity to optimise H+H's operations by upgrading the existing pumps. To implement this, he partnered with Atlantic Pumps, a company he knew was well-suited for handling abrasive slurries from his previous work experience as an apprentice technical application engineer at AESSEAL.
After analysing the existing equipment to identify the root causes of the failures, Alex then implemented a ‘six-step process,’ in which he collaborated with experts, conducted tests and implemented changes to the sealing technology, lubrication schedule and staff training.
“My own upbringing in Doncaster, an unprivileged working-class background, exposed me to individuals who had great potential but haven't had the opportunities in life to realise their passions and capabilities,” added Alex.
“I want to change that and give back to the community. This is why I am so passionate about the STEM ambassador work at the AMRC Training Centre.”
Alex is set to complete his maintenance engineering apprenticeship at the AMRC Training Centre later this year, after which he will continue working as project and reliability improvement engineer at H+H’s Pollington factory.
