Galvanising firm installs £250,000 zinc tank

HIGHLAND Galvanisers, the Cumbernauld-based metalwork company behind the famous Kelpies sculpture in Falkirk, has pumped £250,000 into upgrading its plant in Elgin.

The firm is installing a 200-tonne zinc bath for coating its creations, which include railings, grills and other metal structures. The tank is about 11 metres long and nearly three metres deep and holds zinc heated to about 450C.

The firm said installing a kettle is a major undertaking that involves pumping 200 tonnes of molten metal into temporary holding vessels. After ten hours of cooling, a 200-tonne mobile crane will lift the 30-tonne tank from the furnace and replace it with a kettle fashioned from a special type of heat-resistant steel created in Germany.

Deputy managing director Robin Steel said: “At a time when industry is minding its bottom line, we believe now is the right time to invest in our facilities.”

News of the bath comes in the wake of Highland investing £2.5 million in its Cumbernauld site.