When Grant Norton bought a stake in his father’s company in 2010, he wasn’t ready to join the company full-time.Together with his uncle Jeff Norton, they purchased a majority stake in Metnor Manufacturing from father Greg, which at the time was focused on making high-volume, low-mix products primarily for the bakery industry.
“The company was established in June 1993 to manufacture and supply small bore tubular components for the automotive industry and was registered as Normet Auto Tube. However, a year later the business diversified into manufacturing steel breads for the food and bakery industries racks and mobile carts and complementary steel products. That same year, the company changed its name to Metnor Manufacturing to reflect changes in the product portfolio the company will manufacture and the markets it will serve in the future.”
“Over the next few years, the company established itself as a major manufacturer and supplier of shelves to the food industry across the country. Greg entered into a partnership with Livanos Brothers Bakery Equipment Suppliers, which led him to start producing other products. These included trolleys and Other material handling equipment. Anything that needs a rack and needs to be moved easily on wheels, whether it goes into an industrial oven or a supermarket oven, Metnor makes.”
“The in-store bakery industry was booming at the time, and so did Metnor’s wealth. The expansion led to the relocation of some manufacturing facilities, as well as the diversification of supplying trolleys, carts and other material handling equipment for textiles and fisheries.”
“It is well known that before the Chinese saw South Africa as a suitable export opportunity, the Western Cape was a very strong and dominant supplier in these industries. Textile manufacturing in particular was hit hard by the advent of cheap imports. .”
Metnor Manufacturing was founded to focus on manufacturing high-volume, low-mix products primarily used in the bakery industry, such as mobile racks
“Nevertheless, Metnor continued to prosper and in 2000 signed a contract with Macadams Baking Systems, a prominent bakery equipment supplier and one of South Africa’s largest suppliers, to manufacture its full line of baking racks and trolleys. The agreement Linking Metnor to markets on the African continent and other international destinations.”
“At the same time, the mix of materials has changed, including stainless steel, and has further increased the product range, including oven racks, sinks, tables and other products for the food and bakery industries. Links to international markets increase these customers’ interest in Export and quality requirements. As a result, the company was ISO 9001:2000 certified in 2003 and has maintained this quality management certification.”
Since the company primarily focuses on sheet metal fabrication, welding, fabrication, and assembly, many components associated with the product are outsourced.These are now manufactured in-house where possible to reduce costs and become more competitive and self-sufficient.At the same time, the company is diversifying into more material handling and storage products, rather than relying solely on supplies from the food and bakery industries.”
Metnor Manufacturing’s recently installed Amada HD 1303 NT press brake features a hybrid drive system designed for high-precision bend repeatability, low energy consumption and less maintenance than traditional hydraulic press brakes, with automatic crowning.In addition, the HD1303NT press brake has a sheet follower (SF1548H).This is capable of handling paper weights up to 150kg.It is used to minimize the labor stress of bending larger and heavier sheets.One operator can handle large/heavy sheets as the sheet follower moves with the bending motion of the machine and follows the sheet, supporting it throughout the bending process
The newest addition to Metnor Manufacturing’s machine shop is the Amada EMZ 3612 NT punch with tapping capability.This is only the second Amada machine of its kind to be installed in South Africa, and the company is attracted by its ability to form, bend and tap on the same machine
“In the following years, the company experienced ups and downs as external and economic pressures affected its profitability. However, it did manage to increase its headcount, starting with 12 employees in 2003, to 2011 19, just before I joined the company full-time.”
“After school, I followed my passion and qualified as a game ranger, then became a commercial diver before my wife, Laura and I, in 2006 at a family home in Western Somerset, Western Cape. Opened a restaurant in a heritage house for Henri’s. Laura was a chef and we built it into one of the leading restaurants in Somerset West before we sold it in 2013.”
“Meanwhile, I joined Metnor full-time when my father retired in 2012. Besides my uncle, who was usually a sleeping partner, there was a third partner, Willie Peters, who joined in 2007 Company. So when we took over as new owners, our management was continuous.”
New Age” When the company was established in 1993 it worked in a 200sqm factory in Stikland before moving to the Blackheath Industrial Estate in 1997. Initially we took up 400sqm of space but it was quickly added 800 sqm. In 2013 the company purchased its own 2,000 sqm factory and manufacturing facility, also in Blackheath, not far from Somerset West. Then in 2014 we increased the space under the roof to 3000 sqm , and now we have increased to 3,500 square meters.”
“Since I joined, the space our company occupies has more than doubled. This space growth is synonymous with the way the company has grown and the services and products Metnor now provides and manufactures. It is also commensurate with the number of people we employ now, which in total 56 people.”
Metnor Manufacturing supplies equipment for Woolworths’ ‘Supermarket with a Difference’ concept
Woolworths ‘freshly squeezed’ station at the produce market for freshly squeezed juices and smoothies on site
“It’s not that we’ve reinvented ourselves or changed the industries we serve. Instead, we’ve increased the visibility and service solutions we provide to these industries and others. We’re now focused on serving restaurants, hotels, food design, manufacture and supply refrigeration, heating and structural equipment for the bakery and bakery industries.”
“My seven years of running this restaurant have given me insight into restaurateurs’ experience with equipment, layout, and other challenges required to run a successful business. Typically, you’ll have a chef running a business that relies entirely on their culinary expertise Knowledge to succeed in a business, but often little knowledge of other aspects of the business. There are a lot of pitfalls. Equipment and layout requirements can be the “hurdles” for most entrepreneurs, aside from the staff and logistics being the most challenging. ”
“For a short period of time, Metnor ventured into offering turnkey commercial kitchen equipment, but our strength was in manufacturing, and that’s where we’re going back, while still providing all these services, such as design, layout, service drawings, we’ve changed Instead of focusing on end customers, we are now mainly supplying the dealer market.”
Links with Woolworths “The concept of turning the company into a solutions business coincides with my father’s 19-year relationship with Woolworths at Metnor, the food and clothing retail chain well known to most South Africans.”
“At the time, Woolworths had already embarked on a strategy to expand its footprint through its ‘Supermarket with a Difference’ concept. This included a larger fresh produce area surrounded by an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, interactive areas including in the coffee aisle The “Coffee Bar” where customers can sample some estate and regional coffees and also have the option to grind coffee beans to their specifications, a “freshly squeezed” station at the produce market for freshly squeezed juices and smoothies on-site, and olives Oil and balsamic tasting stations for local and imported oils and vinegars, attractive butchery and cheese counters and other food and beverage related tasting stations.”
Metnor Manufacturing now specializes in designing, manufacturing and supplying refrigeration, heating and structural equipment for the restaurant, hospitality, food service and bakery industries
“All of these require equipment that is not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing. This is certainly a concept we are ready to be involved in. In addition to providing them with stainless steel structural requirements, we also provide them with custom store fitout/display solutions such as coffee carts and coffee carts Baking pods, as well as their dried meat product display stand and recently launched chocolate pods etc. This has fostered the need to acquire new skills in making shop fitting equipment using materials other than glass, wood, marble and steel.”
Sectors “Since fabrication and fabrication are the main functions of the company, we now have four main sectors. Our first sector, the machine shop, supplies stamped, formed and bent sub-assemblies to our own factories as well as to other companies. Second, Our Refrigeration division specializes in undercounter refrigerators and other custom refrigeration solutions. This division also installs refrigerators and freezers. Third, our General Manufacturing division manufactures everything from tables to sinks to mobile coffee carts and chef demonstration units Structural Equipment. Last but not least is our Gas and Electrical Division, specializing in the manufacture of commercial gas and electrical equipment for the hospitality industry. This division was recently certified by the South African LPG Association as an Authorized Gas Appliance Manufacturer. ”
Metnor’s design office has the latest software packages from Dassault Systems, Autodesk and Amada.In the design office, they can simulate the assembly of a product, including cutting, stamping, bending, assembly and welding.This simulation allows them to design around any issues that may arise during actual production and, where possible, helps simplify the steps of cutting, bending, punching and welding machines through CNC.
Training Additionally, Design and Development Manager Muhammed Uwaiz Khan believes in creating a training atmosphere in the work environment.That’s why Metnor runs a variety of student programs at the request of universities, training institutes and Merseta.Metnor’s management, along with its resident mechanical engineers, works to address the widening skills gap experienced by the manufacturing industry.
Other equipment includes four eccentric presses (up to 30 tons), semi-automatic pipe bender, guillotine and Amada band saw
Featuring popular software programs such as Solidworks, Revit, AutoCAD, Sheetworks, and a variety of other CNC programmable software, Metnor remains at the forefront of industry design.
With the latest solid modeling software, Metnor is able to take clients’ designs/layouts/sketches and create photorealistic renderings.Solidworks software allows them to design, test, and prefix parts together to ensure products can be developed using the correct manufacturing techniques.
The software also helps find faults in specific designs and allows design teams to correct those errors before production.Sheetworks 2017 takes the entire Solidworks model and turns it into a programming model that can program factory machines.
New Equipment All this growth and product development for a company can only be accomplished if the company invests in its equipment, services, and people.Norton confirmed that they had applied for and received a grant from dti to grow their business and output.The company has tapped into these grants, which can be used for capital equipment spending.
“It’s not an easy procedure, but it’s worth it once all the paperwork and bureaucratic requirements are done. However, it’s advisable to use a consultant or related firm to help you through the process.”
“From old but serviceable equipment, we now have two of the latest Amada punch presses and three of the latest Amada press brakes, two Amada automatic bandsaws, and an Amada TOGU III automatic tool grinder.”
The company’s focus is a machine shop that provides stamped, formed and bent components and subassemblies to Metnor Manufacturing and others
“The latest addition is the Amada EMZ 3612 NT punch with tapping function. Only the second Amada machine of this type has been installed in South Africa. What attracted us was its forming, bending and tapping operations.”
“This generation of Amada’s electric servo-driven stamping technology, along with a high degree of automation, allows for complete production planning, not just sheet metal processing.”
“The other recently installed is the Amada HD 1303 NT press brake, which features a hybrid drive system designed for high precision bend repeatability, low energy consumption and less maintenance than conventional hydraulic press brakes, and is equipped with an auto-crown Function.”
“In addition, the HD1303NT press brake has a sheet follower (SF1548H). This is capable of handling paper weights up to 150kg. It is used to minimise the labor stress of bending larger and heavier sheets. One operator Large/heavy sheets can be handled because the sheet follower moves with the bending motion of the machine and follows the sheet, supporting it throughout the bending process.”
“We still have old press brakes for specific parts, but when you are processing 30 to 60 tons of thin gauge material, depending on the project or product we are involved in, you need to have the latest equipment at your disposal. We can process thicknesses up to 3.2mm stainless and mild steel.”
“Other equipment includes four eccentric presses (up to 30 tons), a semi-automatic tube bender, a guillotine, and a decoiler/leveler for automatic leveling, deburring and punching operations, and of course TIG and MIG welding. ”
Custom Coolers and Display Refrigerators We now manufacture display refrigerators or deli counters, or any application that requires aesthetics, performance and hygiene.”
“In May 2016, we acquired Cabimercial, a local refrigeration company owned by Jean Deville, which manufactures bar refrigeration products. With over 25 years of experience in the field, Jean has joined our management team and has expanded our offering Refrigeration product range, including custom refrigerated units and display refrigerators, refrigerators and freezers, other refrigerators and freezers.”
Interesting project “Our products are now operating in a wide area of South Africa and we have a dealer network that ensures we gain visibility while focusing on making components. As a result we are involved in installing equipment in many interesting locations.”
Metnor Manufacturing will supply complete equipment upon customer request, even if they are not entirely made of metal
“These include De Brasserie Restaurant on the Strand, Babylonstoren, Mooiberg Farm between Stellenbosch and Somerset West, Lourensford Wine Estate, Spar Supermarket, KFC, Weltevreden Wine Farm, Darling Brewery, Food Lovers Market , Harbour House Group, and of course Henry’s Restaurant, to name a few.”
“Our relationship with Woolworths has included pilot work for them. They have launched a new concept called NOW NOW and are testing it at three locations in Cape Town. Metnor has been involved from the initial concept and assisted with the design , layout, service drawings, fabrication and installation. At NOW NOW you can order and pay using their app (available for free on IOS and Android) so when you arrive at the counter you can simply take away. Yes Yes, you order and pay in advance so you just pick up at the store – no queues.”
“F&B outlets are getting more sophisticated and we have to adapt to their needs. From design to finished product export.”
Post time: Jun-14-2022