Last Wednesday, Holmbury swapped spreadsheets for cryptic codes, emails for puzzles, and deadlines for locks, as we embarked on a team-building adventure at an escape room.
Almost immediately, our teams were thrown into a series of challenging puzzles. Each puzzle required different skills—some needed logic, others observation, while some relied on quick thinking and creativity. It was interesting for us all to see our colleague’s step into new roles outside of work, revealing hidden strengths.
As you can imagine, we quickly learned that the only way out was through teamwork. Shouting out discoveries, sharing ideas, and making sure no one got stuck on a single task were essential to our escape. We learned to rely on each other’s strengths, delegate tasks naturally, and communicate effectively—even under the pressure of a ticking clock!
Thankfully we all escaped! And it’s safe to say, team work really does make the dream work!
After the escape, we all agreed how much fun it was and how it brought out new sides of everyone. The experience not only left us with great memories but also strengthened our bond as colleagues, reminding us of the importance of collaboration, trust, and a shared sense of achievement.
Completing the escape room as a team was an absolute blast—and an experience we would all recommend to any team looking to strengthen relationships and blow off some steam! If you’re looking for a fun, challenging, and highly rewarding team-building activity, escape rooms should be at the top of your list!
Now, who’s ready for round two?
Hydraulics have been a critical component of construction equipment for many years, providing the power necessary to move heavy loads and perform other important functions. However, the increasing popularity of hybrid and all-electric vehicles has raised questions about the future of hydraulics within construction. Is there a future? The answer is, DON’T PANIC!
While it is true that hydraulic systems are typically powered by diesel engines, which are becoming less popular due to their high emissions, there are still many reasons why hydraulics will likely remain an important part of construction equipment for the foreseeable future.
First and foremost, hydraulic systems are incredibly powerful and efficient, making them ideal for heavy-duty tasks like lifting and moving large loads. This means that even as construction equipment becomes more electric, there will likely still be a need for hydraulics to provide the power necessary to perform these critical tasks.
Furthermore, many manufacturers are already developing hybrid and electric construction equipment that still incorporates hydraulics.
For example, some hybrid excavators use electric motors to power the machine’s movement, but still rely on hydraulic systems for the lifting and digging functions.
In addition, hydraulic systems are highly customizable, which means that manufacturers can tailor them to meet the specific needs of different types of construction equipment. This makes them a versatile and adaptable technology that can continue to evolve alongside other advances in construction equipment design.
Overall, while the rise of hybrid and all-electric vehicles may have an impact on the future of hydraulics within construction, it seems likely that they will continue to play an important role in powering heavy-duty construction equipment for many years to come.
A customer received some feedback regarding an issue with a set of leaking flat face couplings and heavy brinelling* evident on the male part of the coupling.
Holmbury prides itself on the quality of all our products, so it was a priority for us to ensure these couplings made their way back to undergo rigorous inspection at our state-of-the-art test facility in Tonbridge, Kent. Once the goods arrived at our site, we carried out our standard inspection checks and tests. Supporting report documentation, complete with images, to convey our findings was prepared for the customer.
Our investigation had revealed the leakage was due to the seals being extruded alongside the very clear brinelling. Further discussions with our customer followed and we learned the couplings had been subjected to a combination of extreme pulsing and hose vibration which on this occasion took the application out of the performance zone of the HQ flat face series. It was clear to our technical team that our customer required a different coupling solution to resolve this issue. Holmbury advised that our HFT series could be a good solution.
HFT series screw to connect couplings incorporate all the benefits from our HQ range, whilst simultaneously strengthening the connection. Eliminating brinelling. Connection and disconnection can take place at high residual pressure in both the female and the male coupling, thus make the HFT series an ideal solution for high pressure pulses.
Our customer purchased several sets of the HFT series couplings and throughout the last 6 months we’ve had no recurrence or issues.
Holmbury continues to work closely with our customers when problems arise. Modern machines which, on the surface do the same job as they always have, have higher performance characteristics than previous models meaning higher performing couplings are sometimes required.
Rest assured that our team will always be ready to offer technical support when you need it and a solution to keep your equipment up and running.
For more information, please visit the rest of our website or call our sales office on 01732 378912.
* What is Brinelling? Brinelling is a type of mechanical damage that occurs on the surface of a metal object when it is subjected to extreme pulsation – in the case of a quick release coupling the ball bearings cause indentations to the coupling itself generally due to the above and excessive side loading of a heavy, unsupported hose assembly.
To show just how much we love and appreciate our loyal customers, we have decided to gift you free carriage on ALL UK orders placed tomorrow! 💗 Get in touch via email: sales@holmbury.com or give our friendly office a ring on 01732 378912 to get your orders in
Holmbury are renowned for our market leading Flat Faced (HQ) range of hydraulic quick release couplings. First designed in 1984, the series took the market by storm and soon became a hugely recognised name within the industry. In 1999 the Holmbury design was adopted to form the ISO standard 16028. Since then, our range of couplings has expanded to accommodate Flat Faced, ISO A, Multi Couplers, Agricultural, Screw to connect along with many others and covers all size requirements from ¼ to 2”.
Ball Valves Carbon and Stainless Steel
BVC2 & BVS2
But did you know that Holmbury also offer a range of high-pressure ball valves in both carbon and stainless steel? Our BVC2 & BVS2 series offer a full-bore, unrestricted flow with negligible pressure drops. The floating ball design provides effective sealing, with one-piece body delivering both a high-pressure rating and superior strength.
‘L’ and ‘T’ Ported Ball Vales Carbon and Stainless Steel
BVC3 & BVS3
Holmbury also market a full range of L and T port options or three ways, with mounting holes and ergonomically designed handles which aids in fitting and clearance. Both carbon and stainless-steel valves start from ¼ BSP up to 2” BSP. You can also have other threads options such as NPTF and UNF.
Along with the ball valves themselves, Holmbury offers spare handles in either a straight or offset orientation (both carbon and stainless steel) and locking kits.
Last week Holmbury had the pleasure of welcoming Sapphire to our Tonbridge office to meet some of the team. Sapphire have been our provider for SAP Business One for over a decade and they have been incredibly helpful over the last year or so, helping us integrate our new Kardex Machine into the day-to-day life at Holmbury. The team at Sapphire had to write custom coding as SAP and our Kardex machines program Remstar Power Pick, had never been used together before. This was a challenge, as it would be for any company, however Sapphire handled the task with ease and created a bespoke system for Holmbury. This particular system allows us to send pick lists from SAP directly to our Kardex machine so our warehouse team can pick orders as efficiently as possible while helping to streamline the picking process.
SAP Business one also has an MRP function which we at Holmbury have been using to review and place purchase orders for the last 2 years. Before this function was available to us, Holmbury had to create purchase orders manually which was not only more time consuming but allowed more room for error. By using this integrated system in SAP, it has allowed Holmbury to have a better understanding and control over what is required to ensure we have the right products on the shelf at the right time to supply and fulfil our customers’ requirements.
The Holmbury HQ Series, the original flat faced coupling pioneers in accordance with ISO16028, are our flagship product, known around the world for their leak free performance in high pressure pulse, hammer circuits and many other applications.
Available in both carbon steel (with zinc nickel plating) and fully 316 stainless steel, the HQ series can withstand up to 450 bar working pressure and 1750 bar burst pressure when coupled. A safety locking sleeve fitted as standard to prevent accidental disconnection, easily wiped clean and minimal inclusion of air and contaminants during connection, are just a few of the features of the HQ series flat face.
The series itself ranges from ¼” up to 2” and can be supplied with a variety of thread terminations including BSP, NPT, SAE and in some cases metric threads are also available. Fitted with nitrile seals as standard, the HQ series can operate in temperatures from -40◦ up to 106◦. Alternatively, we can supply this series with Viton seals which allows the couplings to operate in higher temperatures reaching 200◦.
The Holmbury HQ series is the preferred choice for many global OEMs as well as general market customers looking due to their user friendly operation and high-quality functionality.
Holmbury HQ series flat faced couplings are used on many, many applications, and attachments. Here are just a few. Thanks to FH & J Alviti for their participation! Visit the following link to see them in action…
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Meet the newest member of our team, Paul Sherratt. We are excited to be expanding our team and having Paul on board
Congratulations to HM Queen Elizabeth II on her 70 years of service to Crown & Country. Lets keep our fingers crossed for sunshine this long Jubilee weekend, street parties just aren’t the same in the rain!