Stelrad is proud that most of the steel used in the production of its radiators is made here in the UK – much of it in South Wales by TATA at its steelworks in Port Talbot. We’re pleased to share the stiory that TATA has recently put together regarding our partnership.
Tata Steel’s high-quality, lightweight RADECOL 0 product for steel panel radiators is integral to the success of the Stelrad’s Low Surface Temperature (LST) radiators, enabling a high production yield and making the finished radiators long-lasting and easy to install. LST radiators have proved to be a perfect fit at a new health and fitness centre in Wales, close to the Tata steelworks where RADECOL is cast, hot-rolled and cold-rolled.
Background
RADECOL is a family of cold-rolled steel products that are tailor-made for steel panel radiators. The improved shape consistency and high strength enables manufacturers to use thinner steel to produce lightweight radiators and improve production yield.
RADECOL is available in three grades of increasing strength, and in a wide range of dimensions. All grades are rolled on Tata Steel’s continuous annealing processing line in Port Talbot, Wales, which delivers homogeneous steel with consistent surface quality, tight thickness tolerances and exceptional flatness. The reliable quality makes RADECOL ideal for trouble-free, repeatable processing.
Stelrad radiators
Stelrad has been making radiators since 1936. It is the UK’s number one radiator brand, supplying private homes and public buildings, with the widest range of designs and sizes available on the market. With more than 50% of radiator marketshare in the UK and Ireland, Stelrad has developed into a ‘one stop shop’ for all things radiators, from standard steel panel radiators, through designer and decorative ranges, to specialised ranges that include a number of special application radiators including heavy duty, Xtra Protection and its innovative Low Surface Temperature (LST) products which lead the market.
LST radiators are especially suited to public buildings and facilities where young, elderly and vulnerable people gather. Stelrad manufactures the UK’s largest range of LST products, which combine a level of safety with efficient heat distribution.
Stelrad uses Tata Steel’s RADECOL 0 to manufacture LST radiators. The steel’s light weight ensures that the finished LST radiators are easy to fit, while the strong, highly consistent source material results in less waste during manufacturing, improving the sustainability of the finished product and reducing cost. A coating on the steel helps to ensure the radiators’ long life.
Aberavon Leisure and Fitness Centre
The Aberavon Leisure and Fitness Centre, which opened in 2016, houses a 25m swimming pool and a host of fitness and ‘dry side’ leisure facilities under one roof. The centre was commissioned by the local Neath & Port Talbot County Borough Council to replace swimming baths that burned down in a major fire in 2009.
Located just four miles from the Tata Steel steelworks in Port Talbot, South Wales, the Aberavon centre is one of the latest public facilities to benefit from Stelrad’s LST radiators.
LST installation
The mechanical and electrical contractor at the Aberavon site, F P Hurley, installed around 50 Stelrad LST radiators in various sizes and outputs, in changing rooms and toilets, corridors and offices around the beachside building.
Jonathan Hyde oversaw the installation of the heating system for F P Hurley. He said: “We have worked with Stelrad radiators previously in a number of projects and recognise the quality of the products and the ease of installation that comes with them.”
It is particularly fitting that high-quality RADECOL steel, which is cast, hot-rolled and cold-rolled in the nearby Tata Steel facility, has been used in the manufacture of the Stelrad LST radiators that heat the new leisure centre.
Summary
UK-produced RADECOL from Tata Steel is instrumental in the Stelrad Low Surface Temperature radiators that are proving to be a safe, efficient solution in public buildings across the country. Aside from the Aberavon Leisure and Fitness Centre, they have also been fitted in sheltered housing schemes, schools, nurseries and care and nursing homes.
RADECOL is backed by support from Tata Steel’s Customer Technical Services (CTS) team. This knowledgeable and proactive team offers technical consultancy and practical hands-on support, to enable customers such as Stelrad to get the best from the advanced RADECOL products.
David Taylor is Stelrad’s Director of Operations: “It’s essential that the materials we use are the best for each individual radiator we manufacture, with emphasis on ensuring that the materials contribute to the quality of the products we make, the ease of logistics around the factory and the distribution centre, for our merchant customers who order and sell the products and of course for the installer who has to install the finished products. RADECOL has proven to be the ideal material for the LST products we manufacture and as a UK business we are proud that again we are using UK manufactured raw materials to make our products. Our LST radiators are increasingly being specified for projects where there is a need to meet the NHS guidance for Safe Hot Water and surface temperature, and provide as much protection as possible to those for whom they are designed to provide heating – ensuring that the casing never exceeds 43 degrees C and their design includes rounded corners and edges to avoid potential soft tissue damage from sharp edges.”
