We are pleased to announce that Barum & Dewar has once again achieved the respected ISO 9001:2015 certification following a successful annual assessment. With over two decades of accreditation, Barum & Dewar remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding the highest standards of quality and our continued eye for detail has ensured that we consistently achieve this accreditation.

Quality lies at the heart of everything we do at Barum & Dewar. Our unwavering dedication to excellence drives us to continuously enhance our business operations, approach to design and our supply chain, reinforcing our promise to deliver specialist packaging solutions to our valued customers.

Andy Harrison, our Technical Design Manager, emphasized our enduring focus on quality, stating, "Quality has always been paramount for Barum & Dewar. We consistently review our processes to align with our quality objectives, ensuring the delivery of dependable solutions to all our clients. In an ever-evolving and competitive landscape, it's imperative to continually pursue improvement to stay ahead."

ISO 9001:2015 serves as a testament to our commitment to maintaining a robust quality management system. It validates our ability to consistently meet customer needs and legal requirements while fostering customer satisfaction and paving the way for continuous improvement. At Barum & Dewar, our pursuit of excellence knows no bounds as we continue to raise the bar in a dynamic industry.

This week, we sat down with Technical Design Manager, Andy Harrison, to learn more about the approach Barum & Dewar take to designing our protective packaging solutions.

1. How does Barum & Dewar approach the design process?

Barum & Dewar approach the design process with a collaborative mindset, drawing upon our extensive experience and knowledge gained over 25 years in the industry. We prioritise understanding the unique challenges faced by our clients and adapt our approach accordingly. By leveraging insights from past projects, we identify areas of familiarity to streamline processes and optimise the solution. We encourage innovative thinking, challenging traditional approaches to effectively address the complexities of each project. As a trusted partner, we provide advisory support, guiding clients towards solutions that ultimately de-risk the project and ensure its success.

2. How involved in the design process is the client?

The client is highly involved in the design process at Barum & Dewar; we have a flexible approach that encourages their active participation. Almost all projects involve the presentation of drawings rather than relying solely on written descriptions, ensuring transparency and facilitating client input. This approach allows clients to have a hands-on role throughout the design process, ensuring that their expectations are managed effectively. The process typically involves several key stages, including defining the brief collaboratively, reviewing and proposing solutions, review meetings, obtaining client approval, and finally transitioning into production.

3. Design is only one part of the process, can you walk us through the end to end process?

The end-to-end design process at Barum & Dewar typically involves the following steps:

• Brief: The process begins with understanding the client's requirements and objectives through a detailed brief.
• Concept Design: Based on the brief, we develop a concept design with as much detail as practically possible to clear on the extent of our proposed solution and to be able to communicate this to our clients.
• Commercial Proposal: A commercial proposal is prepared, outlining the proposed solution along with top level drawings.
• Production: Once the proposal is accepted, the production phase commences. This involves various activities such as sourcing materials, creating production drawings for manufacture, and subcontracting third-party elements such as wire shock mounts or parts made in other facilities.
• Review meetings, whether during the design process or during the manufacturing phase in preparation for testing (where required) the B&D Team participate to ensure that these project milestones are met.
• Delivery: We ensures a smooth delivery process, making sure the client has the necessary facilities to receive the products. Specialised palettes and crates are used for shipping, particularly for international shipments. The delivery phase is crucial as it leaves a lasting impression on the client. Regular engagement and updates are provided throughout this stage, and adjustments may be made if needed.

By following this comprehensive end-to-end process, Barum & Dewar ensures that client requirements are effectively translated into high-quality products, delivered on time and within budget.

4. How does the process change depending on the size of project?

The process at Barum & Dewar remains consistent regardless of the size of the project, emphasising attention to detail, service quality, engagement, and integration. While larger projects may require more drawings, meetings, and reviews due to their scale, the fundamental approach remains unchanged.

Timeframes may be compressed for larger projects, but this does not alter the essential steps of the process. Each project, whether it involves a small case or a large satellite container, receives the same level of thoroughness and dedication to ensuring client satisfaction. This consistency ensures that regardless of project size, Barum & Dewar delivers high-quality solutions that meet client requirements every time.

To discuss your requirements with a member of the B&D team today please contact us.

Barum & Dewar has secured yet another follow-on order from leading aerospace company, Leonardo. This latest contract will see Barum & Dewar provide a range of Falcon Shield deployable protective cases, building on the success of several previous deliveries.

Leonardo is among the top ten world players in Aerospace, Defence and Security with significant industrial presence in the UK and Barum & Dewar has now been a trusted supplier of rugged, deployable cases, racks and protective packaging to them for more than ten years.

In 2019, Barum & Dewar worked in close partnership with Leonardo to design and manufacture a bespoke protective packaging solution to ensure the safe transportation and storage of Falcon Shield.

Falcon Shield is a rapidly deployable, scalable and modular system designed to address the threat from low, slow and small unmanned air systems (UAS). Its flexible configurable system enables highly accurate detection, tracking, identification, geo-location and mitigation of UAS threats through a complimentary, fully integrated suite of sensors and effectors.

Falcon Shield’s software Command, Control and Situational Awareness (C2SA) environment provides a modular integration framework and intuitive user interface enabling comprehensive monitoring of the UAS threat environment and delivery of effective threat mitigation.

As a deployable modular system, all components are required to be fully protected and easily handled during transportation. The previously designed and field-proven solution from Barum & Dewar has once again been selected by Leonardo to support its latest contract award.

Commenting on the contract win, Managing Director, David Frame, said “This latest contract award for additional Falcon Shield protective cases from our long-standing client, Leonardo, is testimony to the trusted partnership that has developed between our companies. Our Falcon Shield suite of cases with their custom foam interiors were designed in-house a number of years ago but having been field proven over recent years they remain the ideal protective packaging solution for Leonardo”.

Barum & Dewar is delighted to have won a new 3 year contract from global defence company, Thales. This new contract covers the survey, repair, test and recertification of all in-service submarine periscope and mast containers and extends the length of time we have supported these containers to over 25 years.

Originally designed and manufactured by Barum & Dewar in the late 1990’s, these bespoke aluminium containers, some as long as 45ft, were designed to ensure safe storage and transportation of submarine periscopes and masts from the UK to any location the submarines might operate globally. The fact that many of these original containers remain in service today is testimony to the original design and build quality and the ongoing maintenance and recertification which ensures they are fit for purpose and immediately available as needed.

We will continue to make use of a bespoke test rig we designed and manufactured which will ensure all containers are fully tested and suitable for extended use. This latest contract extends the useful life of the containers and extracts additional value from the original investments made in them.

David Frame, Managing Director, commented, “By undertaking regular inspections, maintenance and re-certification in a planned and orderly manner we are able to ensure these quality containers continue to operate as intended and are immediately available when called upon. With a lifespan of over 25 years in some cases, these containers continue to provide essential storage and transportation as well as excellent value for money.”

Barum & Dewar was delighted to be awarded a third follow on contract with Astroscale, an international leader in the space sector, in July 2023, for the design and manufacture of the transit and storage container for the End of Life Services by Astroscale-Multiple mission (ELSA-M). The container was successfully delivered to Astroscale’s brand new facility, Zeus, at Harwell, Oxfordshire in December 2023 ahead of the preparation for anticipated launch of an in-orbit demonstration mission in 2025.

This project will be the world’s first commercial removal of a client’s inactive satellite and have the ability to remove multiple inactive satellites one at a time. Funding for the in-orbit demonstration mission is being provided by the U.K. Space Agency, the European Space Agency and OneWeb. The project is pivotal in delivering Astroscale’s vision of securing the safe and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations.

Having originally provided a B&D DELTA^® style transit container for the earlier structural qualification model (SQM) development and testing schedule, the mission container is a fully fabricated and environmentally sealed bespoke solution, including a shock mounted platform, purge and rapid decompression capability and dual height lids to suit variable payloads.

The container will safely transport the ELSA-M spacecraft both domestically and internationally providing a secure, clean, and dry environment. In addition, the container will protect the payload from shock, vibration and ground handling movements whilst ensuring all safe handing practices are provided for.

The rapid growth of the space sector has resulted in a large amount of debris which poses a risk to existing satellites, space stations and astronauts and risks inhibiting future space exploration. Barum & Dewar is proud to be part of a project that is focused on making the sector more sustainable.

David Frame commented, “Having designed and manufactured the initial DELTA^® style container for the qualification model Barum & Dewar were delighted to be awarded the follow on contract for the ELSA-M mission spacecraft container. This latest contract reflects the trust placed on B&D by Astroscale and reflects the relationship established over the last 2-3 years.

B&D have developed a hard earned reputation not just with the UK but now internationally as one of the go-to companies for satellite container design and manufacture.

Our teams have worked closely with Astroscale colleagues to ensure the design and subsequent manufacture was undertaken on time, within agreed budget and to the highest of build standards”

Carlotta Morini, Project Director, said, “We’re delighted to be working with Barum & Dewar again on this third contract. It is fantastic to have such a strong supply chain as the ELSA-M mission continues to grow and pave the way for commercial in-orbiting practises to become routine to ensure our orbits stay safe and sustainable for future generations.”