Barum & Dewar is delighted to have won a third contract with Astroscale, an international leader in the space sector. With a vision to secure the safe and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations, Astroscale is dedicated to on-orbit servicing across all orbits - a highly topical and important area of sector development.

The contract awarded is for the design and manufacture of the transit and storage container for the the End of Life Services by Astroscale-Multiple mission, ELSA-M. This project will be the world’s first commercial removal of a client’s inactive spacecraft and have the ability to remove multiple inactive spacecraft one at a time. Funding for the mission is being provided by the U.K. Space Agency, the European Space Agency and OneWeb.

Having originally provided a B&D DELTA^® transit container for the earlier structural qualification model (SQM) for initial approval, this latest container will be a fully fabricated and environmentally sealed bespoke solution. With a 3 month lead time for build, the specification includes a shock mounted platform, purge and rapid decompression capability and dual height lids to suit variable payloads.

The rapid growth of the space sector has resulted in a large amount of debris which poses a risk to 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. 

Image credit: Astroscale

Last week saw the return of the International Paris Air Show following a four year break due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. As the world’s premier and largest event dedicated to the aviation and space industry, it welcomed over 300,000 visitors from 46 countries providing the opportunity for those in the industry to reconnect and discuss the future of the sector.

Barum & Dewar has been actively engaged in the Space sector for more than 25 years, designing and manufacturing bespoke shipping and transit containers for satellites and space hardware. In recent years, demand for B&D’s specialist products has grown from international clients and attendance at events such as the Paris Air Show has presented the opportunity to meet with existing clients and engage with prospective clients on upcoming projects.

Our Managing Director, David Frame spent two days at the Show and managed to meet with many of B&D’s clients, including Leonardo, Aerospacelab, Thales, Expleo and Qioptiq. B&D has been working with some of these clients for over 25 years, testament to our depth of experience in the aviation and space industry.

We look forward to attending once again when the show returns in 2025.

An integral part of our protective packaging solutions are our custom foam inserts. Barum & Dewar’s custom foam is all manufactured at our specialised foam facility by our sister company, B&D Foam. To give you further insight into our business and our foam capabilities we spoke with Glenn Taplin, General Manager at B&D Foam to find out more:

Q: Glenn, could you tell us more about B&D Foam as a business?

Since 2010 we have been working alongside the team at Barum & Dewar to provide an end-to-end service for the manufacturing of custom foam inserts. Taking the designs and specifications provided to us by Barum & Dewar’s expert design team and using a variety of machining techniques, we manufacture the required foam components. Following this they move to the assembly stage where they can be labelled, webbed or fitted with additional parts before they are bonded and tested in the case provided by Barum & Dewar.

Q: Where do you add value to customers?

Precision and quality are of key importance for Barum & Dewar’s customers. Our machines use the latest technology to ensure each foam component is engineered with accuracy. Quality is guaranteed through our manufacturing and assembly process with components checked at each stage.

Q: Values are particularly important to Barum & Dewar. What values resonate with B&D Foam in particular?

There is a real sense of shared values between the businesses, and this allows us to work closely together and ensure we deliver an end product that meets the client’s requirements. With a focus on delivering for customers every time, our dedicated team is focused on customer service excellence and building strong customer relationships. Integrity and trust also sit at the heart of the business and have done since its inception.

Q: What is important for the business moving forward?

Ultimately it comes down to continuing to deliver for our customers. We have built our reputation upon the excellent quality we deliver. We are ISO 9001 accredited, and we utilise the latest manufacturing technologies to ensure accuracy in the end product. We look forward to continuing to support the Barum & Dewar team in providing the complete packaging solution to all their customers.

As a values-led business and one of those core values focusing on ‘people’, we always place people at the heart of what we do. Usually this means a member of the B&D team, a supplier or customer, however, we are privileged to also support a number of charitable causes, one of which is Children’s Hospices Across Scotland(CHAS). One of the highlights in the charity social calendar is the CHAS Rocking Horse Ball and Barum & Dewar is delighted once again to be hosting a table of guests at this wonderful event.

For over thirty years Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) has been offering a full family support service for babies, children, and young people with life-shortening conditions. This includes palliative care, family respite and support – through its hospices, homecare services and hospital presence. Over 16,700 children in Scotland are living with a life-shortening condition and CHAS want to reach every single one of those that need support because no family should face the death of their child alone.

Find out more about CHAS here: www.chas.org.uk 

Next up in our values series is Innovation. Through constantly seeking continuous improvement and challenging the status quo, we encourage shared ideas and collaboration both internally and externally. The team at Barum & Dewar is not afraid of change but seeks to harness the best of new ideas no matter how and where these arise and act swiftly to develop these.

Innovation is the lifeblood of any successful company. It is the key to staying ahead of the competition, meeting changing customer needs, and driving growth. In today's fast-paced world, companies that fail to innovate risk falling behind, losing market share, and ultimately becoming irrelevant. That's why innovation has always been an remains an important value for our business.

Innovation is not a one-time event; it is an ongoing process. By making innovation a core value, we have fostered a culture of continuous improvement, where employees are encouraged to explore new ideas and processes to improve not only our company's products, but our services and operations.

This all connects back to our commitment to providing our clients with the very best in Complete Packaging Solutions.