Four Seasons Helps

World's Largest Wallpaper Maker

get Bigger, Faster, Better

Imperial Home Decor Group (IHDG) is the largest designer, maker and distributor of residential wall coverings and related products worldwide. With operations in North America and Europe, the company employs 3700 people and has annual sales exceeding half a billion dollars. The group produces brands for several companies including Disney, Nautica and Ralph Lauren.

Bigger, Faster, Better
Recently, IHDG wanted to expand the capabilities of one of their main wallpaper making operations at their Brampton plant, in order to produce more sophisticated designs and increase production to meet growing demand. To meet the challenge, IHDG decided to install a new press line. But not just any new press line. This new press would have two claims to fame once it was installed and operational. First, this new press line would be just that- first. That is, it would be the first nine colour press of its kind in North America. Secondly, it would be the fastest press of its kind, producing up to 700 feet of wallpaper per minute.

IHDG called on Four Seasons Controlled Climates to help them implement the project. Four Seasons' task was to design, build and install a new heating/drying system, ventilation system, rooftop exhaust system and control/monitoring station for the new press line.

 

The Challenge
The main challenges confronting the Four Seasons team, which included the engineering department, the fabrication department and the installation department, were:
• The heating/drying system had to accommodate the use of both solvent-based inks and water-based inks for the printing process. These two types of ink have very different heating and drying parameters.
• Each press in the line required its own dedicated heating/drying system.
• The new system had to process unprecedented volumes of air to accommodate the speed of the line.
• The nature of the project did not allow for an overall pre-designed plan. The design would evolve as the project progressed, with each new stage of the project presenting unforeseen challenges.
• The press line had to be operational in only three weeks, a very short time frame for a project of this scale.

 

Despite the technical challenges and the short time frame, Franco DeNicola, Four Seasons President and CEO assured the IHDG team that Four Seasons would work with them and do what ever it took to get the press line up and running in time.

The Solution
Four Seasons solution for the heating/.drying system included:
• 100% efficient burners with accurate temperature control within a specified range.
• A sophisticated new control/monitoring station.
• High-gauge spiral ducts for the roof stack system whose lighter weight negated the need for extensive roof reinforcement.
• An innovative design that allowed all the necessary equipment to fit into a smaller than usual space.

John Thompson, IHDG's Process Engineering Manager was very pleased with how well organized and efficient the Four Seasons installation crew was and how little disruption they caused in the plant's daily operations.
"Four Seasons was very good at anticipating our needs. They kept many little details from becoming big problems," said Thompson.

 

"Come in! Come in! You're just in time!"
The Four Seasons installation crew worked around the clock for three weeks, but the new press was completed in time for a demonstration of its operation to a group of visiting IHDG executives. The demonstration impressed the executives and instilled a renewed confidence and pride in the plant employees.

"We take great pride in knowing that we played a major role in helping a customer achieve their goals," said Franco DeNicola.

 

With the success of the project, plans are in the works for the installation of two more press lines which Four Seasons is designing as of this writing.

 

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