More than a metal fabricator manufacturing equipment for the catering, hospitality, food services and bakery industries

Aug 02, 2023

When Grant Norton purchased a shareholding in his father’s business in 2010 he was not quite ready to join the business full time. Together with his uncle Jeff Norton they purchased a majority stake in Metnor Manufacturing from dad Greg when it was focused on manufacturing high volume, low mix products that were mainly used in the bakery industry.

“The business was established in June 1993 to manufacture and supply small-bore tubular components for the motor industry and was registered as Normet Auto Tube. However, a year later the business diversified into the manufacture of steel bakery racks and mobile trolleys and complementary steel products for the food and bakery industries. That same year the company changed its name to Metnor Manufacturing to reflect the change in the company’s product mix that it would manufacture and the market it would service in the future.”

Grant Norton, MD of Metnor Manufacturing with Design and Development Manager Muhammed Uwaiz Khan

“For the next few years the company established itself as a major manufacturer and supplier of racks for the food industry on a national basis. Greg built up a relationship with Livanos Brothers Bakery Equipment Suppliers, which led to him getting other products to manufacture. These include trolleys and other material handling equipment. Anything that needed racks and needed to be easily moved on wheels, whether it was going into an industrial or supermarket oven, Metnor would manufacture.”

“At the time there was huge growth in the in-store bakery industry and consequently Metnor’s fortunes. Expansion led to a couple of manufacturing facility moves as well as diversification into supplying trolleys, buggies and other material handling equipment for the textile and fishing industries.”

“As we all know the Western Cape was a very strong and a dominant supplier in these industries until the Chinese decided that South Africa was an appropriate export opportunity. The textile manufacturing industry, in particular, has been devastated with the advent of cheap imports.”

Metnor Manufacturing was established when it focused on manufacturing high volume, low mix products that were mainly used in the bakery industry, such as mobile racks

“Nonetheless, Metnor continued to prosper and in 2000 was contracted by well-known bakery equipment supplier and one of the largest in South Africa – Macadams Baking Systems – to manufacture their entire range of bakery racks and trolleys. This agreement linked Metnor to markets on the African continent and other international destinations.”

“At the same time the material mix was changed to include stainless steel and further increase the product range to include oven stands, sinks, tables and other products used in the food and bakery industries. The link to the international market increased exports as well as quality requirements from these clients. As a result the company was accredited with ISO 9001:2000 in 2003 and has retained this quality management certification ever since.”

With the company chiefly focused on sheet metal manufacture, welding, fabrication and assembly, many components associated with the products were outsourced. Where possible these were now manufactured in house, to reduce costs and become more competitive and self-sufficient. At the same time the company diversified into manufacturing more material handling and storage products and not necessarily just relying on supplying the food and bakery industries.”

A recent installation at Metnor Manufacturing is the Amada HD 1303 NT press brake that features a Hybrid Drive System that is engineered for high-precision bending repeatability, low energy consumption, and less maintenance than a conventional hydraulic press brake, as well as being equipped with an auto-crowning feature. Additionally, the HD1303NT press brake has a sheet follower (SF1548H). This is capable of handling a sheet weight of up to 150 kilograms. It is used to minimise labour stress on bigger and heavier sheets being bent. One operator can handle large/heavy sheets as the sheet follower moves in conjunction with the bending motion of the machine and follows the sheet, supporting it throughout the bend process

The most recent addition to Metnor Manufacturing’s machine shop is the Amada EMZ 3612 NT punching machine that is equipped with a tapping feature. It is only the second of this type of Amada machine that has been installed in South Africa and what appealed to the company was its ability to carry out form, bend and tap operations on the same machine

“Over the next few years the company had its ups and downs with external and economic pressures influencing the profitability of the company. It did however, manage to increase its head count and from having 12 staff members in 2003, and this had reached 19 by 2011, just before I joined the company on a full time basis.”

“After school I followed my passions by qualifying as a game ranger and then as a commercial diver before my wife Laura and I started a restaurant in 2006 in a heritage house situated in Somerset West, Western Cape called Henri’s. Laura is a chef and between us we built it up into one of the leading restaurants in Somerset West before selling it in 2013.”

“I had in the meantime joined Metnor on a full time basis in 2012 when Dad went on retirement. Besides my uncle, who is generally a sleeping partner, there is also a third partner, Willie Pieters, who had joined the company in 2007. So when we took over as the new owners we had continuity in management.”

The new era“When the company was established in 1993 it worked from a 200m² facility in Stikland before moving to the Blackheath industrial area in 1997. Initially we occupied 400m² of space but this soon grew by another 800m². In 2013 the company purchased its own 2 000m² factory and manufacturing facility, also in Blackheath, which is not far from Somerset West. Then in 2014 we increased our space to 3 000m² under roof and we have now increased this to 3500 m².”

“We have more than doubled the space that the company occupies since I joined. This growth in space is synonymous with how the company has grown and what services and products Metnor now offers and manufactures. This is also commensurate with the amount of staff that we now employ, which has reached a total of 56.”

Metnor Manufacturing supplies equipment to Woolworths for its ‘supermarket with a difference’ concept

A Woolworths ‘freshly squeezed’ station in the produce market used for freshly squeezed-on-the-spot juices and smoothies

“It is not that we have reinvented ourselves or changed our industries that we cater for. Instead we have increased our visibility and service solutions that we offer these industries and others. We now specialise in the design, manufacture and supply of refrigeration, as well as heating and structural equipment for the catering, hospitality, food services and bakery industries.”

“My seven years running the restaurant gave me good insight into what restauranteurs experience in equipment, layout and other challenges required to run a successful business. Generally you will have a chef running a business that relies entirely on their expertise in cooking to make a success of the business but generally has little knowledge on the other aspects of the business. There are many pitfalls. Besides staff and logistics being up there as the most challenging, the equipment and layout requirements can be an ‘obstacle’ to most of these entrepreneurs.”

“For a brief period Metnor ventured into offering turnkey commercial kitchen installations, but our strengths lay in manufacturing and this is what we have gone back to, while still offering all these services, such as design, layout, service drawings, we have shifted our focus away from the end customer and now supply mainly to the dealer market.”

Woolworths connection“This concept to change the company to a solutions business coincided with the fact that Dad had built up a relationship with Woolworths during his 19 years at Metnor, the food and clothing retail chain that is well-known to most South Africans.”

“At the time Woolworths had begun a strategy to grow a footprint through its ‘supermarket with a difference’ concept. These included a much bigger fresh produce area, surrounded by an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, interactive areas including a ‘coffee bar’ in the coffee aisle, where customers can taste some estate and regional coffees, with the option of having beans ground to their specification, a ‘freshly squeezed’ station in the produce market for freshly squeezed-on-the-spot juices and smoothies as well as an olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting station for sampling local and imported oils and vinegars, appealing butcheries and cheese counters and other food and drink related tasting stations.”

Metnor Manufacturing now specialises in the design, manufacture and supply of refrigeration, as well as heating and structural equipment for the catering, hospitality, food services and bakery industries

In total Metnor Manufacturing has three Amada press brakes

“All of these need equipment that is not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing. It was certainly a concept that we were prepared to be part of. Besides supplying them with their stainless steel structural requirements, we also supply them with their bespoke shop fitting /display solutions such as the coffee cart and coffee roasting pod, as well as their biltong display and lately their newly launched chocolate pod amongst others. This has facilitated the need for acquiring new skills in the manufacture of shop fitting equipment with the use of glass, wood, marble and other materials beside steel.”

Divisions“With manufacturing and fabrication being the main function of the company, we now have four main divisions. Our first division, the machine shop supplies our own factory as well as other companies with punched, formed and bent sub-assemblies. Secondly, our refrigeration division specialises in the manufacture of under counter refrigerators, as well as other custom refrigeration solutions. This division also installs cooler and freezer rooms. Thirdly, our general fabrication section manufactures all the structural equipment from tables to sinks to mobile coffee carts and chef demo units. Last but not least is our gas and electrical department that specialises in the manufacture of commercial gas and electrical equipment for the hospitality industry. This department has recently received their accreditation from the LPG association of South Africa as an authorised manufacturer of gas appliances.”

Metnor’s design office boasts the latest software packages from Dassault Systems, Autodesk and Amada. In the design office they can simulate assembly of products, from cutting, punching, bending, assembly and welding. This simulation allows them to design around any problems that may occur during actual production and help streamline steps through CNC cutting, bending, punching and welding machines where possible.

TrainingAdditionally, Design and Development Manager Muhammed Uwaiz Khan believes in creating a training atmosphere in the work environment. This is why Metnor runs various student programmes in accordance with universities, training colleges and Merseta requirements. Metnor’s management together with their resident mechanical engineers are dedicated to addressing the ever-widening skills gap that the manufacturing industry experiences.

A mobile cabinet being assembled

Other equipment includes four eccentric presses (up to 30 tons), semi-automatic tube benders, guillotines and Amada bandsaws

Having popular software programmes like Solidworks, Revit, AutoCAD, Sheetworks and various other CNC programmable software ensures that Metnor is continuously at the forefront of design within its industry.

With the latest in solid modelling software, Metnor is able to take a customer’s design /layout/sketch and produce photo realistic renderings. The Solidworks software allows them to design, test and prefix parts together to ensure the correct manufacturing techniques can be used to develop the product.

This software also aids in the fault finding in a particular design, and allows the design team to correct these errors before it gets produced. Sheetworks 2017 takes an entire Solidworks model, and converts it into a programming model from which the factory machines can be programmed.

New equipmentAll this growth and product development in a company is only done if the company invests in its equipment, services and people. Norton confirms that they have applied for and been allocated grants from the dti to grow their business and output. The company has taken advantage of these grants that have been available for capital equipment expenditure.

“It is not an easy procedure but once through all the paperwork and bureaucratic demands it is worth it. It is advisable to use a consultant or relevant company though, to help you through the process.”

“From old but serviceable equipment we now have two of the latest Amada punching presses and three of the latest Amada press brakes, two Amada automated band saws, as well as an Amada TOGU III automatic tool grinding machine.”

Another food industry cabinet manufactured in stainless steel being assembled

The focus of the company is on the machine shop, which supplies Metnor Manufacturing as well as other companies with punched, formed and bent components and sub-assemblies

“The most recent addition is the Amada EMZ 3612 NT punching machine that is equipped with a tapping feature. It is only the second of this type of Amada machine that has been installed in South Africa. What appealed to us is that it has form, bend and tap operations.”

“This generation of Amada’s electric servo driven punching technology, accompanied with a high level of automation, allows for the full production schedule rather than just the processing of sheet metal.”

“Another recent installation is the Amada HD 1303 NT press brake that features a Hybrid Drive System that is engineered for high-precision bending repeatability, low energy consumption, and less maintenance than a conventional hydraulic press brake, as well as being equipped with an auto-crowning feature.”

“Additionally, the HD1303NT press brake has a sheet follower (SF1548H). This is capable of handling a sheet weight of up to 150 kilograms. It is used to minimise labour stress on bigger and heavier sheets being bent. One operator can handle large/heavy sheets as the sheet follower moves in conjunction with the bending motion of the machine and follows the sheet, supporting it throughout the bend process.”

“We still have our older bending machines that are used for specific components but when you are processing between 30 and 60 tons of thin gauge material, depending on what projects or products we are involved in, you need to have the latest equipment at your disposal. We can process stainless steel and mild steel up to 3.2mm thickness.”

One of the two Amada punching presses that Metnor Manufacturing uses

Metnor Manufacturing showed its versatility to adapt by supplying Darling Brewery with equipment

“Other equipment includes four eccentric presses (up to 30 tons), semi-automatic tube benders, guillotines, and a decoiler/leveller used for automatic levelling, deburring and punching operations and of course TIG and MIG welding.”

Custom built cooler units and display fridges“This is a relatively new development in the company but one that fits our profile and the type of businesses run by our clients. We now manufacture display fridges or deli counters, or any application where good looks as well as high performance and hygiene are required.”

“In May 2016 we purchased a local refrigeration company Cabimercial that was owned by Jean Deville and was manufacturing under bar refrigeration products. Jean, with over 25 years experience in this field, has joined our management team and extended the range of refrigeration products that we offer to include custom built cooler units and display fridges, cooler rooms and freezer rooms, other refrigerated cabinets and ice bins.”

Interesting projects“Our products are now operating over a wide area in South Africa and we have a dealer network ensuring we get known while we concentrate on the manufacturing component. The result is that we have been involved in installing equipment at a number of interesting locations.”

Metnor Manufacturing will supply complete units according to a client’s requirements, even if they are not entirely made out of metal

Metnor Manufacturing uses a decoiler/leveller for automatic levelling, deburring

“These include De Brasserie restaurant in the Strand, Babylonstoren , Mooiberg Farm, which is situated between Stellenbosch and Somerset West, Lourensford Wine Estate, Spar Supermarket outlets, KFC, Weltevreden wine farm, Darling Brewery, Food Lover’s Market, The Harbour House Group, and of course Henri’s restaurant, to name a few.”

“Our relationship with Woolworths includes carrying out pilot work for them. They have launched a new concept aptly named NOW NOW and are testing it out in three locations in Cape Town. Metnor was involved from the initial concept and assisted with design, layout, service drawings, manufacture and installation. At NOW NOW you can order and pay using their app (available free on IOS and Android), so that by the time you reach the counter you can simply grab-and-go. Yup, you order and pay beforehand so that you only have to pick up at the shop – no need to queue.”

“Food and beverage outlets are increasingly becoming more sophisticated and we have to adapt to their needs. From design to finished outlet.”

For further details contact Metnor Manufacturing on TEL: 021 905 2980 or visit www.metnor.co.za