Ardmel Automation Ltd is based in the small town of Glenrothes, Scotland and specialises in the  design and manufacturer of specialist machinery for the clothing, motorcar and electronics industry.  Established in 1979 the company has been renowed for its innovation in automation and semi automation equipment.  In 19      Ardmel were the first to pioneer the hot air taping machine for waterproofing the seams of waterproof textiles.  Since then the company has continued to innovate the processess of seam joining with the introduction of ultrasonics, lasers and bonding machine.  Ardmel achieved a Queens Award in innovation for the new ultrasonic sewing machine in 2006, one of the most prestigious acknowledgements within the UK.
 
Ouside of the standard range of innovative machinery, Ardmel specialise in manufacturing special purpose, bespoke machinery specifically for individual customer requirements. Developing and innovating special purpose machinery has created an atmosphere of "thinking outside the box" which can be seen by the innovative ground breaking advances made by Ardmel in many industries.

Drilling machine for car seat headrests; Specialist rubber boat seam sealing machine; Jean belt loop fusing press; Trouser back pocket labeling machine; specialised steam boiler units; Variable height bench sewing machines; Cord toggle application units; Car seat piping insert machine; Garment studding machines; Slitting machinery, Ceramic orientating machine for electronics industry; Leg insertion machine for electronics industry; Screw insertion machine for electronics industry, Hacksaw blade printing and packing.
 
The company export to 62 countries and have technical and sales representation in UK,  Sri Lanka, Hong Kong,  Spain, France, Hungary, Tunisia and Morocco.

Apart from Special purpose machinery, Ardmel's core business still lies within the textile field.  Recent developments have included down filling machinery creating a clean room environment for the production of down garments and sleeping bags,  Stitch and seal machines which enables 2 production stages to be done in 1 operation creating a more efficient and less costly product.

Ardmel were also one of the first producers of machinery which has  revolutionised the production process method for garment assembly, using innovative fabric joining technology - ACT (Advanced Construction Technology). This process involves bonding fabrics using ultrasonic technology rather than the conventional method of sewing, thus eliminating the need for thread and removing the problems of stitch holes and bulky seams.

Bonding fabrics not only decreases the risk of water permeating through waterproof garments, but also gives a very clean, modern and technical finish. Ardmel's technology is now being used worldwide by most major sports brands. This technology also has uses in the medical industry and has been used to produce items such as surgical gowns as bonded seams provide greater protection against pathogens and bacteria than a garment using the conventional method.

Ardmel also manufacture the consumables that are used in both seam joining and ACT technology. We have a wide range of specialist adhesives and seam tape.  If we do not have something off the shelf then we will develop one specially for the customer.  We also have a range of decorative and stretch tapes including stretch glues for underwear and stretch materials, specialist films for the taping of car seats and dashboards and heavy duty tapes for boats.  Ardmel have also pioneered  a special tape for the sealing of silicon coated materials used in the production of tents.

The company have been campagining for more realistic testing of textiles.  International standards in textiles are so far away from the real conditions in which both PPE clothing and general clothing are used.  Due to this Ardmel have developed a range of more realistic test equipment some of which will be on display at our booth.