Gunn and Moore went 'above and beyond' hosting Friday' factory visit. The five of us lucky enough to attend were hosted by 8 GM luminaries - Edward and Richard, (MD and Sales Director), Peter (the former MD, ECB Board member, former Chairman of Notts CCC), along with sales and marketing staff and a science bod (Dr James). Phil (who manages the site) organised a great day - nothing was too much trouble.
We started with a look at a number of historic bats (going back beyond 200 years, when it was a very different sport). These included the aluminium bat famously used (briefly) and thrown in a Test match by Dennis Lille, a Test used bat of former MD, Reg Simpson and a huge chunk of willow used recently by Samit Patel (pre - bat size Regs). This was followed by a general chat and a look at the GM 2019 Marketing video.
Having passed through the huge warehouse (including darts and snooker equipment all made by the parent, Unicorn Group), we entered the yard to begin our tour. I won't go into detail, as there are various videos online showing a tour. The tour took us from a large tree trunk through the various stages of cutting into rounds, splitting into clefts, cutting the clefts, drying the clefts in various stages, before moving indoors to the grading area and a humidity controlled room. Highlights included seeing a bat originally intended for Ben Stokes, but rejected because of the signs of storm damage. There was a rack of 'rejects', most of which had minor knot holes in the back etc. which I would have been delighted to bat with.
There was a feel of a happy firm as various employees we spoke to revealed they had worked there for 30 odd years. Each craftsman specialising in one part of the process, (cutting the clefts; grading; cutting and fitting the handles; operating the CNC machine; pressing; final shaping; knocking in; polishing and of course, applying the stickers as the final seal of approval).
Our tour guides were happy to field any and all questions, share experiences and opinions. They were very open about the whole process and the reasons behind each action. A generous lunch, more cricket chat and close look at the 2019 range of bats and softs followed. When they invited us to have a look at a bin of bats we could select from to buy, there was a stampede back to the factory.
A few points that may be worth mentioning, as they come from the 'horses mouth' not just received wisdom from an unknown source -
Knocking in - no need to spend hours on this. Round the edges, do some modest work on the toe and edges, then a couple of nets with an old ball, Et voila. Using substantial magnification of bat fibres after typical knocking-in of an edge revealed damage to the fibres, no positive compression.
Oiling - raw linseed oil should be used. It seals the bat - retaining the moisture in the bat, whilst reducing external moisture from entering the bat. It does not serve to somehow 'condition', or soften the fibres for knocking in. scuff sheets have an advantage of also retaining moisture in the face of a bat.
Handles - the same handle is used across the range. Handle weights can vary by an oz or two - this is one very good reason not to be too specific on an absolute dead weight of bat (eg has to be 2lb 9.5 oz or it feels too heavy). Go by the pick up.
Long blade/ handle - (I hope I have got this right, use this as an indication of the reasoning, feel free to research more, eg -
http://www.mace.manchester.ac.uk/project/teaching/civil/structuralconcepts/StudentCoursework/contents/43.pdf ) a longer blade moves the node of vibration further away from the centre of percussion. This can impact on the discomfort felt by the batsman and reduce the effectiveness of the shot (due to vibration). Shorter blade bats (eg 540mm) are proving very popular because the two areas are coinciding more closely. Therefore, if a longer bat is needed, a long handle (unless you are a handle choker) is a more efficient style.
A huge thank you to Edward, Richard, Peter, Phil and all your colleagues both in and out of the factory, who gave us a fantastic insight into the reality of bat making. Should any of you have the chance to visit, do take the day off work and go - you will enjoy it immensely and learn a huge amount.
David
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Topic: GM Factory Visit (Read 41615 times)