Fahr Industries are pleased to announce their Scientific Play Panels are now on the way with an initial launch featuring: Gears, Pulleys, Primary Colours and a Weather Station, the first actual panel images will be available to view on this site week commencing 26th March, with videos to follow shortly afterwards.

All the new Scientific Panels will feature information inserts to help the children think about the experiments or what to do and look for, as well as an A4 Results and Observations dry-wipe board insert for them to record their findings on.

Work has already been underway since the end of last year, developing different types of energy generation activities for play panels and the first panel/s should be ready for this summer.

If you would like more information or you have a scientific idea that you would like Fahr to develop for you, then please contact the Fahr Office for more information.

The designers at Fahr have been busy this month (so nothing new there!), not only are they busy designing many new panel designs and products exclusively for their customers at the moment, but they have also been working on many new designs for panels and products due to be released this Spring and Summer.

Many of this first batch of panels to be released feature a new slot and sliding disc detail. This new slot detail gets around one problem that has always existed in HDPE panels when slots are used, and that is the movement of tongue shapes cut into the HDPE which can make sliding the discs difficult. Other new features for these panels include: printed inserts which enable more graphics detail in a smaller space, integral chalkboard inserts for the children to record and write down things like birthdays, back-mounted spinning discs with viewing aperture and the first PlayTronic clock panel game.

Please visit the What's New Page to see all the new panels

Fahr has added a new batch of product videos onto their YouTube Channel including:

NEW Pinball Play Panel  - a great new panel featuring a custom designed pinball firing mechanism.

Arts Centre - a walk around video of this great new product.

Tilt Maze - this is one product that really benefits from having a video, now you can see how it really works

Zebra Tunnel - the Zebra Tunnel looks so much more impressive in the flesh, definately worth a look.

Lion Tunnel - Same thing with the Lion Tunnel, not the most striking in the drawings, but in the flesh, awesome!

To start off 2012 Fahr has decided to offer all its customers a PRICE MATCH GUARANTEE PLUS A FURTHER 5% DISCOUNT* off any prices quoted by its competitors for HDPE panel products.

What this offer means is that our loyal customers are getting the best quality HDPE sheet products at the most competitive price

*Terms and Conditions of the Offer:

The price match applies to both quoted and price list products.
All quotations must be genuine, less than 30 days old, based on machined products from Densetec HDPE sheet materials and a copy of the quotation or price list sent to Fahr Industries Ltd for verification.
Where necessary the specification will be matched and as a result Fahr may require details of the specification being offered so we can price "like for like".
Fahr reserves the right to refuse any price match that in their opinion appears to be falsified or compiled using substandard or discounted materials. 
Fahr will offer an extra 5% discount to the Price Matched product and this will apply to the first order of the Price Match product only, but the Price Match will continue on further orders of that product.
You will be contacted in writing (email or post) 30 days before the offer is due to end or if the prices are due to increase.
All product colours including Price Matched products are subject to availability at the time of order, however alternative colours will be available.
Also subject to our Standard Terms and Conditions of Trade
© 2012 Fahr Industries Ltd

It's got past the planning stage now and well on the way to becoming a real product. Fahr has designed a completely new and affordable Arts Centre which combines 3 Art Stations of your choice into one ready to go product. You can mix and match between the Paint, Chalk and Dry-Wipe Stations or have them all the same on each centre. 

Utilising thermo-formed panels to construct the Centre, the product looks fabulous and is sturdy enough to be left freestanding in the playground, or if you are worried about the attention of neighbouring towns wanting their own Arts Centre, you could simply anchor it to the playground.

Other Centres are already on the drawing board for release in the coming weeks, but if you would like more information sooner rather than later, or if you have a idea that you'd like us to work on specifically for you, then please contact the Fahr Office.

Fahr has long been aware that mechanical fixings for its HDPE products are not always the best solution, and while there are plenty of people out there that claim they can permanently bond HDPE together, but in reality if you want to create a permanent bond between 2 pieces of HDPE the only way is to weld them.

So with all this in mind Fahr has invested in various HDPE welding equipment which allows them to weld all their standard HDPE sheets from 6mm up to 19mm thickness. They also have a small welder that is suitable for small puddle welds and detail work.

Some of the applications that would benefit from the use of welding...

• Planters
• Water containers
• Brackets
• Roof panels
• Structural joints  

Please contact the Fahr Office if you would like more informaton, alternatively you can see more information on the Fahr Manufacturing/HDPEWelding Page.

During the month of November some of the Fahr lads took part in 'Movember'.
Movember (the month formerly known as November) a moustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men's health; specifically prostate and testicular cancer. 

Those actively taking part donated their top lips in an effort to help change the face of men?s health by raising money through donations.  This year, the Fahr Mo Bro?s (as the team was known) managed to raise a whopping £600 for their efforts.

 
Their Fahr Mo Bro moustaches certainly did spark conversations and gave us all the guys a laugh while raising some serious money. The Fahr Mo Bro Team from left to right were; Ed Searle, Richard Lawrence, Steve White, Pete Howes and Andy Webb

It's still not too late to donate to such a good cause by visiting http://mobro.co/fahrmobros

Remember:-
*1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime
*This year 37,000 new cases of the disease will be diagnosed
*1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime
*26% of men are less likely to go the doctor compared to women

The Fahr Mo Bro Team would like to thank everybody for their support and donations.

One of the latest projects that the Boffins at Fahr have been working on is a range of scientific panels for children to play and learn about the world of science with a big emphasis in FUN! 

Initially conceived as an off-shoot of the PlayTronic panel developments and looking into alternative energy sources, they have also been looking at various subjects that can be transferred into simple, safe and fun science activities involving simple physics, light and colour experiments. 

Expect to see the first designs in early 2012, but in the meantime if you have any ideas that you would like Fahr to work on specifically for your company, please contact the Fahr Office

Fahr has launched 7 major new products and concepts at the FSB Exhibition in Cologne this week: 8-Button PlayTronic Piano Panel, 8-Button PlayTronic Drum Kit Panel, PlayTronic Sunnyside Farm Panel, Stainless Steel Tongue Drum Panel, Sparkling Butterfly Panel, New Wave Tunnel Concept and the Skylight Tunnel Concepts.

Please take a look at ALL the new products on their What's New? page.

Fahr has also added videos of all the new products on to their YouTube Channel and you can of course look at the videos for each of the products on their respective product pages.

The ideas and new products do not stop their either - new ideas and products are already in the pipeline.

If you would like to receive our Product Update - Q4 2011 brochure, please contact the Fahr Office Now.

As always, things do not stand still for very long at Fahr and this month has been no exception.

Despite the extra input required to create the great new products for the upcoming FSB exhibition in Cologne at the end of the month, the boffins at Fahr have been working on a complete new concept which they are calling "The New Wave Panel Concept". This new concept essentially combines a simple economic and ecological solution to an on-going problem, which creates a stunning new look as a neat side effect.

More on this great new concept will be released as soon as it is available, which let's face it, won't be long the way the team at Fahr work.

Fahr has just introduced a 3 year guarantee on all their new PlayTronic electronic panels, which covers the speaker, sound chip and circuit board against failure due to manufacturing defects.

The whole PlayTronic system has been carefully designed and manufactured by Fahr Industries, including features like: touch sensitive activation points with no moving parts and water-proof marine grade speaker. The electronics are housed in a purpose made, durable steel, water resistant case with security screws to prevent unauthorized tampering.

All the main components can be unplugged and swapped-out if there is ever a failure or if repairs are required due to miss use or vandalism, making maintenance relatively cheap and easy to carry out.

KEEP A LOOK OUT on the PlayTronic Panels page as there will be 3 really fantastic NEW PlayTronic Panels being introduced at the end of October to coincide with the FSB Show in Cologne.

Fahr has developed a new system to add colour to clear polycarbonate sheeting, which is translucent, durable, UV stable and doesn't suffer the enormous minimum order quantities of regular coloured polycarbonate. This new system is relatively inexpensive and opens up new possibilities and potential for new and existing products. The first product launched using this material is the Starburst Panel, and when the sunshine passes through the coloured windows they cast the colours onto the floor in front of the panel - really nice!. 

Polycarbonate is the perfect material for these coloured windows, as it is virtually unbreakable, it has been vigorously tested at the factory and there is a video on the Starburst Panel page that shows a polycarbonate window taking a beating from a hammer.

Don't forget that Fahr can work with your design team to create bespoke designs that will be available exclusively for your company. Please contact the Fahr Office for more information.

Fahr has added the first batch of 8 new videos on their new YouTube Channel, which can be viewed by following this link: Fahr Industries YouTube Channel. Alternatively, when looking at Fahr Industries products you will start to see more alternative images and video links for those products to give you a better understanding of how they work or what they do.

The latest videos are for the following products:

Abacus Panel

Animal Spelling Panel

Ball Maze Panel

Chunky Noughts and Crosses Panel

Disco Ball Panel

PlayTronic Colours Panel

Tumble Ball Cog Panel

Make it Rain Panel

It has been a while in the making but the New Fahr Website is finally here! It has been a big job over the last few months and with many new products coming out from Fahr recently, the phrase "like trying to nail jelly" has been used on more than one occasion in relation to the date the site goes live.

There is a lot of work to be done adding more downloadable media, images and video of the products to help you have a better understanding on how they work and what they do. The result of this will be a website with more information, to make it easier for you to find what you need and to help you decide what products you want more efficiently for your company.

When new interactive content is added to the website, we will try to draw your attention to it through this News Page so you know what we've added and where it is. We will also be looking to update you with our latest capabilities and what we can do for you and your designers to make your products stand out.

Happy surfing!

Written by Russell Funnell (Managing Director, Fahr Industries Ltd)

The second generation of PlayTronic panels has arrived, now with the ability to have up to 4 touch sensors on each panel with different sounds and/or narration available from each sensor. All Fahr PlayTronic panels include touch sensitive activation switches with no moving parts, water-proof speaker, sealed circuitry and battery compartment with easy changeable long life batteries. All the electronic parts have been designed to fit in a durable steel, water resistant case with security screws to prevent unauthorized tampering. All the main components can be unplugged and swapped-out if there is ever a failure, making maintenance relatively cheap and easy to carry out.

The first of the second generation panels to be offered by Fahr is the 4-Button PlayTronic Driving Panel, which features a steering wheel, mirror inserts for the rear view and side mirrors and 4-button electronic sounds including: wipers, indicators, ignition and horn. [click here to see more]

There are rumors circling the UK play industry that the supposedly ring fenced money for the final year of the Play Builder funding may be removed by the new government, if it hasn't already. Hardly surprising considering the state of the UK's economy, but what this means for the UK play industry is significant as many companies have had a mini boom in the last year or so and have expanded considerably on the back of this. Sooner rather than later it my be necessary to batten down the hatches and rein in some of that expansion as it is going to get very competitive out there especially considering the influx of new companies entering the play market due to this false boom.

One way that companies can maintain their competitiveness in the market is to stand out, be different and to keep the cost of their products down as much as possible.
 

[Click Here] for more information on how you can save up to 23% off the cost of your panels and stand out at the same time. TBC

To keep up with the ever increasing range of products, materials and services that Fahr Industries offer, they have decided to move into an all-in-one factory unit a few hundred meters up the road from their previous factory of 5 years. This factory should allow Fahr to expand further in the future and where their original set-up included a number of individual units now everything will be together under one roof.
 

Russell Funnell (MD) said: this will be our 3rd move in less than 10 years, but we are really happy to have found a factory that will allow us to expand confidently in the future.