Integrated Bronze Image Plaques helping bring life into Memorials

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Joe Campbell

Integrated Bronze Image Plaques

As per my previous blogs there is a shift in the the memorial industry towards a more personalised product that helps tell a story about the person being memorialised. Integrated Bronze Image Plaques are a product that Phoenix introduced over 12 months ago and their popularity has increased dramatically over recent months. Phoenix’s unique manufacturing process, which is unlike any in the industry, allows for many design options including text over images. The total design flexibility helps solve many of the requests that people have when creating a memorial.

In a previous blog on The Co-operative Funeralcare, which is the largest funeral provider in the UK responsible for over 100,000 funerals each year, I detailed their findings which identified major changes in the industry including:

A third of funerals include a favourite football theme, hobby or pop song
In 60% of funerals the deceased is dressed in clothes of relevance (eg: favourite football team, bikers leathers, wedding dresses etc
6% of coffins are personalised in some way
People are choosing unusual floral tributes and have included a cricket bat, pigeon and a pint of Guinness.

http://www.co-operative.coop/funeralcare/arranging-a-funeral/the-ways-we-say-goodbye/

Obviously, peoples needs are changing and we all should look to accommodate those needs as best as possible. That is why Phoenix has listened to our customers and developed this range of products that enable loved ones to express feelings and memories through images and words on a bronze plaque.

Phoenix’s Integrated Bronze Image plaques use photographs supplied by the customer and our skilled artistic department lays these out to create the memorial. The ability to cast all images in bronze in a slight relief ensures that the end product will last for centuries, compared to previous items sold in the industry which deteriorate in time.

Sample Plaque above with the images used below

Phoenix has developed two different ranges in our Integrated Bronze Image category. The first and most popular range is the fully integrated image plaques which are available with a number of photographs specifically laid out to make an entire scene on a plaque. As can be seen from the two samples above an below a unique memorial can be created which tells a story in pictures.

The second series of plaques is a version of the above and involves 1 selected image (usually a photo portrait) incorporated onto a standard background that is chosen from a set range (includes country scene, beach scene and leather stipple). The three samples below show these design options using this method.

With the needs of customers changing Phoenix is very proud of the developments made in producing this range of products. Please contact us for more information if this is a product that you feel you should be offering to your customers.

Written by Phoenix Foundry CEO Ian Mitchell. Phoenix Foundry is the leading Australian-owned and made supplier of cast bronze memorial and cremation plaques and other products throughout Australia. . For further details about our product range and online design and ordering system you can visit http://www.phoenixfoundry.com.au/.

Phoenix Foundry – Energy Saver Case Study

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Joe Campbell

Foundry finds further ways to reduce energy

In brief

An Energy Saver audit helped Phoenix Foundry find ways to reduce its electricity use. These included adding motion sensors and reducing underfloor heating. Most of the projects could be completed at little or no cost. The audit also identified a significant overcharge in the company’s electricity bill.

Results

Estimated reduction in power consumption of 10 per cent.
Annual reduction in carbon pollution of more than 50 tonnes.
Payback period of one year for all projects.
Credit of $7000 on the next power bill.

Conserving power has been a priority for Uralla’s Phoenix Foundry for many years now. So when an Energy Saver audit identified opportunities to reduce the company’s power use by a further 10 per cent – and for very little outlay – the management team was delighted.

Established in 1983 in the northern NSW town of Uralla, Phoenix Foundry is Australia’s leading home-grown supplier of cast bronze plaques. The niche company derives 85 per cent of its income from cemeteries, but also creates custom signage for other clients (e.g. NSW Parliament House’s coat of arms). In recent years, Phoenix has ventured into offshore markets and now derives 20 per cent of its business from exports, primarily to Canada and the UK.

Sustainability has always been an important issue for Phoenix’s owners and management team. The company, which was named Business of the Year by the Armidale Chamber of Commerce in 2010, is a founding member of the Northern Inland Sustainable Business Network (NISBN).

CEO Ian Mitchell says finding the right balance between minimising energy and optimising production can be tricky. ‘As a business, we’re committed to reducing our carbon footprint,’ says Mitchell, who joined Phoenix 10 years ago and has been CEO since 2005. ‘The planet will face a bleak future if companies don’t do their bit to protect the environment. You can’t just continue to rely on old, outmoded methods of doing things. At the same time, you need to ensure that efficiency changes don’t negatively impact production.’

In 2007, Phoenix replaced its gas-fired furnace with a high frequency induction model. While this step significantly decreased the company’s overall energy consumption, its electricity use increased.

When Mitchell heard about the Office of Environment and Heritage’s (OEH) Energy Saver audits, he was immediately interested. Phoenix’s recent audit not only identified a number of cost-saving opportunities that will help reduce the company’s electricity bill by 10 per cent but also revealed that their energy provider had overcharged them by $7000.

‘It’s great to have a fresh pair of eyes take a look at how you do things,’ says Mitchell. ‘We gained a lot of valuable information from the Energy Saver audit. The $7000 credit was a bonus.’

Phoenix began operating in the historic Uralla foundry and moved to its present site in 1989. It currently occupies 1000 square metres of factory space – including a pattern making area, maintenance workshop, production facilities and an induction furnace building – plus 130 square metres of office area.

‘We were pleasantly surprised by the results of our Energy Audit, which revealed that our operations were already fairly efficient,’ says Mitchell. ‘The audit helped us identify where our power consumption was coming from. We didn’t realise that our underfloor heating consumed nearly as much energy as our induction furnace.’

Phoenix is implementing a number of projects recommended by the audit, which will cost little or nothing to implement, include reducing the area for underfloor heating to just the pattern room where resin drums are stored; setting computer monitors to go into power saving mode; installing motion sensors for lights in infrequently used areas; and fitting a light sensor in the furnace shed and main foundry – so lights only come on when there isn’t enough natural light.

Mitchell says the foundry’s energy initiatives have generated considerable interest amongst its 40 employees. As a member of OEH’s Sustainability Advantage Program, Phoenix has obtained a Save Power kit that it loans out to staff members. The kit contains a number of tools, including a meter to plug into individual appliances to measure electricity consumption and a laser thermometer to identify hot and cold spots.

‘The kit is very popular,’ says Mitchell. ‘Raising the energy awareness of our employees has had knock-on effects at home also.’

Your next step

To find out how your business can access a subsidised Energy Saver audit contact the Energy Saver team:

Email energysaver@savepower.nsw.gov.au Call 02 8837 6000 Visit environment.nsw.gov.au/sustainbussavepower.nsw.gov.au/energysaver

Office of Environment & Heritage 59-61 Goulburn Street, Sydney. PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232. Phone +61 2 8837 6000 Fax +61 2 8837 6099 Email sustainbus@environment.nsw.gov.au www.environment.nsw.gov.au

Remembering our Anzacs

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Joe Campbell

As Anzac Day is fast approaching it is important to look back and remember the sacrifices that our Defence Force Personnel have made over the years. Proudly, Phoenix Foundry have been able to contribute to this process by manufacturing some quality War Memorials all over the world. Find below details of two of the most significant memorials we have been involved with.

Australian War Memorial – Hyde Park Corner – London

On Remembrance Day 2003, the Australian War Memorial was officially opened on Hyde Park corner in London by Her Majesty The Queen and The Prime Minister of Australia. Phoenix Foundry was the proud supplier of the bronze components of this memorial which included sculptured service emblems, sculptured coat of arms, individual bronze lettering and commemorative plaques and maps.

This memorial is set in a significant place in the heart of London and will be viewed by millions of people over many generations. All bronze components were placed on Australian granite which was specially designed to include the 24,000 names of cities and towns within Australia as well as the locations where two generations of Australians fought during the great battles of a world at war in 1914 – 1918 and 1939 – 1945. The words symbolised some of the deepest wounds ever inflicted on the Australian people as they fought alongside their comrades of the British Empire and Commonwealth.

Over 101,000 men and women who fought during these wars sadly did not return.

Images from the Australian War Memorial In London

Anzac Bridge ACMF Badge – Anzac Bridge, Sydney

Unveiled on Anzac Day 2000, Phoenix Foundry was commissioned to manufacture two cast bronze Australian Commonwealth Military Force badges. These two badges were to be placed on the side of the Anzac Bridge in Sydney (as per below image) and measured 3 metres wide by 1.5 metres high. Each badge weighed approximately 1.5 tonnes. Sadly the positioning of these emblems doesn’t allow for easy viewing by the general public, unless of course you are in a boat or ship going under the bridge.

At the time of manufacturing this job was the largest job ever manufactured by Phoenix Foundry. Special input from a sculptor was required in the pattern and finishing processes. The size and detail required on these badges meant that we needed to cast these emblems in sections and then weld each casting together to develop the end product. Input from the sculptor was then required to detail the casting to provide the desired result.

Images of the pattern and assembly process

Image of the detailing of the finishing process which helps show the size of the casting

Image of completed casting being loaded on truck for delivery

Once fully cast and assembled the weight of the end product obviously meant that every step after this would not be simple. As can be seen from the above two images, improvisation was required to enable us to detail and finish the casting and then ship to the end location, using a very unconventional but effective method.

Phoenix Foundry is very proud of the role we have played in not only the 2 jobs above, but the many war memorials ranging from a small plaque to a full memorial for various sites around the world. Our service men and women made a supreme sacrifice for our country and it is a honour to help play apart in remembering them.

“Lest We Forget”
Written by Phoenix Foundry CEO Ian Mitchell. Phoenix Foundry is the leading Australian-owned and made supplier of cast bronze memorial and cremation plaques and other products throughout Australia. . For further details about our product range and online design and ordering system you can visit http://www.phoenixfoundry.com.au/

Major Change in UK Funeral Customs

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Joe Campbell

I read with interest an article in the FDA Journal (Funeral Directors’ Association of NSW) in regards to a report conducted by one of our customers from the UK. The Co-operative Funeralcare, which is the largest funeral provider in the UK responsible for over 100,000 funerals each year, conducted the research across its network of funeral homes and has found that over half the funerals now conducted are a celebration of life and that we are changing the way we say goodbye.

“The Ways We Say Goodbye” booklet has been produced by The Co-operative Funeralcare and will be available from its 850 funeral homes across the UK. A copy of the booklet can be downloaded from the Co-operative’s website at:

http://www.co-operative.coop/funeralcare/arranging-a-funeral/the-ways-we-say-goodbye/

The key findings that I found of interest and support some previous blogs include:

49% of funerals where a celebration of life and 10% include no religion
A third of funerals include a favourite football theme, hobby or pop song
In 60% of funerals the deceased is dressed in clothes of relevance (eg: favourite football team, bikers leathers, wedding dresses etc
6% of coffins are personalised in some way
People are choosing unusual floral tributes and have included a cricket bat, pigeon and a pint of Guinness.

Peoples needs are changing and we all should look to accommodate those needs as best as possible. Congratulations to the Co-operative Funeralcare for a great report.

How to Increase Revenue through your Sporting Clubs Members

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Joe Campbell

Recent research on the Phoenix Foundry Facebook Page has shown us that many people out there are interested in the use of Cast Bronze Plaques for items other than memorials. Many of these items offer a great opportunity for often cash starved sporting clubs to increase revenue, whilst also increasing the offerings and opportunities supplied to their members. Below are some examples that show how this can be done.

Recognising Showcase Events: Each sporting club or organisation has a showcase event during the season. Example of these events include the Grand Final, Football World Cup Qualifiers, NRL State of Origin and Test Matches or the AFL Anzac Day clash between Collingwood and Essendon. A durable Cast Bronze Plaque offers many great opportunities in these areas and by utilising our new Integrated Images Plaques we can personalise the plaques for any occasion by using photographs from the event. These plaques could be purchased by the clubs and sold to supporters as a great collectors item.

Example Premiership Plaque

Limited Edition Award Plaques: Each club and association holds an annual Awards night to recognise the players, helpers and supporters who keep the club alive. During these events many awards are presented including Best and Fairest and Life Membership. These nights often also involve fund raising events to generate income. A plaque similar to the Dane Swan Brownlow Medalist plaque below could be generated as a one-off auction item or mass produced to be sold to members.Other examples of award plaques that could be generated include:

Life Membership or Long Serving Membership
Team of the Year
Retiring Players
Honour Rolls (for Club)
Sponsorship recognition

Award Plaque

Commemorative Items to include in Membership Packs: Clubs are always looking to attract new members to generate income for the club. Often members are looking for “a bonus” or something original in their membership pack and this may be able to be achieved through the use of a small cast bronze plaque. Plaques may not necessarily be offered to all membership categories but could be offered to either the higher $ value memberships or as a recognition to those members who have supported the club for a period of time (eg: 10 year recognition). This may help your club to either up-sell the membership package sold or to retain club membership.

Sponsorship recognition: As reported in a previous blog Armidale Golf Club recently upgraded all tee boxes on the course. To help generate income, sponsorship opportunities were offered on each of the 18 holes. An initial investment was made in purchasing Cast Bronze Tee Markers and then the 18 sponsors gained were allocated a hole via a random draw. The first year’s sponsorship covered the cost of the new tee markers and then each subsequent year’s sponsorship was used on the course. This provided the club with not only impressive tee markers but a new income stream of approximately $15,000 p/a that was previously lost in the community.

Memorials for Members: Many organisations, in particular sporting clubs, have very large membership bases. In recent times many people are now searching for a place of significance to mark the loss of a loved one. As a service to members, organisations are starting to offer places for memorials within their grounds. Apart from the extra service provided to the members this is also an excellent income generation method. Various shapes, colours and logos can be incorporated onto the plaques to personalise them for each organisation.

Fans have shown interest in a number of the products identified above and I am sure that they may prove to be a welcome addition to your organisations income stream.

For any club administrators who would like to know more about these opportunities to offer your club members feel free to email our National Sales & Marketing Manager Joe Campbell joe@phoenixfoundry.com.au .

Case Study: “The Eternal Muster Memorial Wall” at the Stockman’s Hall of Fame

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Joe Campbell

In my previous blogs I have mentioned how Cast Bronze Plaques have a number of uses within the community. We also discussed the need for memorials and how “Places of Significance” are now becoming popular for families in their memorialisation choices. In this blog we will case study the “Eternal Muster Memorial Wall” at the Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach, Queensland, Australia.

The “Eternal Muster Memorial Wall” is a great example of how something significant to a family can be created as a memorial option. The Memorial Wall was designed for those people who have a love for the land and have a family member of any generation with a heritage of living and working in the bush.

The Opening Plaque and Committee

Opened in 2011, The Eternal Muster Memorial was inspired by Tony Estcourt whose son Richard aged 18 years, lost his life in a tragic mustering accident at Normanton in 2008. Tony’s wish was to have his son remembered at the Stockman’s Hall of Fame and therefore it was decided to create the Eternal Muster Memorial. The wall has been set up using the reverse side of The Quiet Place (quiet reflective place at the Stockman’s Hall of Fame used as an open air chapel for weddings, tribute services and similar events), which consists of seven random rubble free standing sandstone walls set under an expansive ghost gum.

The Bronze Plaques used on the memorial are a special leaf shaped plaque measuring approx 180x90mm to contribute to the natural design of the project. The plaques are kept a standard size but orientation is changed on various orders to give a more natural look to the wall.

The Wall has proven to be extremely popular and now holds over 50 memorials. It is great to see from the inscription used on the plaques (see samples above and below), that people are using these memorials to reflect back on the person and their heritage through the use of effective epitaphs. Even using a small plaque they are able to get a strong message out about the person’s character, instead of the increasingly common epitaphs like “Rest In Peace” or “Remembered Forever”.

So the popularity of this memorial raises a question for you: Does your Cemetery, Local Government, Trust, Sporting Group, Church etc have any opportunities for a similar memorial?

For more details in regards to the Eternal Muster Memorial Wall please feel free to contact Rosemary Champion, Chairman of the Central West Queensland Branch of the Stockman’s Hall of Fame on 0427 739506 or (07) 4658 2191 or longwaystation@bigpond.com.

The need for “Memorials” – the Common use of Bronze Plaques

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Joe Campbell

As per previous blogs Phoenix Foundry’s core business is plaques for cemeteries, crematoria and memorial gardens. Remembrance is a changing process for many people and with the growing rates of cremation we are finding that people are choosing to remember in many varied ways. But are these areas “lasting” or will the memories of loved ones be lost?

If we look around the community both inside and outside the cemetery walls, it is scattered with lasting memorials made from durable cast bronze plaques. For example, almost every region has a War Memorial where people can visit and pay their respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. These memorials are used not only for family members but also the community and this tradition should be continued into the future. The question should be asked: Would we be happy to cremate and scatter the remains of a soldier in modern days and not provide any lasting memorial? I would like to think that the answer would be definitely not, so why are we happy to do this to our loved ones.

Images from the Australian War Memorial In London

Memorials provide a place for family members and friends to visit and remember. It is important to have a place to go when desired like those special occasions of birthdays, anniversaries, fathers day, mother day etc. Memorials don’t only provide somewhere to grieve, they also provide somewhere to visit and reflect on the many great memories shared.

Many cemeteries now provide a large range of memorial options for families. Landscaped gardens are being created within cemeteries to make them more attractive to families and to help create a more significant and memorable experience when visiting. Gone are the days of cremated remains only being offered placement in brick niche walls. Images below show varied options of what is now available from cemeteries around the world.

Outside the cemeteries varied options are starting to emerge. “Places of Significance” are important to families and are becoming a popular option. These may include roadside memorials, sporting grounds and even a return to the once common church memorial. Once again using cast bronze plaques in these areas helps create a durable memorial by utilising the many varied design options available. This is a growing area of popularity for families and many cemeterians are now looking at alternative areas for these types of memorials to help capture the market. Providing families with a lasting memorial is the key objective so maybe one of the answers to the decreasing memorialisation rates within cemeteries is located outside the cemetery walls.

Tuross Heads Memorial located in park next to beach in Southern NSW, Australia

Bill Shankly Gates at Anfield (Home Ground of Liverpool Football Club, UK) remembering the victims of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 where 96 fans were tragically killed

Roadside Memorials provide many varied options with no restrictions

I hope this blog has been useful in giving a better understanding into the need for a memorial. If you have any experiences of what has worked for you please feel free to comment below and share.
Written by Phoenix Foundry CEO Ian Mitchell. Phoenix Foundry is the leading Australian-owned and made supplier of cast bronze memorial and cremation plaques and other products throughout Australia. . For further details about our product range and online design and ordering system you can visit http://www.phoenixfoundry.com.au/

Introduction to Phoenix Foundry

Posted on February 28, 2012 by admin

Commercial Benefits of Bronze Plaques

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Joe Campbell

The Commercial Benefits of Bronze Plaques
As per my last blog, Cast Bronze Plaques are traditionally used for recognition of people and events. In recent times technology changes have allowed greater flexibility in design. These changes have opened up a new range of products that can be used for commercial benefit for many organisations.

Some examples of how people are using Bronze Plaques for commercial benefits include:

Sponsorship:

Armidale Golf Club recently upgraded all tee boxes on the course. To help generate income, sponsorship opportunities were offered on each of the 18 holes. An initial investment was made in purchasing Cast Bronze Tee Markers and then the 18 sponsors gained were allocated a hole via a random draw. The first year’s sponsorship covered the cost of the new tee markers and then each subsequent year’s sponsorship was used on the course. This provided the club with not only impressive tee markers but a new income stream that was previously lost in the community.

Memorials for Members:

Many organisations, in particular sporting clubs and churches, have very large membership bases. In recent times many people are now searching for a place of significance to mark the loss of a loved one. As a service to members, organisations are starting to offer places for memorials within their grounds. Apart from the extra service provided to the members this is also an excellent income generation method. Various shapes, colours and logos can be incorporated onto the plaques to personalise them for each organisation.

Memorabilia / Retail Items:

Bronze Plaques also provide great memorabilia opportunities for clubs to sell to members. For example the two designs below would be sold to members of the clubs who had recently won a premiership or had a player achieve an honour like the “Brownlow Medal”. There are many other areas of memorabilia available like “team of the century” plaques, club key rings, coasters and annual membership tags.

At Phoenix we have recently made contact with a number of fans of sporting clubs via our Phoenix Foundry Facebook page. These fans have shown interest in a number of the products identified above and I am sure that they may prove to be a welcome addition to your organisations income stream.

We hope that you are finding these blogs useful and we welcome any feedback or suggestions for future blog items.

Recognition of People and Events

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Joe Campbell

Recognition

Cast Bronze Plaques have a number of uses within the community. The most common uses are memorial plaques for cemetery, cremation or memorial gardens but they are also widely used for recognition of special events or people outside the cemetery fences.

Some examples of how people use bronze plaques include:

Recognition of People: Ben Chifley

A bronze plaque for Former Prime Minister Ben Chifley was officially unveiled on Friday 18th November 2011, at Werris Creek, NSW. The plaque was used at the Australian Railway Monument as a tribute to Chifley who was once an ultimate railway engineman. Phoenix used the new Integrated Bronze Image range of plaque for this event.

Recognition of Events: Heathcote Primary

Heathcote Primary celebrated their 150^th anniversary in 2003. To help commemorate the day a bronze plaque was chosen which incorporated a flat relief emblem of the school building.

Recognition of Service: Australian War Memorial, London

In 2003 the Australian War Memorial in London was dedicated in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen on Hyde Park corner. Phoenix Foundry was the provider of all bronze components used on this memorial which honours the commitment of Australians who served in defence of freedom in the first and second world wars. A range of products including sculptured crests and commemoration plaques were chosen to complete the memorial.

Dedication and Map plaques

Coat of Arms and Lettering

Side View of Memorial

In the next blog we will move on to how plaques are used for remembrance.