www.plastribution.co.uk
0845 34 54 560
Issue 04 October 2013
the magazine
In this issue
Delivering excellence 06
Granic ® expansion 10
Carbon black magic 22
Metal replacement 26
Did you know...
Companies in the plastics industry
7,500
Plastic and plastics
products exported
Supporting UK Plastics
Material Processed
MILLION TONNES
People employed
Value of exports
BILLION
Issue 04 – October 2013
In this issue
Granic ® in film 04
Delivering excellence 06
Dear Dan 08
Granic ® expansion 10
Technical support for film 12
Briefing governments on plastics 14
Carmel new grades 16
New Plexiglas ® brochure 17
Nail Buddy 18
UK Plastics – The enabler of manufacturing and distribution 20
Carbon black magic 22
Iupital F20-EW 24
Enzymoplast new grade 25
Metal replacement 26
Product list 30
In Momentum
Knowledge is everything 02
Little Hearts Matter Charity 04
Sarah Minshaw 06
A sustainable plastics industry 08
Richard Cudd 12
Here come the girls 14
25 years at Plastribution 16
New IT platform 18
Your mission... 20
Our vision and values 20
Plastribution is on the move 22
Mike BoswellManaging Director Welcome
to know-howPlastribution Limited
PO Box 7743
5 Ashby Park
CEVA House
Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Leicestershire
LE65 1XY
Tel: +44 (0) 1530 560560
Fax: +44 (0) 1530 560303
Email: [email protected]
www.plastribution.co.uk
This magazine is printed using vegetable oil based inks on paper that contains fibre from sustainably managed forests. Design: voice www.realworldthinking.co
Welcome to the fourth edition
of know-how magazine and we
hope that you continue to enjoy
this publication as a valuable source
of information.
Understandably, many will question
the rationale behind producing a
magazine in this ‘always on’ age and
in particular the justification of printing
hard copy alongside publishing an
electronic edition. There is no doubt
that the internet has significantly
impacted on speed, quantity and
availability of information, but it
appears that readers are becoming
more discerning in their choice of
media platforms. In fact the expected
demise of printed text books has simply
not happened. Consumers continue
to display a preference for the printed
medium, and there has been a
marked increase in the sales of weekly
review magazines as consumers
struggle with ‘information overload’.
Finally we see that paperbacks
remain highly popular despite the
convenience offered by e-readers.
In response to these changes we
plan to take a more hybrid approach
by distributing topical articles more
quickly through the use of electronic
media and industry press. We also plan
to compile relevant information into
an annual edition of know-how magazine incorporating our annual
Product Portfolio. That way we hope
you will enjoy the ‘best of both worlds’
from the end of this year when we
launch our hybrid publication.
Back to this edition. You will read in
the following pages how we continue
to increase the range of products and
services available to our customers,
and make a further commitment to
providing technical resources that
have the capability to support
increasingly sophisticated products
which offer even greater scope in
terms off applications and efficiency.
You will also see that from June, I have
been elected as President of the British
Plastics Federation and expect to
serve a two-year term in this voluntary
position. This is the first time in its 80-year
history that the president has come
from the distribution sector, and is clear
recognition of how significant this part
of the industry has become in recent
years. Having started my career in the
plastics industry over 30 years ago, and
having spent 25 years at Plastribution
it is a great honour to be of service
and in this role represent the whole UK
plastics industry. You can gain a
greater insight into what I hope to
achieve during my term in office in a
more detailed article within this edition
of know-how magazine.
From a business perspective these are
interesting times. There is no doubt that
high polymer prices are a significant
challenge, but a more competitive
exchange rate coupled with a
pro-manufacturing agenda from
government appear to have put
many sectors of the industry on a
stronger footing, and we note the
bullish attitude of many of our
customers. Even the much
beleaguered construction sector,
which has benefited little from
exchange rates, looks to be facing
better prospects as in particular the
private housing sector starts to recover.
Here at Plastribution we continue to
enjoy strong growth. This is largely due
to the continuous development of our
expertise through training and
development. It is also due to the
encouragement of our employees to
innovate improved services, and the
investment in robust processes. In this
magazine you will see evidence of this
through activities such as our internal
training programmes, continuous
improvement projects and investment
in IT infrastructure.
We hope that you will enjoy this latest
edition of know-how and through its
pages learn more about how the
products and services that Plastribution
offer can benefit your business.
Please contact me or any member
of the Plastribution team to discuss
how we can support your business
success.
Regards,
Mike Boswell
Issue 04 – October 2013
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Technical fillers for cost reduction in film extrusion Technical Fillers for cost
reduction in film extrusion
Unfortunately, due to the complexities
in production of these master
batches, the industry has been
lacking the right quality of product
to enable these avenues to be fully
explored in extrusion processing.
Film producers have tried adding
large (+10%) addition rates of typical
anti-block type master batches,
and have found that rather than
obtaining a reinforcing benefit, film
properties are - disproportionately -
negatively affected, and processing
becomes incredibly difficult or
impossible. There are, however,
very specific reasons for this.
These are:
The very high melt flow of the
carrier resin starts to adversely
affect the processing and physical
properties at higher loadings.
The average particle size of the
filler used is too large to act in a
reinforcing manner.
The maximum particle size is never
published. Essentially these large
particles act as contaminants and
sites of weakness in the film. In thin
gauge films these can also cause
‘fish eyes’ or similar.
The surface of the particle has little
affinity for polymer.
The filler absorbs moisture – at
higher doses and this can cause
issues.
The filler used is often highly
contaminated by iron oxide
and dirt (causing discolouration).
Granic ® Calcium Carbonate master batchesDue to the bespoke processing
method employed by Gestora,
production of Granic ® is able to
utilise very low melt flow polymers,
the standard film grade being based
on a MFI 1.1 LLDPE. This means that
at higher loadings the carrier resin
will not adversely affect processing
or physicals properties. Moreover, a
very high quality C8 LLDPE is used. This
highly elastic resin compensates for the
lack of elasticity in calcium carbonate,
and further boosts properties.
Gestora also use a highly controlled,
ultra-fine grade of calcium carbonate,
limit the maximum particle size and
publish this data on their data sheets.
This ensures that all the particles
included are of the right size to act
in a reinforcing manner and that
there are no large particles to
reduce properties and cause
processing issues in thin film.
These particles are also treated with a
heat stable coating. This improves the
affinity between the particle and the
polymer and eliminates any moisture
absorption, further boosting properties.
The grade of calcium carbonate
used is also very pure, enabling a high
level of whiteness to be achieved
and allowing approval for food use.
Granic ® in useFor initial trialling of Granic ®, it is
recommended that the quantity of
master batch be gradually increased
so that the operator gets a better
understanding of how the new blend
behaves in processing. Typically as the
percentage Granic ® increases, the
stability of the bubble will improve
resulting in the possibility of faster
machine speeds. The film will also
become more uniform and the weight
will increase at the same gauge.
Therefore it is recommended to start
at a 10% addition rate, and increase
this in 10% stages, up to a maximum
of 60%. The material should ideally be
added by a gravimetric system directly
above the extruder.
For trial purposes material can be
remotely mixed but separation is a
possibility if a vacuum system is used
to convey the blend due to the
difference in densities.
To fully optimise potential material
savings using Granic ®, it is
recommended to reduce the film
gauge after increase in addition rate
to bring the weight per metre of the
film back to the original level. Further
testing of the film will show the physical
properties stay constant when keeping
the section weight constant.
Blow ratios should be kept above
1:1.8 to produce film with good
biaxial properties. Less than this and
the film will have very high strength in
transverse direction (TD) and very easy
tear in machine direction (MD).
When the desired filler loading is
chosen, further savings can usually be
achieved through the reduction in
barrel temperatures. This is normally
found to be approximately 10oC.
Carbon footprintA further benefit of using Granic ®
is that the carbon footprint of the
material has been independently
assessed and verified by TUV,
Germany. This enables carbon
footprint values to be accurately
assigned to Granic ®. With values
of approximately 25% of standard
polymers, the use of Granic ® can
significantly reduce the carbon
footprint of the end product whilst
achieving cost reduction.
Specific approved logos are
available for incorporation into the
product, along with the TUV stamp
of certification and the specific
carbon saving obtained.
For further information on the full
Granic ® range of products, please
contact Plastribution on 01530 560 560.
It has long been recognised that adding fillers to plastic can act in a reinforcing manner, that is to say that physical properties can be improved leading to either a better quality product, or to cost reduction by down gauging to maintain existing property levels.
Issue 04 – October 2013
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Issue 04 – October 2013
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Issue 04 – October 2013
OTIF is an acronym for on-time and
in-full and measures a business’s
performance in getting customers
what they want when promised.
Getting it right first time drives down
costs and improves customer
satisfaction and as today’s margin
pressure forces business improvements
across the board, there is a renewed
emphasis on service.
At Plastribution, we understand that
whilst every penny matters and pricing
has to be competitive, service can
be an order winner. If we can get the
right product to the right place at the
right time in the right condition, the
reputation for reliability can give us a
competitive edge.
We hold the OTIF measurement
with such importance as it is not purely
a delivery scorecard. It measures our
entire organisation – sourcing, receiving,
storing, the sales order, picking, loading
and delivery.
Each aspect of this supply chain
has to be right to achieve the
commitment given to our customer
and on the occasions we do fail, we
can pinpoint which part of the process
caused the breakdown and address
the root causes.
The subsequent corrective and
preventative actions ensure that
the situation is put right and steps
are taken to ensure the same issues
do not repeat.
The introduction of the OTIF measure
and identifying the causes of failures
has enabled us to consistently achieve
excellent results, with our rolling 1-year
average currently standing at 99.0%.
So what does this mean to our customers? With fewer picking errors, accurate inventory and higher order fill rates we can meet expectations and give outstanding customer service.
Delivering excellence Improving on-time delivery performance
“We want to set the benchmark for where service levels in our industry should be. Our challenge is to ensure our resources and expertise are always on hand, exactly where they need to be to meet customers’ expectations.”– Craig Share
Issue 04 – October 2013
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Issue 04 – October 2013IssIssIsssssssIsssssue ue ueuue 0404 – OOOOOOccctcctoctocc berbererererr 220133
Q4
I hope you can help – I am currently designing a bracket component that will be used in a blast furnace. It has to withstand peak temperatures of 1000 oC whilst holding a load of up to 25 kg. I would like the manufacturing and component costs to be as low as possible and so I would like to use that cheap plastic I hear so much about. Can you recommend a material for me?
I certainly can recommend a material
for you – Steel!
Plastics are amazing materials and
can be used in many very demanding
applications, often at a lower weight
and manufacturing costs and should
not be underestimated.
However, sometimes other more
traditional materials are still more
suitable and in your case I would
certainly use metal!
Q1
I am trying to mould a component with PMMA but even though I think I am drying the material thoroughly, I am still getting visual defects. Can you offer any advice?
This is a common issue with PMMA.
Even though on the face of it the
material seems dry it can often not
be at the required maximum residual
moisture content to produce visually
perfect parts. As a rule of thumb for
optical parts or thick walled mouldings,
the residual moisture content should
be no more than 0.04%. The best way
of ensuring the material is dry is to use
the highest possible temperature to
remove the moisture as quickly as
possible – typically the Vicat softening
point of the grade in question minus
20oC for 2 to 4 hours. If possible also
use a dry-air drying system.
Q2
I have been trawling the internet and have rung several suppliers in an attempt to get a definitive shrinkage value for polypropylene but keep getting various answers. Can you help at all?
Yes I can. I am not at all surprised that
you cannot find what you are looking
for as there is no definitive answer to
your question. Shrinkage rates are
influenced by many factors which is
why you are generally given a range
to work with. Processing temperature,
mould temperature, tool design, MFI
and injection speed and pressure all
play a significant role in the final
products shrinkage values. In fact
the end products shrinkage will vary
across the part and also when the
measurements are taken. There
is a small but not insubstantial post
mould shrinkage for polypropylene
which is a particularly significant for
close tolerance mouldings. I hope
this helps to answer your question.
Q3
I have just started to mould a new job and I am having problems with inconsistent shrinkage. The parts I am moulding are small HDPE cap like components which are masterbatched in several colours including white, black, red, yellow green and blue. The only two colours I seem to be having a problem with are the green and blue which are giving me different shrinkage values compared to the other colours. Is there anything that I can do to resolve this issue?
My advice is to give your masterbatch
supplier a call and ask if the green
and blue formulations contain
phthalocyanine pigments. If they do,
then ask if it is possible to reformulate
the green and blue without them.
Phthalocyanine pigments have
a nucleating effect on HDPE and
PP which will cause differential
shrinkage when compared to your
other colours (which do not contain
them). I am fairly confident that this
will be the case.
Dear Dan
Dan Jarvis Technical Manager
“Plastics are amazing materials and can be used in many very demanding applications, often at a lower weight and manufacturing costs and should not be underestimated.”
Issue 04 – October 2013
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GCR Group is the new company name for the producer of the Granic
® range of masterbatch.
GCR Group expansion
processing. This surface treatment
also significantly reduces abrasivity
and gives a product which is no
more abrasive than virgin HDPE.
This is an important consideration
when processing polymers with
high levels of mineral fillers.
Probably one of the most important
differences from Granic ® materials and
others on the market is the grading of
the calcium carbonate. Granic ® pay
close attention to the quality and
grade of calcium carbonate used in
the production of their masterbatch.
Average particle size (top cut)
distribution is absolutely paramount
when producing a filler that will not
compromise mechanical properties.
In fact in many cases it actively
improves certain mechanical
properties.
Due to the differences documented
above many producers who use
fillers as an antiblock are often
surprised to find that they can utilise
the Granic ® material in much higher
dosages than 5%. In fact addition
rates in film of up to 60% have been
achieved successfully.
Production is highly automated with
closed loop operation enabling the
Granic ® products to be produced to
the highest specification. Extensive
post blending is carried out to ensure
that each batch is completely
consistent and product is regularly
sampled to ensure that moisture, top
cut, average particle size, loading,
colour and specific gravity are all
within tolerance.
Ciclic is the recycling arm of GCR
business. Today Ciclic have a recycling
capacity of 35 000mT and it specialises
in PE and PP post industrial waste from
the petrochemical industry and
converters. Ciclic have a product
range that covers the film, pipe, sheet
and automotive industries. These
products have been produced to
exacting standards with the express
purpose of replacing virgin polymer
and has recently gained a lot of
interest from the automotive sector.
Irtion is the technological unit of the
GCR group where a patented new
way of mixing, drying and coating
materials is giving the company the
ability to improve the quality of the
environmentally friendly plastics
that Granic ® and Ciclic produce.
The company is currently looking
for strategic partners for this
technology.
“Environmentally friendly plastics solutions”
The company formerly known as
Gestora de Catalana de Residuos
started production in 2001 locally
recycling PE and PP. The company
had three distinct business areas
namely Granic ®, Ciclic and Irtion and
the name change brings them all
under the GCR Group.
Granic ® is the largest producer
of filler masterbatches in Europe.
With a compounding capacity
of 110 000mT the company will
have doubled this to 220 000mT
by the end of the year. By the end
of Q2 2013 Granic ® will start up their
3rd compounding line with its own
Irtion technology.
This will be further complemented
by a 4th line in early 2014 and this
is expected to be at full capacity
by the summer. The plant, which is
ideally situated locally to its polymer
feed stock supplier (20km) and the
largest source of high quality plastic
grade calcium carbonate (7km).
In addition the world’s largest talc
mine is less than 200km away.
“Granic’s aim is to fulfil the needs
of the plastics converters regarding
plastic reinforcement, oil based
polymer replacement, lowered
environmental impact, carbon
footprint reduction (through
certification), reduced energy
consumption and help converters
achieve a reduction in the cost
of their finished goods” comments
Victor Oliva the commercial
director at GCR.
The extremely pure, ultra-fine calcium
carbonate that is used in production
of Granic ® materials is surface treated
and carries certification to that effect.
This ensures that these products do not
absorb moisture and therefore require
no drying and provide trouble free
Issue 04 – October 2013
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Issue 04 – October 2013
Technical support for film
Richard Cudd Technical Executive
Whilst the first generation of
metallocene grades were difficult
to extrude, advances in catalyst
and process technology has given
rise to metallocenes which combine
the high mechanical strength of
LLDPE with near-LDPE extrudability.
Understanding how these high
performance materials can be
exploited whilst keeping blend costs
under control can be a challenge,
particularly for companies with limited
technical or marketing resources.
The key is to determine what the
main drivers are along each particular
value chain, i.e. what are the most
important performance criteria for
the end-user, how can metallocene
products be used to improve this
performance and how can the
value of this improvement be shared.
Reducing film thickness whilst
maintaining (or even improving
on) existing mechanical properties,
increasing seal strength to allow for
lower sealing temperatures and/or
higher line speeds, increasing clarity
and gloss to improve film aesthetics
are all benefits of using metallocene.
Downgauging can sometimes be
a difficult concept to promote,
particularly where extruders sell their
film by weight; reducing film thickness
will mean more metres of film per reel
if reel weight is kept constant and
therefore the end-user will re-order
less frequently. If, however, end-users
can be persuaded to buy film by the
metre, then downgauging becomes
attractive, offering the same or
better performance as thicker film
and the potential for promoting
more sustainable products based on
reduced packaging weight and film
consumption. Additional advantages
along the supply chain could be
lower costs of raw material inventory
holding, delivery and disposal.
My role within Plastribution is to
offer our customers the technical
support they need to develop
and improve their film products.
Plastribution supplies a wide
range of polyethylene grades
for film extrusion, including Exceed
and Enable metallocenes from
ExxonMobil, C4-LLDPE from Sumitomo
and autoclave LDPE from Carmel.
Also available for film extrusion
are Vistamaxx propylene-based
elastomers for polymer modification,
high quality Granic ® calcium
carbonate masterbatches for
blend cost reduction and a range
of functional additives from Kafrit.
Being able to offer our own,
dedicated technical support,
means Plastribution can provide
a faster response to technical
enquiries, help with day-to-day
problem solving, recommend the
most suitable product for a specific
application and have someone on
site to support trials of new products,
ensuring the optimum processing
conditions are used to maximise
the benefits of the product.
During the time I have spent in the polyethylene film industry, the emergence of metallocene-catalysed polyethylene has led to significant advances in film performance, particularly with regards to mechanical properties, sealing performance and optical properties.
“My role within Plastribution is to offer our customers the technical support they need to develop and improve their film products.”
Issue 04 – October 2013
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Briefing governments on plastics
This was in Mike’s role as President
of the British Plastic Federation (BPF)
and the encounter took place on
July 22nd at the special exhibition
on the industry mounted by the
BPF in the foyer of the Department
of Business Innovation and Skills on
London’s Victoria Street, very close to
Westminister. Mike spent thirty minutes
giving Mr Fallon a tour of the exhibition
and was able to explain the role of
plastics in supporting the business and
profitability of a wide range of sectors
not just in manufacturing but also in
retail, distribution and healthcare.
The BPF exhibition made the point that
the industry is a significant employer
of some 180,000 workers and has a
sales turnover of approximately of
£19 billion. Most settlements in the
UK and certainly all Parliamentary
constituencies will have at least
one plastics operation within their
boundaries, a fact, which significantly
assists the BPF’s lobbying power.
Mike explained to Mr Fallon that it
was the UK which had launched
the commercial plastics industry
with the introduction of ‘Parkesine’
in 1862. The contribution of the UK
to the industry since that date was
documented on the BPF’s Time-Line
which was on prominent display
at the exhibition. Key landmarks
included the UK’s role in the discovery
of ‘Polyethylene’ by ICI in 1933, the
early exploitation of the PET bottle
in the late 70’s and the preparation
of PEEK, again by ICI, in 1977.
The Museum of Design and Plastics, a
part of the University of Bournemouth,
had curated display cabinets for
the BPF adorned with iconic plastics
products made in the UK and which
illustrated some of the key benefits of
using plastics such as their ability to
be recycled. The BPF also designed
a number of street- facing images,
focusing on the theme of ‘Fantastic
Plastic’, illustrating how the materials
can help ‘keep food fresher for
longer’ and how they reduce vehicle
weight and hence fuel consumption
when used as components in cars.
The exhibition was visible to the
many civil servants who were passing
through the foyer, many of them
policy-makers on issues affecting
the industry, and passers by on their
way to the tourist sites close by.
Mike said “The feedback was very
positive indeed and that there is
already evidence of civil servants
having digested the messages
and using them in their work.”
“The exhibition”, said Mike, “was the
combination of a whole series of
contacts made by the BPF and its
members over the previous year and
we had Vince Cable’s video message
of congratulations to the BPF on its
80th Anniversary playing continuously
alongside the display. Taken together
with David Cameron’s more recent
letter of congratulations, this is a
terrific governmental endorsement of
the UK plastics industry. As the Prime
Minister said, the plastics industry
‘is contributing enormously to our
transition to a green economy’ and
our exhibition at the Department of
Business Innovation and Skills showed
exactly how we are doing this.”
Plastribution’s Managing Director, Mike Boswell, recently met Michael Fallon MP, Minster of State for Business and Enterprise, and impressed upon him the importance of the UK plastics industry to the UK economy and society.
“The BPF exhibition made the point that the industry is a significant employer of some 180,000 workers and has a sales turnover of approximately of £19 billion.”– Phillip Law
Issue 04 – October 2013
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Exciting new grades from Carmel Olefins.
Carmel new grades
A batch of four new speciality polymer
products has been developed
and released by Carmel Olefins
and is now available to processors
in the UK through Plastribution.
TP50V is a very high flow heterophasic
copolymer with exceptional impact
properties. It has been designed for
injection moulding applications with
thin walls, complex design or long
flow lengths. This grade will also be
of interest to compounders or other
converters using reprocessed or
recycled materials to enhance the
mechanical performance of the
overall product or allow increased
incorporation of recyclate.
Carmel has also introduced a
unique range of transparent impact
copolymers which are intended to
solve the traditional Polypropylene
trade off between impact and
clarity, and also offer excellent
resistance to stress whitening.
CT80A – MFR (25) and CU80AV –
High MFR (35) are intended for the
injection moulding of thin walled
packaging, clear containers for
deep-freezer storage, caps and
closures, pails and crates or any
applications where both clarity and
impact properties are required.
The final addition to the range is
Capilene U12EV a polypropylene
hompolymer with a high MFR (37)
intended for Non-Woven applications.
Carmel Olefins Ltd. manufactures
and sells 165kTPA of Low Density
Polyethylene (LDPE) under the
name Ipethene®. A broad range
of Ipethene® products have been
produced since 1964 (formerly by
Israel Petrochemical Enterprises
Ltd.), and there are now four lines
consisting of high pressure autoclave
reactors. The technology was originally
licensed from ICI Ltd. – the inventors
of high pressure LDPE technology.
Carmel Olefins Ltd. also manufactures
and sells 450 kTPA Polypropylene
(PP) under the name Capilene®. The
range of Capilene® PP products are
manufactured in two production lines
based on Spheripol and Spherizone
technology under license from Basell.
Carmel Olefins is committed to
developing and extending its
product range by extending the
property window of available
polymers and providing solutions
to today’s plastics processor.
Plastribution’s technical resources,
in the form of Dan Jarvis (please
see inside back page spread) are
available to help processors select and
work with these new Carmel grades.
Please contact your Plastribution
sales representative for more details.
It is specifically aimed at helping with the processing of Plexiglas ® and contains detailed information on:
Product range
Physical properties
Technical requirements
including the moulded part,
the moulding process, the
mould and moulding machine
Processing
Injection moulding defects,
causes and remedies
Product handling
Evonik Industries new PLEXIGLAS® brochure
Evonik have produced a new brochure which details all aspects of injection moulding with PLEXIGLAS PMMA.
Issue 04 – October 2013
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Nail Buddy – a recipe for success
Take a young beauty therapist with a clever concept, combine some good old fashioned product development expertise with lashings of collaboration, add the effective use of complementary materials and you have the hallmarks of a Dragon’s Den success story.
Nail Buddy is, seemingly, every
girls’ best friend. The product is
a professional, handy and new
portable fashion accessory,
designed to hold nail polish bottles
securely, leaving both hands free
to apply nail polish and achieve
professional looking results whether
at home or on the move.
Developed on the back of requests
from professionals and customers alike,
Nail Buddy is designed to sit perfectly
between your knees or on any flat
surface. And by being able to hold
all shapes and sizes of bottle, Nail
Buddy is simple to use and effective.
Nail Buddy has recently entered
the fashion and beauty markets
and is currently enjoying a positive
reception. The product currently
retails at £9.99 and is available
in two fashionable shades –
Honeysuckle Rose or Silver Peony.
The initial concept for Nail Buddy
provides an excellent example of
product development synergy.
The three ‘players’ in this product’s
development included Ramsgate
based Dugdale Plastics, UK based
offshore manufacturing and
injection moulding tooling project
management specialists, Protek and
materials supplier, Plastribution.
Both Dugdale Plastics and Protek
created aesthetic and functional 3D
designs, from which prototype tooling
was manufactured and assessed
to check form, fit and function. With
support from Plastribution, varying
grades of materials were also trialled,
with the emphasis being on balancing
cost with performance.
The material selection for the main
body of Nail Buddy required a high
gloss, durable finish, capable of
looking fashionable whilst maintaining
functionality. With its high rigid,
medium impact strength, Plastribution
recommended ABS Polylac® PA-757
ABS, which provided an ideal balance
of properties combined with ease of
processing, and the ability to be
coloured using masterbatch.
And to keep nail varnish bottles of
all shapes and sizes secure, a rubber
cage was developed that sits inside
the main body of the product.
A variety of grades of thermoplastic
vulcanizates (TPVs) were trialled,
with Santoprene™ offering the
best performance, together with its
inherent manufacturing flexibility,
ease of processing and consistent
durability. A non slip rubber base
completed the design.
In production, the moulding, assembly
and pack-out of the product was
carried out by Dugdale Plastics.
Nail Buddy was launched exclusively
into Boots UK in December 2012
through High Street TV. The product is
currently on sale through other major
retailers, distributors, shopping
channels and airlines.
To further promote Nail Buddy, a
company known as Majique Ltd was
formed in November 2012 to market
and distribute the product, along with
a range of beauty products and gift
sets.
Issue 04 – October 2013
19
The plastics industry is an industry that employs more than 180,000 people.
This is more than the pharmaceutical
industry, oil and gas industry, nuclear
industry, video game industry and
the film industry combined.
Yet the size and importance of
the industry is difficult for many to
comprehend as the first image that
often springs to mind is the sector as
the producer of toys and bags. The
full range of applications and the
industry’s role in supporting almost
every branch of the economy
is frequently overlooked.
We all recognise modern life would
not be possible without plastics. It is
essential that both the government
and banking sector fully understand
the vital role our industry plays in the
ongoing recovery of our economy and
the need to rebalance our priorities
to reduce the current dependence
on retail and service sectors.
UK plastics The enabler of manufacturing and distribution
Medical & healthcare
Food & agriculture
Transport
Infrastructure
Sport & leisure
Manufacturing
Electrical & electronics
UK plastics industry: Key facts
Value of exports
BILLION
Material processed
MILLION TONNES
4.8People employed
Companies in the plastics industry
7,500
Plastic and plastics products exported
MILLION TONNES
Plastics materials produced
Number of primary processors
Plastics industry turnover
19
13.1Processor sales turnover
In considering the full range of applications, plastics is an essential, enabling
industry for almost every sector of our economy, including:
Issue 04 – October 2013
21
Issue 04 – October 2013
20
Issue 04 – October 2013
Carbon black magic Turning electrically conductive plastics into products
Carbon black magic
Conductive carbon black is the most
reliable and cost-efficient choice for
producing electrically conductive
plastic compounds. The secret behind
the perfect carbon black compound
lies in three important factors:
Selecting the optimal carbon
black type for the purpose
Formulating the compound
Optimising the compounding
technique
Electrically conductive plastics are
used in countless processing methods
and final applications. The role of
the compounder is to ensure that
above factors are executed correctly
and to help the customer take full
advantage of the compound in the
manufacturing process. Together,
these measures guarantee that the
desired goals for the end products
are met successfully.
Step 1: Picking the right carbon black
Carbon black comes in many
different varieties. The carbon black
that works perfectly in truck tyres is
not the right choice for conductive
compounds. Selecting the carbon
black with just the right features is
the first important step towards a
successful end product.
The most important factor affecting
the electrical performance of carbon
black is its structure. Particle size and
porosity also have an impact on the
electrical behaviour of the electrically
conductive compound.
Factors that improve electrical
conductivity:
High structure: high structure
means that the carbon black
agglomerates form long and
branched chains. Such a structure
is ideal for conductive compounds
– the required conductivity can be
reached with lower loading levels.
Small particle size: smaller
size means higher electrical
conductivity. If the particles are
small and relatively uniform in
shape, their surface area is larger
than otherwise. Extra conductive
carbon blacks, with the smallest
particle size, provide the highest
electrical conductivity.
High porosity: higher particle
porosity enables better
electrical conductivity.
Step 2: Formulating the right mix
After exceeding a certain loading
level, carbon black changes the
electrically insulating base polymer
into electrically conductive plastic.
The decrease in electrical volume
resistivity due to the increased
amount of carbon black can be
described using a percolation model.
The percolation behaviour of carbon
black depends on the qualities
mentioned in step 1: particle size,
structure and porosity.
This is the first instalment in a series of articles on the processing of Premix’s electrically conductive plastics.
The series kicks off with a look at the key element of conductive compounds – carbon black – and how it is used for creating the perfect compound mix.
Premix’s R&D specialists can select
just the optimum carbon black load
needed to achieve the required
electrical properties. Finding the
correct loading level is extremely
important: too high a carbon black
load has a negative impact on the
compound’s mechanical properties.
It also increases viscosity, causing
problems in the injection moulding
process, for example.
The percolation curve illustrates the
relationship between the quantity of
added carbon black (CB load) and
the achieved electrical resistivity.
Note the narrow threshold in which
the electrical resistivity dramatically
drops. After this threshold level,
increasing carbon black will no longer
improve the electrical properties.
Usually the steepest part of the
curve hits the static dissipative
resistance levels (106–109ohms).
This makes the development and
production of dissipative carbon
black compounds very challenging.
The carbon black content and the
production process require careful
control and monitoring.
Choosing the right carbon black also
depends on how the material will
be processed. For example, during
the injection moulding process, the
compound is subjected to different
processing conditions than during the
extrusion process. For each process,
roughly speaking, there is a matching
type of carbon black.
Premix has accumulated 30 years
of expertise in formulating and
manufacturing electrically conductive
compounds. Based on our research,
experience and years of product
development, we have found the
perfect mix for any requirement.
Step 3: Optimised compounding process
The final piece of the puzzle for
creating a perfect electrically
conductive compound is finding the
optimal technique for dispersing the
carbon black to the base polymer.
The Premix compounding lines have
been optimised for the production
of electrically conductive plastics.
For each formulation and base
polymer, our processing engineers
select the right machinery with
optimal screw geometry and
granulation technology.
Carefully defined processing
parameters ensure that the shear
forces and process temperatures
are at the ideal level. In optimal
conditions, the carbon black
agglomerates are separated into
aggregates which are then dispersed
and distributed evenly within the
compound. This is done without
breaking the carbon black’s structure.
Continuous quality control
throughout the process and seamless
cooperation between the production
and quality assurance departments
are the final checkpoints on the way
to the perfect outcome.
High StructureLow Structure
Primary ParticlesVolume Resistivity(ohm.cm)
Size - 0.01 microns
Aggregate
Size: 0.1 -0.5 microns
Strong bonds between primary particles
Agglomerate
Size: >0.1mm
Weak bonds between aggregates
1014 -1018 ohm.cm
108 ohm.cm
<102 ohm.cmCB Loading (W%)
Issue 04 – October 2013
23
Issue 04 – October 2013
22
MEP have announced a new grade
of acetal, Iupital F20-EW, which is a
modified version of F20-03 and meets
all the requirements for potable water
uses in various European countries.
Iupital F20-EW is a general purpose
POM copolymer suitable for all
water fitting applications and
meets the approval requirements
in various countries as follows:
UK – WRAS (BS 6920, for use
with water up to 85°C)
USA / Canada – NSF 14 (NSF 61)
Germany – KTW (23°C and 60°C)
France – ACS (XP P 41 250)
Iupital POM has good mechanical
properties as well as:
High fatigue resistance
Excellent anti-creep properties
Excellent low friction and
anti-wear properties
Wide range of operating
temperatures
High oil and organic
chemical resistance
Excellent thermal stability
in moulding
Natural, black, coloured and
glass filled grades available
Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics Corporation
Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics Corporation launches new grade of POM for water fitting applications.
Enzymoplast™
new grade
Advanced Enzyme Science Ltd is
proud to announce an addition to
their range of additive master batches
which biodegrade polyethylene.
Enzymoplast ENZO0900
Biodegradable uses similar
enzyme based bio-technology to
that which is used in the original
ENZO0001 Compostable grade,
albeit with modifications to better
suit environments where industrial
composting facilities are not available
or applicable, or in developing
markets or where there is no end
of life solution other than landfill.
Products incorporating ENZO0900
exhibit excellent mechanical
properties, and have been found
to increase film tensile strength in the
final product by approximately 2-3%.
ENZO0900 technology has also been
targeted to reduce cost compared
to other degradation systems, such
as those containing metal ions,
therefore making it a more affordable
proposition with nominal cost. A further
benefit when compared to these other
systems is, just like ENZO0001, ENZO0900
leaves no contaminants in the soil
after degradation.
The product applications are many
and varied, and the master-batch
may be added into the production
of all types of polyethylene flexible film
where single use of the end product
is normal such as disposable bags,
flexible and industrial packaging and
agricultural films including mulch and
silage. All products will also retain US
FDA approval.
AESL’s master-batches can be easily
incorporated into standard PE film
production lines with only minor
changes to settings. ENZO0900 has
been independently tested by a
reputable European Laboratory in
accordance with ISO 14855-1:2005.
The product is certified aerobically
biodegradable within a defined period
1-3 years at end of its life, depending
on prevailing environmental
conditions.
Of course, like all polyethylene film
treated with AESL master batches, the
finished product is 100% recyclable
and will not adversely affect the
recycling stream.
The active ingredients in ENZO0900
come from renewable sources and do
not adversely affect or rely on the food
supply chain.
For further information please visit:
www.enzymoplast.com
AESL- Enzymoplast announces the launch of its new technological innovation in biodegradable PE formulation ENZO0900.
Issue 04 – October 2013
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Issue 04 – October 2013
24
Issue 04 – October 2013
Plastribution are proud to announce the introduction of a brochure detailing their metal replacement range of thermoplastics, along with the creation of a website designed to help to guide designers and engineers through the complex choices to select the best material for their desired applications.
The manufacturing benefits of using
plastics instead of metals have long
been recognised, however the
technical capabilities of products
have not been able to match
environmental demands. With
weight reduction, performance
enhancement and cost reduction
all major drivers in today’s markets,
particularly in the automotive sector,
metal replacement has never been so
high a priority. Engine downsizing and
fuel efficiency, reduced under bonnet
space and longer vehicle life time
requirements are providing increasing
demands on existing and historically
acceptable solutions to part designs.
Plastribution’s portfolio has been
built with not only straight metal
replacement in mind though. With
very high modulus, high temperature
resistance and ultra-low fogging
properties as examples, another
key target area is performance
enhancement of products
already produced in polymers.
Peter Tillin, Engineering Product
Manager at Plastribution said
“We have worked tirelessly to
ensure we are able to offer a
comprehensive range of materials
to cover most applications.
We feel that, with our current product
range of high end engineering
polymers from the industry’s leading
producers, we are able to offer
realistic and workable solutions to
most metal replacement issues.”
XAREC SPS: Syndiotactic Polystyrene from Idemitsu
Developed by Idemitsu, XAREC,
with a melting point of 270oC,
demonstrates an exceptional level of
high heat resistance and is therefore
suitable for many lead free soldering
applications. Also, thanks to its low
density, it can represent a part
weight saving against other high
temperature plastics such as PPS.
Parts made in XAREC offer
excellent resistance to a wide
range of chemicals and oils
including automotive under bonnet
fluids, and show a very high hydrolytic
stability, low water absorption (0.01%)
coupled with excellent electrical
properties. It is easy flowing and shows
high weld stability even at elevated
temperatures in water and glycol.
This blend of properties makes
XAREC an ideal choice for today’s
modern high temperature and
pressure engine environments
including, amongst others, control
units, housings, fuse links, lamp
sockets, connectors (including PCB’s),
antennas and high voltage parts.
Radilon: Specialist nylon grades from Radici
Based in Italy, Radici Group are one
of the world’s largest producers of
nylon, and they are the only fully
backwards integrated producer
of both PA 6 and PA 6,6. This
integration allows them the scope
and diversity to be the world’s
most dynamic and inventive
producer of nylon resins. Several
new developments are targeted
at high end engineering plastic
applications for metal replacement
and automotive environments.
Radilon A RV500RW and Radilon S URV: High glass fibre and high flow nylon
Radici Group’s highly filled range
of nylons offer higher stiffness,
deformation at break, weld line
strength and impact resistance
when compared with standard
grades of PA 6,6 50% GF. These
enhanced product families also
have comparable tensile strength
at break compared with light metal
alloys and demonstrate much better
fatigue behaviour. These product
benefits come at a lower density
than light metal alloys, allowing for
performance increases at a reduced
part weight, so aiding fuel efficiencies.
The ease of processing these resins
means that higher productivities can
be achieved, along with improving
properties of weld line resistance.
This unique balance of properties
makes it the ideal choice for metal
replacement where impact strength
and vibration resistance are key
factors. Such areas include engine
mountings, oil pans and seat frames.
Radilon HHR PA 6,6 for high temperature applications
Radilon HHR has been developed
for blow moulding and injection
moulding applications to produce,
at a continuous operation of 210oC
in air, the best performing material
in its class. Due to the original heat
protection technology employed
by Radici group in their HHR resins,
a high retention of tensile strength
and impact properties after heat
ageing at 210oC means these
grades are aimed at areas of
metal replacement and property
improvement. They can also
often replace special polymers
such as PPA, PPS and PA 4,6.
Typical applications include charge air
coolers, resonators and turbo air ducts.
Radilon D: Eco sustainable PA6.10
Underlining their commitment to
environmental concerns, Radici
Group are proud to have developed
Radilon D, a new family of PA610
engineering plastics for injection and
extrusion moulding, produced in
part using polymer from renewable
sources. Compared to petroleum-
based products, these materials
can not only reduce dependency
on fossil resources but also lower
greenhouse gas emissions and energy
consumption in production processes.
Radilon® D materials show reduced
moisture uptake and a smaller
loss of tensile strength and tensile
modulus under wet conditions.
Furthermore, PA610 products have
better chemical resistance in contact
with zinc chloride and calcium
chloride solutions and better glycol
resistance. Compared to PA11 and
PA12, the new Radilon® D products
have improved thermal resistance and
reduced hydrocarbon permeability
Typical applications include injection
moulded components, vapour, fuel
and brake lines, pneumatic pipes,
connectors, high stiffness parts,
pipe fittings and monofilaments.
Metal replacement
Issue 04 – October 2013
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Issue 04 – October 2013
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Issue 04 – October 2013
Metal replacement
Pre-Elec and PRESEAL: Conductive polymer solutions from Premix OY
Vaporised fuel and air mix together
to form an explosive atmosphere and
then in order to make environments
safe, all ignition sources must be
removed, including static electricity.
The best way to control electrostatic
build-up in fuel systems is to use
conductive plastic materials in
direct contact with the fuels.
Premix are the industry leaders on
providing solutions to the automotive
industry in fuel lines. They offer a
unique range of products for both
extrusion blow moulding and injection
moulding applications, providing
significant cost savings in the overall
fuel system. And as the materials have
a constant electrical conductivity
over time, safety is assured.
Typical properties include excellent
processability and weldability
providing lower production costs.
Also since the products are high gloss
with very smooth surfaces, less fuel
turbulence is encountered through
the systems. The products are suitable
for mono-layer and multi-layer systems
and are also bio-fuel compatible.
Iupital LF Series: Low formaldehyde emission acetal for excellent antifogging properties
Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics have
further enhanced their acetal (POM)
range with the development of a
low formaldehyde emission grade
to combat anti-fogging issues and
chemical irritation that can be
encountered with standard grades.
This is achieved with no reduction
in properties from standard acetal.
In routine automotive emission
tests, standard acetal emitted
approximately 14 times the amount
of formaldehyde compared
to the Iupital LF series.
This makes it ideal for products used
in vehicle interiors and confined
spaces, or general acetal mouldings
where residual smell from, for example,
storage in sealed bags, is an issue.
Typical products include clips, seat
belt guides and trim parts.
PPS: Polyphenylene Sulphide for high temperature and stiffness appications
PPS is a unique material which
offers excellent resistance to high
temperatures, coupled with flame
retardancy and excellent electrical
properties. This blend of properties
makes PPS suitable as both a metal
replacement and a thermoset material
replacement.
PPS is available in Linear and Branched
or Cross Linked and Elastomer Modified,
with each material offering a distinct
set of advantages. Grades are also
available unfilled and in variety of filler
loadings, and Plastribution are able to
offer all.
PPS is used extensively in the
automotive sector and is currently
found in alternator parts, power
modules, sensors, electric coils,
capacitors, connectors, housings, hot
water systems, pump parts and many
other applications.
Vestakeep: High performance PEEK from Evonik
Polyether ether ketone, or PEEK,
is being produced by Evonik for
applications where, historically,
the use of plastics struggled due to
extremes in environment. VESTAKEEP
grades demonstrate particularly
high rigidity and strength, and with
Vicat softening temperatures of over
300oC, this is coupled with exceptional
resistance to high temperatures.
Also of note is VESTAKEEP’s very low
water absorption, giving the benefit
of a very high dimensional stability.
Other properties include excellent
chemical resistance, electrical
properties and hydrolytic stability.
This balance in properties makes
VESTAKEEP and ideal metal
replacement material.
VETAKEEP offers, with both unfilled
and filled grades for processing by
injection and extrusion, one of the
most diverse ranges on the market,
enabling its use in a number of
high performance environments.
Typical applications for VESTAKEEP
include gears, high rigidity machinery
parts, housings, bearings and
self-lubricating parts. These can
generally be found in the medical,
film, sheet, cable, automotive
and aerospace industries.
Thermofil HP: High performance glass filled Polypropylene
Thanks to Sumika’s unique processing
technology, Thermofil HP grades
are able to offer performances not
previously achievable in glass filled
polypropylene (GF PP). This, along
with their improved glass coupling
methods, results in significantly higher
tensile strength, tensile modulus,
elongation at break, creep resistance,
impact resistance and heat distortion
temperature when compared
with equivalent standard GF PP.
The properties are such improved that
the products are finding their way
to replace glass filled nylon (GF PA)
applications, where their use offers
higher tensile strength and tensile
modulus. When also considering
the much lower density of Thermofil
compared to GF PA, significant
cost savings can be achieved.
This unique blend of excellent stiffness,
creep resistance and impact resistance
has enabled Thermofil to replace both
metals and higher end engineering
plastics in a variety of applications,
including engine cooling fans, shrouds,
manifolds, internal automotive door
parts, pedals and housings.
Evonik: Plexiglas replaces metal for enhanced surface finish
Evonik Industries are the global leader
in Acrylic (PMMA) materials, offering a
diverse range of speciality PMMA
materials for use in the Automotive
and Electronics industries.
Plexiglas Hi-Gloss NTA-1 offers an
excellent surface finish and a very
high level of black gloss (class A)
surface finish. It also benefits from its
ability to resist scratching, and, where
damage occurs, its ability to be
polished back to its original condition.
This coupled with good impact
resistance, good heat deflection
temperature and its excellent
mouldability has lead to it being
successfully used in a variety of
internal and external automotive
components. These include external
trim parts for Lotus and Jaguar Land
Rover.
Chi Mei ABS: Enhanced finish Electroplating Grade
Taiwanese plastics producer Chi
Mei has introduced a new grade of
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)
resin that is tailored to achieving high
quality results with electroplating.
The new material - Polylac® PA-726M
- is intended for use in automotive
parts and components, particularly
front grilles, and is already approved
for use by some automotive OEMs.
Meeting the high demands of the automotive sector
Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics’
comprehensive portfolio of
XANTAR polycarbonate and
blends offer new opportunities
for the automotive industry. The
materials are predominantly used
in automotive interior applications
such as instrument panels. Specially-
developed grades offer solutions for
demanding applications such as air
conditioning and venting nozzles,
steering column claddings, dashboard
components and interior lighting.
Issue 04 – October 2013
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Issue 04 – October 2013
28
The Plastribution team is always available to provide advice on all aspects of grade selection including design, processing and properties. So please do not hesitate in contacting us to
discuss your specific requirements.
Please remember that, despite our best efforts
to do so, it is almost impossible to cover every
request for information on the website or
through the new portfolios, particularly as new
developments are happening all the time.
If you should be unable to find what you require,
just get in touch on the phone, email or through
the website and, if we really can’t help, we will do
our utmost to point you in the right direction.
Plastribution Limited
PO Box 7743,
CEVA House,
5 Ashby Park,
Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Leicestershire LE65 1XY
Tel: +44 (0) 1530 560560
Fax: +44 (0) 1530 560303
Email: [email protected]
www.plastribution.co.uk
Product listSupplier Material Brand Name
Engineering polymers
Bioplastic Apinat
TPE Megol
TPO Apigo
TPV Tivilon
TPE Raplan
TPU Apilon 52
Polycarbonate Wonderlite
PMMA Plexiglas
Cyro XT Clear Polymer
Cyro Cyrolite
PEEK Vestakeep
SPS Xarec
Polycarbonate Tarflon
PC/ABS Xantar C
PC/PET Xantar E
POM (Acetal Copolymer) Iupital
Polycarbonate Iupilon
PBT Ramster
PA6.6 Plustek
PA6 Prime Plustek
PA12 Plustek
TPE – Highly Conductive Preseal TPE
Thermally Conductive Compounds
Pretherm
Static Dissipative Compounds Pre-Elec ESD
Conductive Pre-Elec
TPEE/TPE/TPV Heraflex
PETG Raditer E
PBT Raditer
PBT Radiflam B
PA6.6 Prime (Italy) Radilon A
PA6.6 Prime (Germany) Radilon A
PA6.6 Industrial (Italy) Heramid A
PA6.6 FR (Italy) Radiflam A
PA6.6 (Industrial) Germany Heramid I/A
PA6.10 Radilon D
PA6 Prime FR (Italy) Radiflam S
PA6 Prime (Italy) Radilon S
PA6 Prime (Germany) Radilon B
PA6 Industrial (Italy) Heramid S
PA6 Industrial (Germany) Heramid I/B
PA6 Radilon S
PA6 Heramid B
PPS Susteel
Supplier Material Brand Name
Polyolefins
PPRCP Capilene
PPHP Capilene
PPCP Capilene
LDPE Ipethene
PPHP Ducor
PPCP Ducor
PPHP ExxonMobil PP
PPCP ExxonMobil PP
PP Plastomer Vistamaxx
mPE Exceed
mPE Enable
LLDPE ExxonMobil LLD
LLD Plastomer Exact
LDPE ExxonMobil LD
HDPE ExxonMobil HD
EVA Escorene
EAA Escor
PP Compounds Exxtral
PP Compounds Thermofil
PPCP Sumitomo
LLDPE Sumitomo
HDPE Sumitomo
PPRCP Total PP
PPHP Total PP
PPCP Total PP
mPPRCP Lumicene
MDPE Total MD
LLDPE Total LLD
LDPE Total LD
HDPE Total HD
EVA Total EVA
PP Compounds RamOfin
Supplier Material Brand Name
Specialities
PP Recycled Aurapene
Purging Agent Barrel Blitz Universal
Biohybrid Cardia Biohybrid
Biodegradeable
Masterbatch – UV Stabilisers Colourtone Masterbatch
Masterbatch – Universal Colourtone Masterbatch
Masterbatch – PVC Colourtone Masterbatch
Masterbatch – POM Colourtone Masterbatch
Masterbatch – Polycarbonate Colourtone Masterbatch
Masterbatch – PBT Colourtone Masterbatch
Masterbatch – Nylon Colourtone Masterbatch
Masterbatch – Blowing Agents Colourtone Masterbatch
Masterbatch – Anti-static Colourtone Masterbatch
Biodegradeable Enzo
Functional Polymers Exxelor
Calcium Carbonate Compounds Granic
Masterbatch Slip/Anti-block Kafrit/Constab Masterbatch
Masterbatch Colour Universal Kafrit/Constab Masterbatch
Masterbatch Anti-block Kafrit/Constab Masterbatch
Masterbatch – UV Stabilisers Kafrit/Constab Masterbatch
Masterbatch – Slip Agent Kafrit/Constab Masterbatch
Masterbatch – Process Aids Kafrit/Constab Masterbatch
Masterbatch – Flame Retardant Kafrit/Constab Masterbatch
Masterbatch – Blowing Agents Kafrit/Constab Masterbatch
Functional Polymers Modic
Functional Polymers BondyRam
Styrenics
SAN Kibisan
PC/ABS Wonderloy
BDS Kibiton
ASA Kibilac
ABS Polyac
SMMA Acrystex
SMMA Styrilic
HIPS FR Total HIPS FR
HIPS Alloys Total HIPS Alloys
HIPS Total HIPS
GPPS Total GPPS
DELTECHCORPORATION
Polylac
Issue 04 – October 2013
30
0845 34 54 560www.plastribution.co.uk
Plastribution is working hard to evolve
the distribution model to be supportive,
sustainable and secure. Our expertise is
one of the things allowing us to do so.
Expertise is something that all of our
suppliers and customers know they
can rely on. Differentiating us as truly
consultative business partners,
making us the best at sourcing
materials, the best at identifying new
markets and the best at managing and
advising on raw materials and pricing.
By delivering reliability, know-how and
true business partnership to the world’s
best polymer suppliers and our UK
customers; our expertise is helping the
industry get better, smarter and faster.
Our expertise
Knowledge is everything
At Plastribution we are always looking for new ways to improve the service we offer to our customers and make their experience of dealing with us a positive one.
One of the areas that we identified
as an area for improvement was
the general polymer knowledge
of our staff. Although the general
level was fairly good, we thought
we could make it better. This would
not only help us to deal with our
customers more effectively but
also help stimulate and motivate
our staff.
Understandably, there is a mix of
backgrounds within Plastribution.
Some staff have been educated
to degree level and beyond in
polymer science and engineering,
whilst others have not had any
formal polymer science training at
all, particularly the newer members
of staff and support staff. To redress
that balance and bring everyone’s
polymer knowledge up to a similar
standard, Dan Jarvis (Technical
Manager) and Martin White
(Product Manager for Styrenic’s
and Specialities) decided to
construct a suitable training
course.
The course was made available to
everyone in the company whether
or not they were directly involved
in the sale of polymers or providing
a supporting role.
To gain an insight into the
overall levels of knowledge, all
prospective students completed
a test comprising of 30 questions.
The results of the test highlighted
areas that needed attention, whilst
also giving a base line from which
to measure future progress.
The course content was designed
to be delivered in short 30 minute
segments, which could be
delivered during a lunch hour
(lunch provided of course!) to
avoid any disruption to normal
office cover. The modules were set
out as clearly and concisely as
possible with eight modules in total
covering such topics as ‘what is
a thermoplastic’, Amorphous and
Crystalline, Compounds and
Masterbatch and structure
property relationships.
To date four modules have been
delivered to 25 members of staff.
Successive modules will be
delivered monthly until the full
course of eight modules is
complete. It is early days yet, but
if the first Plastribution Polymer
Course is a success then further
instalments will follow.
Given the positive comments
to date, we should be able to
produce some very knowledgeable
employees for the future. Watch
this space!
“It was light-hearted, engaging and very
useful – whilst not covering too much at any one time.”
“Personally I thought it was fab!”
“I look forward to learning
more!”
“I found it simple to follow, informative
and easy to understand. Which I think was the plan.”
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Momentum – October 2013
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Plastribution raise over £350 for the Little Hearts Matter charity
Plastribution’s social committee ran their second charity food day in aid of the Little Hearts Matter charity.
The event produced a mouth watering display of cakes and savouries, which were purchased (and consumed!) by Plastribution staff and other employees from the office complex.
All manner of delicacies were
on offer, including: Multi-layer
cakes, chocolate cakes, lemon
meringue pie, chocolate chip
cookies, Bakewell Tart, Chilli Con
Carne, Lasagne and Chicken
Tikka Masala - all produced by
the talented Plastribution chefs.
Andrew Diamond explains the
story behind the charity food
day and the Little Hearts Charity
is centered on my son, one of
a pair of twins, who suffers with
a complex heart condition.
On the 29th July 2008, my wife
and I became parents for the first
time. We knew we were having
twins and the excitement of their
impending arrival was, quite
literally, the best moment of our
lives. Two weeks later I rushed one
of the twins, William, to Wigan A&E
knowing something terrible was
wrong with him.
It turned out that William was
suffering from tricuspids atresia,
transposition of the great arteries
and ventricular septal defect.
In layman’s terms, this means that
the plumbing of his heart is back
to front and that oxygenated
blood is not pumped around
his body as it should be.
That evening, William had the first
of three open heart surgeries with
the sole aim of continuing his life.
A year later William had his
second open heart surgery to
boost his growth and appetite.
The latest surgery will see William
continue through to adulthood
and develop as best he can. The
surgeries are palliative meaning
that these are non-curable
corrections and William will need
a heart transplant in later life.
We were introduced to Little Hearts
Matter who helped and guided
us before, during and after surgery.
They provided us with a cardiac
liaison nurse who made sense of all
the surgical team’s jargon and talk.
At each step Little Hearts Matter
were there for us. Without them
we would have been very lost.
The charity, which is based
in Birmingham, West Midlands,
supports parents of children who
have been diagnosed with a
complex heart condition and is
funded entirely by donations.
It requires a minimum of £250,000
each year to continue to provide
an essential support service.
Williams’s recovery has been
nothing short of fantastic. Having
been discharged within two
weeks of his last operation, five
weeks later he is out and about
on his ‘early rider’ and keeping up
with his twin brother Oliver!
Little Hearts Matter offers a
telephone support line 24/7,
support literature for families
and schools. They also help with
DLA, dental visits, medications,
lifestyle choices as well as running
workshops and trips out from time
to time. More can be found on
their website www.lhm.org.uk
“We were introduced to Little Hearts Matter who helped and guided us before, during and after surgery. They provided us with a cardiac liaison nurse who made sense of all the surgical teams jargon and talk. At each step Little Hearts Matter were there for us. Without them we would have been very lost.” – Andrew Diamond
Andrew Diamond
Momentum – October 2013
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6
I decided to return to full time work after my 3rd child turned six, and after spending the last 5 and a half years running my own fitness business.
Prior to this I was a technical author for a shop fitting firm, writing operating and maintenance manuals.
Family constraints were the catalyst
for the career change and my
involvement with fitness training.
I studied the theory whilst on
maternity leave and then went on
to pass various courses including
fitness pilates, kickboxing, hula
hooping, burlesque, zumba and
the latest being kettlercise in 2011.
I have even appeared in the Mail
on Sunday twice with write ups
from a drastic change in career!
I still run classes alongside my
full time position at Plastribution
and enjoy the variety that this
brings to my working life.
I was offered two positions of
employment during the same week
and I chose to go with Plastribution
as I felt it would be a great place
to work. Everybody came across
as really friendly when I came for
my interviews and it also helped
that I already knew a couple
of people that worked here.
Plastribution look after their staff
really well and people seem
genuinely happy in their work
and work environment which
reflects in how we engage with
customers. I have settled in
really quickly and have been
made to feel very welcome.
I find the variety of my role at
Plastribution very satisfying. Being
able to build a rapport and a solid
relationship with my customers
is very rewarding and with the
experience of running a business
myself I can understand their
needs and know how important it
is having a reliable, dependable,
friendly supplier at hand.
“I find the variety of my role at Plastribution very satisfying. Being able to build a rapport and a solid relationship with my customers is very rewarding.”– Sarah Minshaw
Sarah MinshawCustomer Service Representative
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“I want to focus on realising our industry’s growth and innovation potential; and securing investment in UK plastics manufacturing....”
BPF President, Plastribution’s Mike Boswell, believes these aims are achievable by working to meet the industry’s needs in: finance; energy; skilled staff; and a stimulus for construction
As his theme for his two year Presidency, he explains all.
Finance – Why is this important?
The Governor at the Bank of
England, Mark Carney, signalled
a change of strategy at the
Monetary Policy Committee
(MPC) meeting on 4 July 2013,
by providing ‘forward guidance’
on policy including interest
rates. Whilst this creates a stable
environment in terms of base
rates, the margin and terms for
borrowing are limiting investment.
As a key enabling industry,
plastics, so far, has mainly been
able to accommodate increased
demand by increased capacity
utilisation. However, there is a
very real risk that if companies
do not have the confidence
and ability to invest, there will be
strong implications for the wider
economy as the availability of key
components becomes restricted.
With exchange rates, sterling is
25% cheaper today on a trade-
weighted average basis than it was
in 2008. There is little doubt that the
devaluation of sterling following
the banking crisis has been a key
factor in enabling the current
resurgence in British manufacturing.
Prior to 2008, the UK plastics sector
was ravaged by the move to Asia
of the manufacture of products
containing a high plastic content,
and thereafter by the manufacture
of components and sub-assembles
emigrating to Eastern Europe. The
economics of decisions to move
manufacture to Eastern Europe
now look questionable as a result of
more realistic exchange rates and
rapid inflation in these countries.
It is vital that the correct economic
conditions persist on a long-term
basis, thereby ensuring both
the increased availability of
competitively priced finance and a
stable situation on exchange rates.
Along with the BPF, I will continue
to push for the best financial
position for UK plastic processors.
Energy – Why is this important?
BPF CCA Agreement As you are already aware, the BPF
has successfully negotiated a new
agreement for the plastics sector
with targets that are realistic and
achievable. We should remember
that the CCA not only provides a
tax discount for members of the BPF
Energy CCA, but is also a tangible
demonstration of our sector’s
commitment to reducing energy
consumption and to supporting
wider sustainability themes.
Reliable, secure and affordable energy supply
The BPF has long been pressing
government on the issue of
energy supply and, in particular,
raising concern with regard to
electricity generating capacity.
Despite previous denials by
Government, on 28th June, a
statement by Michael Fallon MP
(Minister of State for Energy),
A sustainable plastics industry A strategic asset in our manufacturing economy
Momentum – October 2013
10100
export potential has suffered
the effects of the recession most
severely. Although there are now
promising signs of a recent upturn
of activity. The consumption of PVC
resin, used directly in construction
for windows, pipes and soffits and
indirectly for cables, fell. However
the overall image of PVC is
benefiting from the excellent
VinylPlus initiative.
The level of house building is a
matter for real concern given the
increasing population and need for
more housing for single and elderly
people. Traditionally, it has been a
driver for the economy as a whole,
pulling through not just building
products but also domestic
appliances and furnishings. More
affordable housing needs to be
built, whilst the government should
ensure that buyers are able to
move onto the property ladder.
We plan to push the government to:
Stimulate property buying
and building.
Introduce a 5% VAT rate
on Green Deal Products.
Invest in new infrastructure -
The National Infrastructure
Plan announced as part of
the recent budget offers some
cause for celebration, but more
needs to done.
Summary
Our goal: To contribute towards building a sustainable plastics industry by being a strategic asset in our manufacturing economy.
How:
By realising our growth
and innovation potential
and investing in UK plastics
manufacturing.
By working to meet our needs:
finance, energy, skilled staff,
construction stimulus.
By continuing to promote the
factual benefits of our industry
to all the key stakeholders and
influences.
I look forward to supporting you and the UK plastics sector through my presidency.
“We plan to push the government to invest in new infrastructure - The National Infrastructure Plan announced as part of the recent budget offers some cause for celebration, but more needs to done.” – Mike Boswell
confirmed that the government
was fully behind a National Grid
consultation that could see big
businesses being paid to cut
energy consumption on weekdays,
between the hours of 4-8pm.
This followed a warning by Ofgem
that the risk of power cuts has
increased in the UK and that spare
electricity production capacity
could fall to 2% by 2015. This is a
matter of grave concern to the
UK plastics industry, particularly as
many processes cannot easily be
interrupted for 4-hour periods.
The BPF welcomes the possibility
of the UK developing shale gas as
both an energy resource and also
a feedstock for polymer production.
However, it is unlikely that
commercial production of shale
gas will occur before the end of this
decade and should not be used
as an excuse for not addressing
the critical issues of today.
Energy from Waste
In performance terms, the UK
virtually sits at the bottom of the
European league table in terms
of how much energy it generates
from waste.
This situation needs to change,
not only because the UK is running
out of landfill capacity, but for the
simple reason that we are
squandering a valuable resource.
Our first priority is to recycle used
plastics products but as we are all
aware, some elements of plastics
waste cannot be beneficially
recycled on account of difficulty
(for example small or thin films),
or availability of secondary market
(mixed plastics). On this basis,
Energy from Waste (EfW) clearly
represents the most efficient use
of resources. Resource efficiency is
a winning argument and one that
the BPF will continue to promote.
EfW also has the capability to be
brought on-stream quickly, thus
helping to reduce pressure on
existing generating capacity.
By using unrecyclables it saves fossil
fuel consumption. Going forward,
the government needs to tackle
the issue of ‘nimbyism’ to enable
EfW to increase momentum.
Skilled Staff – Why is this important?
The availability of skilled staff for the
plastics industry is a matter of grave
concern. Almost without exception,
all parts of our industry are focussed
on securing the resources necessary
to meet the needs of their business
today and for the future. As far
as I am aware, Edinburgh Napier
is the only UK University to still
run an undergraduate course in
polymer technology, albeit mainly
studied by overseas students.
Many of us look to our own
induction to the plastics industry,
which typically involved
apprenticeships and part-time
study - the so-called ‘earn-while-
you-learn approach’. However,
we should not necessarily take
a romantic view of what worked
in the past should work in the future.
But we do need to find a solution
for the future before a concern
becomes a crisis and the skilled
and experienced element of our
industry workforce retires and
cannot be replaced.
Whilst plastics is a diverse subject,
I do believe that through the BPF
we have the capability, the power
and the influence to persuade the
educational system to deliver what
this key industry requires. I especially
welcome the initiative put forward
by Phillip Watkins, my predecessor,
in becoming an active member of
the Cogent Board of Directors and
would encourage every member
company to support him in this bold
move.
We need more people to consider
a career in plastics and also
encourage more women to come
into the sector. As an 18 year-old,
I was introduced to the plastics
industry through a holiday job and
have gone on to enjoy a career
that has lasted 3 decades so far;
I can personally testify that it is
a great industry to be part of.
Alongside Energy and Finance,
HR is a vital pillar for our sector’s
success. It is vital that we tackle
this issue now, so that our sector
can continue to realise the
outstanding opportunities ahead.
Construction – Why is this important?
I have chosen to single-out the
construction sector as a theme for
my presidency. There is no doubt
that this area of membership
feeding into a largely self-
contained market with limited
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Momentum – October 2013Momentum – October 2013
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“My role will be to work with customers to ensure the best product is selected for their application in order to exploit these benefits fully.”– Richard Cudd
I joined Plastribution in March this year as Technical Executive in the Direct Sales team.
This is a new role created to
provide technical support to
customers and direct sales staff,
particularly in the area of blown
and cast film extrusion. Many of
the polymer grades we supply offer
specific technical benefits and my
role will be to work with customers
to ensure the best product is
selected for their application in
order to exploit these benefits fully.
I have spent the last 15 years
working in the polyethylene film
industry, the first 11 for global
petrochemical producers BP &
Ineos, providing technical service
to key film customers across Europe
and working on the development
of a range of high performance,
metallocene-based polymers.
More recently I held technical
management positions at two
of the largest UK blown film
extrusion companies, gaining
valuable experience in utilising
a range of polymers to develop
new film products.
If you are looking to promote new
products for your current customer
base or are looking to develop the
latest materials to enable you to
enter new markets, then please
get in touch with us and we will
do our best to assist wherever
possible. I can also advise on
general process optimisation and
offer advice on cost/performance
ratios to enable you to get the
very best from your raw materials
and in turn produce the very
best products that you can in the
most economical manner.
Richard CuddTechnical Executive
Momentum – October 2013
12
Momentum – October 2013
“I am delighted to be taking up the role of commercial director for the company. We have an exciting future ahead of us and I am very much looking forward to being part of it.”– Katherine White
Plastribution’s product director, Katherine White, was promoted to commercial director in March this year.
The appointment includes
the additional focus of the
thermoplastics side of the
business, together with providing
a supportive role to the company’s
senior management team.
With her ‘product management’
hat on, Katherine continues her
polyolefin materials responsibilities,
as well as supervising the
company’s Knowledge Transfer
Partnership (KTP) supply chain
management project. The project
was officially completed in August
2012, although there is a strong
legacy factor.
Katherine was promoted to
product director in 2011, a board
level position that made her one
of a small number of senior women
directors within the plastics industry.
Commenting on her appointment
Katherine said: “I am delighted
to be taking up the role of
commercial director for the
company. We have an exciting
future ahead of us and I am very
much looking forward to being a
part of it.”
In June 2013, the Leicestershire
Mercury spotlighted Plastribution’s
significant jump from 74th position
in 2012 to 46th position in 2013 in
their ‘Leicestershire’s Top 200
Businesses’ feature.
Here come the girls...
15
Momentum – October 2013Momentum – October 2013
In the 1990’s I moved from external
sales into product management
and in 1988 was appointed to
the board in the capacity of
business development director.
In 2000 I was fortunate to become
managing director, and at the end
of 2001 instigated the full merger
with Anglo Polymers, which had
been acquired in 1994 and, until
then, run as a separate entity.
With this combined resource we
pursued a strategy to become one
of the UK’s leading distributors and
we were incredibly proud to learn
from the 2009 AMI European
Polymer Distribution study, that
Plastribution had grown to become
the largest distributor in the UK.
This is far from being the end of the
story and we maintain very strong
business growth as we continue to
serve the needs of polymer
producers and our UK customers.
As for 25 years at Plastribution,
I am often asked if it has felt like
a long time, and honestly speaking
I can say that the time has passed
incredibly quickly, and whilst by
European standards this would
be viewed as a very long time
to stay in the employment of
one company, my Japanese
colleagues from our parent
company who routinely spend
their whole working life in the
company, hardly bat an eyelid.
It is also worth mentioning that
Veronica Mee ‘Vee’ now has
over 26 years service and we
have a significant number of
employees who have already
celebrated 20, 15 and 10 years
with the business. We think that
continuity has a great deal to do
with the success of our business.
With regard to the future there
is still more we want to achieve
in terms of Plastics and Distribution,
and I am very much planning to
be part of the continuing evolution
of this exciting and dynamic
business. In particular as the
location of polymer production
continues to move away from
Western Europe we see increasing
opportunities as a distributor to
support UK plastic processors.
“As for 25 years at Plastribution, I am often asked if it has felt like a long time, and honestly speaking I can say that the time has passed incredibly quickly.” – Mike Boswell
25 Years at Plastribution (and counting)!
In the previous year I was studying
full-time towards my Polymer
Technology qualifications and had
completed my HNC and the first
year of my Grad. PRI (Graduate
of the Plastics & Rubber Institute).
Prior to that I had worked in
various technical, quality and
manufacturing roles in the injection
moulding and extrusion sectors.
When I started my first role at
Plastribution as a Technical Sales
Representative I remember that
the very commercial role came
as quite a shock, and it was not
until I attended a TACK sales
course early the following year
that I started to settle into the
role. I also have fond memories of
my first company car - a nordic
blue Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6LX!
In terms of the market it was
an interesting challenge as the
concept of distribution in the
polymer sector was relatively
new, and the activities of
Plastribution and other players
around at that time were very
much in their infancy. It was
often difficult to convince
customers why they would want
to buy from what was sometimes
described as a ‘middleman’.
The economic situation was also
pretty tough. Following the big
1980 recession UK manufacturing
was undergoing massive reform,
and the penetration of lower
cost goods from Asia was rapidly
gaining momentum. Also with
the government’s attempts
to stay within the ERM, interest
rates increased rapidly and
borrowing costs soared to 15%!
Business for Plastribution was
tough and changes in ownership
and management were also a
challenge. However acquisition
of Plastribution by Itochu (then
know as C.Ito & Co) at the end
of 1991 was a clear turning point,
and we are grateful to retain the
same shareholders 22 years later!
I have a very clear recollection of joining Plastribution on 19th September 1988 at the age of 24.
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New IT platform Ensuring the highest levels of service - Investment in IT infrastructure and disaster recovery protection.
Over the last 20 years our IT
infrastructure has evolved to
become an essential part of our
business operations. Not only
is modern computing essential
for ever increasing volumes
of electronic communication
including email, but within
Plastribution it enables us to process,
analyse and account for a massive
volume of complex transactions.
Along with this reliance on PCs,
servers, routers, switches and other
items of technical wizardry comes
the responsibility to plan for the
unexpected – a systems failure.
And whilst disaster recovery plans
must be considered in the wider
context of other essential elements
of our business such as buildings
and inventory, the fact is that we
are, to a large extent, computer
dependent. Much of the data
contained within our IT system is
unique to us and our operation.
This makes us quite vulnerable;
it is a fragility that has long
been recognised and risks
have been mitigated by using
‘back-up’ solutions of varying
degrees of sophistication.
However today it is not just a
case of having back-up data,
the question for more and more
companies operating at our level,
is in the case of a serious IT system
failure - how long would it take to
rebuild the system and become
operational again? Following a
recent review with our IT support
providers, we determined that
a serious systems failure would
take days rather than hours to
recover; servers would need to
be acquired, operating systems
built and data reloaded. From
this evaluation it became obvious
that a more robust solution was
required to ensure that in the event
of a system failure the business can
continue to function normally.
Through recent developments
in server virtualisation and high
capacity data storage we have,
in conjunction with our IT support
provider, developed a platform
that takes advantage of our two
office locations to create a robust
failover solution. This effectively
means that should a disaster
occur, we would have instant
access to a duplicate system
and, if necessary, work from a
temporary office accommodation.
Whilst this project involves a
significant capital cost the
calculated operating costs of
the solution will result in an overall
cost saving to the business. In
summary a better solution at
a lower cost, providing peace
of mind to our customers and
suppliers that in the unlikely event
of a disaster it will be business as
usual here at Plastribution.
Not being one to shy away from a challenge, Plastribution’s Managing Director, Mike Boswell, embarked on a Top Gear styled driving adventure back in April - all in the name of charity.
Mike was participating in the
Fairview Farm Charity Drive
Challenge, the gist of which
involved driving from Nottingham
to John O’Groats and back in a
car that was over 15 years old
and cost no more than £300.00.
Simple enough, but not entirely that
straightforward as the organisers
had added some ‘challenges’ to
make the task a little more tricky!
Points were awarded for each
challenge with the eventual winner
being the car that accrued the
most points over the whole event.
Prior to the event, Mike’s first job
was to purchase a car. Now, it’s a
known fact that when faced with a
journey of 1,200 miles and only £300
to buy a car to travel in, most of us
would be placing ‘reliability’ on top
of the list. Mike did exactly that and
ploughed his money into German
engineering and bought a 1997 E36
BMW 323i Auto Touring with 167k
miles on the clock. He found it in a
garage in the Scottish border town
of ’Boswells’ (the name association
wasn’t one of the challenges -
shame though, full marks for trying!).
Under the event rules and
regulations, decorating the car
was ‘encouraged’, so Mike wasted
no time in transforming his white
‘beemer’ into a Plastribution
promotional vehicle, complete
with logo decals covering all
body panels, including the roof.
With the scene set, Mike and
ten other ‘competitors’ in their
£300 budget cars set off on Day
1 from the village of Blidworth,
Nottinghamshire on their journey
to John O’Groats. The various
challenges along the way were
the main focus for the ‘Days 2
and 3’ and included: the shortest
distance covered during the 3
days (Mike won this!); the closest
to a Scottish castle (photographic
evidence required); the egg in a
bucket challenge (full points for the
egg being intact at the end); the
closest to the optimum time set by
route planner and lastly the Photo
Challenge - each car was asked
to put forward a suggestion of an
object that can be photographed
inside the car - these were then
entered into a draw with two
being chosen at random. And in
true Top Gear fashion, a separate
secret challenge contained in
a sealed envelope was given
to every car at the start.
On completion of the event
and with all competitors safely
returned back to the starting
point at Blidworth, Mike’s trusty
beemer apparently never missed
a beat throughout the journey.
And due to some highly proactive
sponsorship efforts, Mike managed
to raise a very impressive £3373.27
in support of the Lincolnshire &
Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance -
the event raised over £5000 in total!
Having thoroughly enjoyed the
challenge, Mike commented:
“The event was great fun and the
scenery was epic. I am very grateful
to all those who sponsored me
on the event - their generosity is
much appreciated. We are already
thinking about a 2014 event, which
possibly will have the theme of
plastic cars!” – Mike Boswell
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is....
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Momentum – October 2013
Momentum – October 2013
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Our vision and values
As Plastribution has grown and developed from its humble beginnings over 30 years ago, our staff have been working towards a common goal and demonstrating values and methods of behaviour along the way.
This has, by and large, been
an organic process and many
of our staff have been working
to unwritten rules and codes
of behaviour. These have been
instrumental to our success in
becoming the UK’s largest polymer
distributor and in turn made the
company what it is today.
The management team decided
that it was time for this important
aspect of our business to be
formalised and visible to all of our
stake holders whether they are
shareholders, suppliers, industry
partners or staff.
Two teams were tasked with the
project of articulating our company
values and clearly defining our
company strategy. A period of
consultation was set up with various
parties within the company to try
and “bottle” the Plastribution feel
and way of working. The difficult
process of trying to verbalise and
condense the large amounts of
data collected then commenced.
With a lot of hard work, heated
debate and soul searching, a vision
and set of values eventually
emerged kicking and screaming
into the daylight.
So what did we come up with?
Vision – what we seek to become
Our vision is “to be the UK’s
preferred supplier of plastic raw
materials”. In short we want to be
the distributor that customers want
to use time and time again.
We aim to deliver exceptional
customer service through our
unique combination of industry
expertise, innovative approach to
problem solving and processes that
are in place to ensure these are
delivered on time and in full. This for
Plastribution will always be a work
in progress as we believe that no
matter how good our service is we
will always strive to make it better.
Values – who we are
Our values are our Reputation,
Value, Competition and Nurture.
We strive to protect the name
and reputation of Plastribution at
all times through our behaviours,
demonstrating professionalism,
openness and integrity.
By being easy to do business with,
we bring value to our customers,
suppliers and stakeholders, making
every contact with us a positive
one. These are all key factors in
ensuring we are better than our
competition and an integral part of
our stakeholders’ success. To deliver
this it is vital that we have a strong
team, so we work to maintain an
environment that respects and
nurtures the individual, with a focus
on well-being, engagement and
the opportunity to develop through
company growth.
We understand that our success will
depend on implementing our plans,
recognising existing strengths and
reinforcing them, as well as
identifying areas where we need to
develop and meet challenges. All
employees are aware of how their
individual contribution fits within
their department and the wider
company goals and as a team we
are committed and determined to
deliver success.
Achieving this aim is no easy task
but we now have a clear strategy
and vision that we want to share.
There is nothing secret to what
we’re doing, but just in case, this
article will self-destruct in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
……
Momentum – October 2013
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Momentum – October 2013
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Momentum – October 2013
22
Since Plastribution moved to its current Ashby-de-la-Zouch headquarters over 9 years ago, the business has expanded rapidly; our current premises on Ashby Park is now completely full.
To accommodate our ambitious
plans for future growth, new offices
have been secured on the opposite
side of the road, on the first floor
of Clinitron House, Excelsior Road.
With double the floor area to that of
our existing offices, there will be
sufficient space to make further
business expansion possible.
Following refurbishment work to the
new offices, Plastribution will move
in Q1 2104. A date for the move is
yet to be confirmed, but rest assured,
business will be unaffected during
this transition.
We very much look forward to
providing you with an excellent
service from our new home in 2014.
Contact details will remain
unchanged apart from any
customers not currently using
the P.O. Box 7743 LE65 1XY postal
address.
We will advise of an exact move
date nearer the time.
Plastribution is on the move!
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