UK plastics honours brightest and best

Nifco UK, APPE, the R&D Factory and Arburg were among the winners at the Plastics Industry Awards (PIA), which were held in the London Hilton on Park Lane.

The ceremony, the 12th annual event to be run by PRW, was hosted by comedian Sean Lock in front of a sell-out audience of 800 guests.

Nifco UK won the coveted Processor of the Year trophy, with PIA judges commenting on its “new and impressive state-of-the-art” manufacturing facility, adding the firm was a “shining example of success in the domestic automotive industry”, and noting ambitious plans which were already in place for a new site alongside the company’s recently-opened plant.

Other award recipients included designers of a scaffolding board that is both safer than the traditional wooden variety and is made from 100% recycled plastic and producers of a recycled polymer derived from old refrigerators and used in a High Street retailer’s ‘green’ gift range.

Industry veteran Gerry Moore picked up the Personal Contribution Award to the Plastics Industry for his long-standing commitment to the sector.

Guests at the award ceremony heard about collaborations between all parts of the plastics supply chain which had resulted in energy efficiencies, reduced waste, improved safety and higher profitability.

PRW publisher Steve Crowhurst said: “Once again we received a really high standard of entries from companies and individuals whose expertise and vision have helped to develop products which push the boundaries of what can be achieved in manufacturing.

“It was a really uplifting evening, which celebrated the versatility of plastics and the innovation driving our industry forward. The winners are to be congratulated on their achievements.”

The winners of the Plastics Industry Awards 2012 are:

Consumer Product Design of the Year

Magmatic, for the Trunki Mk V. Production of the well-known ‘ride-on’ children’s suitcase was brought back to the UK from China, requiring a complete – and costly – re-tooling exercise.

Industrial Product Design

F-Board Limited for the F-Board, a safe replacement for the traditional wooden scaffolding board, made from 100% recycled PVC.

Young Designer of the Year

Nathan Bestwick for his MillMii pepper mill, designed to be used with ease by people with dexterity problems and weakness in their hands – but also to look good too.

Apprentice or Trainee of the Year

Paul Brown, of Duo Plastics. Paul’s aptitude for engineering, dedication and commitment and his desire to learn have marked him out as “an excellent role model” for the company’s workforce.

Best Energy or Environmental Initiative

APPE, for a series of measures to reduce energy consumption and material usage and to implement recycling initiatives, contributing to a 23% reduction in waste.

Best Business Initiative

APPE, for its wide-mouth ‘glass-look’ PET jar, hot-fillable to 95 Deg C, deemed a major technological step forward in PET.

Best Training and Development Programme

Logoplaste UK for it bespoke rotary extrusion training scheme that interlinks with the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) programme.

Best Technology Application

The R&D Factory, for its Streamoulding process, which controls the physical reaction occurring when tap water and polymer melt are combined to produce foamed plastic using normal injection moulding process parameters.

Supplier Partnership: Polymer Distributor

Distrupol, for its work with Adlens’s ‘Vision for a Nation’ programme to provide cheap spectacles for communities in some of the world’s poorest countries.

Supplier Partnership: Polymer Producer

Axion Polymers, for its work with Marks & Spencer (M&S), using its high-quality 100% recycled polymer Axpoly PS01, derived from waste fridge plastic, as a direct replacement for virgin ABS in a new M&S gift range.

Supplier Partnership: Prime Machinery

Arburg, for its work with customer John Guest on a project which saw cycle times material usage and waste, and energy consumption all reduced, in some cases dramatically.

Supplier Partnership: Ancillary Machinery

TH Plastics, for its work with customer Denso to design and develop a manufacturing solution that cut labour and energy costs, increased efficiency and improved product quality.

Supplier Partnership: Toolmaker

Midas Pattern for its work with Randox Laboratories centred on the manufacture of the world’s first fully automated random-access biochip testing platform.

Personal Contribution Award

Gerry Moore, chief execuitve of Distrupol Europe, whose “constant pursuit of excellence and passion for innovation have singled him out as a true leader in his field”, according to David Jukes, president – Europe, ME/A, Univar.

Processor of the Year

Nifco UK, for an investment programme that included a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, the biggest investment by the UK’s injection moulding sector for many years which saw the creation of more than 100 new jobs, reflecting the success of the UK’s vehicle-making sector.

See the next issue of PRW for more on the winners and finalists and check out www.prw.com next week for photos of the big night