2016 / 2017 - union colours ltd · rjg technologies scientifi c management international chamcotec...

A Y E A R I N P E R S P E C T I V E

2016 / 2017

©2017 WESTMINSTER PUBLICATIONS www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk

MANUFACTURING & SERVICES

F O R E W O R D S

Th e Rt Hon Th eresa May MPStephen ElliotPhilip Law

C H E M I C A L S , P L A S T I C S & C O S M E T I C S R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

DS Smith Plastics

Farrel

Amaray

Abril Industrial Waxes

Union Colours

Stort Chemicals

SI Protech

Radici Group Performance Plastics

Applied Coating Technologies

RJG Technologies

Scientifi c Management International

Chamcotec

Essential Earth

Scent Perfi que

Trent Oil Lubricants

F E A T U R E S

Review of the YearReview of Parliament

http://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/

1FOREWORD | 1

Foreword

This year’s Parliamentary Review follows a significant year in British politics. It was a year in which our economy continued to grow, as the Government followed its balanced plan to keep the public finances under control while investing to build a stronger economy. It was a year in which we began to deliver on the result of the EU referendum by triggering Article 50 and publishing the Repeal Bill, which will allow for a smooth and orderly transition as the UK leaves the EU, maximising certainty for individuals and businesses.

And, of course, it was a year in which the General Election showed that parts of our country remain divided and laid a fresh challenge to all of us involved in politics to resolve our differences, deal with injustices and take, not shirk, the big decisions.

That is why our programme for government for the coming year is about recognising and grasping the opportunities that lie ahead for the United Kingdom as we leave the EU. The referendum vote last year was not just a vote to leave the EU – it was a profound and justified expression that our country often does not work the way it should for millions of ordinary working families. So we need to deliver a Brexit deal that works for all parts of the UK, while continuing to build a stronger, fairer country by strengthening our economy, tackling injustice and promoting opportunity and aspiration.

In the year ahead we will continue to bring down the deficit so that young people do not spend most of their working lives paying for our failure to live within our means. We will take action to build a stronger economy so that we can improve people’s living standards and fund the public services on which we all depend. We will continue with our modern Industrial Strategy,

deliver the next phase of high-speed rail, improve our energy infrastructure and support the development of automated vehicles and satellite technology, building a modern economy which creates the high-skill jobs of the future.

At the same time, work needs to be done to build a fairer society – where people can go as far as their talents will take them and no one is held back because of their background. So we will continue to work to ensure every child has the opportunity to attend a good school. We will continue to invest in the NHS and reform mental health legislation, making this a priority. And we will work to address the challenges of social care for our ageing population, bringing forward proposals for consultation to build widespread support.

So this is a Government determined to deliver the best Brexit deal, intent on building a stronger economy and a fairer society, committed to keeping our country safe, enhancing our standing in the wider world, and bringing our United Kingdom closer together. We will continue to put ourselves at the service of millions of ordinary working people for whom we will work every day in the national interest.

Th e Rt Hon Th eresa May MPPrime Minister

This year’s Parliamentary Review follows a significant year in British politics

“ “

| FOREWORD2

Foreword

In chemical and pharmaceutical businesses there is a continued feeling of optimism about the UK as chief executives look to the year ahead. While of course we are all monitoring and seeking to influence Brexit negotiations and the challenges it poses, right now our businesses feel positive about the outlook. And that view is from an industry where companies, in survey after survey, said they did not want our country to leave the European Union. What matters is to get the best outcome for the UK but also for the EU – our biggest customer market.

At the time of the last Review the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy had just been established. We had the name. Now we have a better idea of government thinking with the green paper published earlier this year. In our response we set out how, in partnership with government, we could decarbonise the economy, continue to provide jobs for thousands of skilled workers and set the innovative future the like of which the world has not seen.

An important part of our work is our reputation and ensuring that we listen to the public and to opinion leaders. In the latest survey across 12 European countries, the UK came a close second to Finland with both audiences and, in 16 ‘Reputation Drivers’ we are first or equal first in eight, second or equal second in seven and third in the other. We want our reputation to be as high as it can be, and we are not complacent. The UK general public’s view of the net benefits of chemicals versus the risk are 47% (survey average is 24) and with opinion leaders it is 48% (average is 38%).

There is more we would like to do to improve our reputation, which involves listening to feedback and comments about the industry. There is an argument that in certain circumstances the best thing to do, reputation-wise, is to simply listen. Not every point, every issue or every view demands an immediate comment. It can be better to not only give the appearance of listening or to listen just in order to reply; but to really listen to understand.

You don’t build a reputation by continually banging on about your own issues and not listening to the views of others. It is by regularly and proactively listening – something our companies do week in week out through town hall meetings on issues such as shale gas – that we can really drive a sustained change in the perception of our industry and, more broadly, business.

In chemical and pharmaceutical businesses there is a continued feeling of optimism about the UK

“ “Stephen ElliotChief Executive of the Chemical Industries Association

3FOREWORD | 3

Foreword

The UK Plastics industry is crucial to the UK’s economic

success. Its products support many other sectors, including

car production, healthcare, construction and packaging

– to name but a few. Our annual sales turnover is

£23.5 billion and we are one of the UK’s biggest

industrial employers, with a workforce of 166,000.

Plastics will be the material of the 21st century. Their

light weight brings energy savings and reduces pollution

in transport applications. Their excellent insulation

properties provide energy efficiencies in buildings. As the

global population rises, plastics packaging will prevent

food wastage through its durability, effective barriers

and tight seals.

The British Plastics Federation (BPF), which represents the

entire sweep of the industry including raw material supply,

machinery and equipment suppliers, plastic processors

and recyclers, is the oldest plastics trade federation in

the world and the only one to represent all aspects of the

industry under one umbrella — a true one-stop-shop for

plastics. This provides the UK plastics industry with a great

competitive advantage. We have an extensive global reach

and our website is one of the most authoritative platforms

for plastics in the English language (visit: www.bpf.co.uk).

We can source market intelligence from all corners of the

globe and create real economies of scale.

The good news is that the UK is a global leader in all these

areas – and we plan to consolidate this position. The British

Plastics Federation has launched a strategy, which maps

out the critical requirements to keep the UK a key global

player. We have set ourselves a progressive environmental

agenda, building on recycling achievements, embarked

on an education and skills initiative and pointed to the

future importance of shale gas as a competitive source

of raw materials. We will also focus on innovation in

energy-efficient products and develop our manufacturing

efficiency by exploring the possibilities of Industry 4.0.

In the light of Brexit it is imperative that the Government

recognises the importance of the UK plastics industry to

the entire manufacturing and distributive sectors and is

correspondingly supportive.

We are players in an international industry. We import

over 50% of our raw materials and most of our

processing equipment. A significant degree of UK

industry is foreign owned – as are our customers. Full

access to the European single market is therefore crucial

for our competitiveness.

We are the third largest manufacturing sector in terms

of employment. Over 18,000 of our employees are from

other EU Member States. We need assurance that their

working rights will be undiminished and that we will

have full access to the manpower we require to develop

the industry.

There will inevitably be a focus on overseas business

development. We need the full support of the UK

Government export programmes, particularly aimed at

small and medium-sized enterprises.

The UK plastics industry should certainly be on MPs’

radar screens as they are likely to have one or more

plastics companies in their constituencies. These local

companies may contact MPs to discuss these points

– so please be mindful of all that the plastics industry

brings to the UK and help us remain a key player on the

international stage.

Philip LawDirector General of the British Plastics Federation

3FOREWORD | 3

Foreword

The UK Plastics industry is crucial to the UK’s economic

success. Its products support many other sectors, including

car production, healthcare, construction and packaging

– to name but a few. Our annual sales turnover is

£23.5 billion and we are one of the UK’s biggest

industrial employers, with a workforce of 166,000.

Plastics will be the material of the 21st century. Their

light weight brings energy savings and reduces pollution

in transport applications. Their excellent insulation

properties provide energy efficiencies in buildings. As the

global population rises, plastics packaging will prevent

food wastage through its durability, effective barriers

and tight seals.

The British Plastics Federation (BPF), which represents the

entire sweep of the industry including raw material supply,

machinery and equipment suppliers, plastic processors

and recyclers, is the oldest plastics trade federation in

the world and the only one to represent all aspects of the

industry under one umbrella — a true one-stop-shop for

plastics. This provides the UK plastics industry with a great

competitive advantage. We have an extensive global reach

and our website is one of the most authoritative platforms

for plastics in the English language (visit: www.bpf.co.uk).

We can source market intelligence from all corners of the

globe and create real economies of scale.

The good news is that the UK is a global leader in all these

areas – and we plan to consolidate this position. The British

Plastics Federation has launched a strategy, which maps

out the critical requirements to keep the UK a key global

player. We have set ourselves a progressive environmental

agenda, building on recycling achievements, embarked

on an education and skills initiative and pointed to the

future importance of shale gas as a competitive source

of raw materials. We will also focus on innovation in

energy-efficient products and develop our manufacturing

efficiency by exploring the possibilities of Industry 4.0.

In the light of Brexit it is imperative that the Government

recognises the importance of the UK plastics industry to

the entire manufacturing and distributive sectors and is

correspondingly supportive.

We are players in an international industry. We import

over 50% of our raw materials and most of our

processing equipment. A significant degree of UK

industry is foreign owned – as are our customers. Full

access to the European single market is therefore crucial

for our competitiveness.

We are the third largest manufacturing sector in terms

of employment. Over 18,000 of our employees are from

other EU Member States. We need assurance that their

working rights will be undiminished and that we will

have full access to the manpower we require to develop

the industry.

There will inevitably be a focus on overseas business

development. We need the full support of the UK

Government export programmes, particularly aimed at

small and medium-sized enterprises.

The UK plastics industry should certainly be on MPs’

radar screens as they are likely to have one or more

plastics companies in their constituencies. These local

companies may contact MPs to discuss these points

– so please be mindful of all that the plastics industry

brings to the UK and help us remain a key player on the

international stage.

Philip LawDirector General of the British Plastics Federation

http://www.bpf.co.uk/

4 | ANDREW NEIL

Andrew Neil

Return of the Two Party SystemThe BBC’s Andrew Neil gives his take on the state of Parliament following the June 2017 general election.

It was a year in which politicians learned not only of the power of a referendum to overrule the will of Parliament – but of its power to change the party system in which they operate. Nobody saw this coming. But, in retrospect, perhaps we should have, since we had the fallout from the Scottish referendum to guide us.

In the autumn of 2014 the Scots voted 55%-45% to remain part of the United Kingdom. That was supposed to settle the matter of Scottish independence for a generation, until some Scottish Nationalists began regarding a generation as no more than a couple of years. But in post-referendum elections to Holyrood and Westminster, it also recast the Scottish party system.

Remember, Scotland had been one of the first parts of the UK to throw off the British two-party system and replace it with a multi-party choice of SNP, Labour, Tory, Green, Lib Dem and even UKIP. But as the constitutional issue took centre-stage – and remained there even after the referendum – Scottish voters coalesced round a binary choice: for or against independence.

Thus was a new two-party system born of a centre-left Nationalist party (the SNP) and a centre-right Unionist party (the Scottish Tories). The other parties have not been completely obliterated, especially in Holyrood with its peculiar voting system. But by the general election of 2017 Scotland had become a battle between a dominant

Neil believes two referendums have redrawn the map of British politics.

Nationalist party and a resurgent Tory party representing the Union. Two-party politics was back north of the border.

So we should have been prepared for something similar when Britain voted 52% to 48% to leave the European Union in the June 2016 referendum. At the time, we remarked on the power of referenda to overrule both the Commons (where MPs were 65% pro-EU) and the Lords (probably 80% pro-EU). What we did not see was how the Brexit referendum would reconfigure English politics just as the Scottish referendum had redrawn Scottish politics.

So we were taken by surprise for a second time. In this year’s general election – perhaps the single biggest act of self-harm a sitting government has ever inflicted on itself – almost 85% in England voted either Conservative or Labour. The English had not voted in such numbers for both major parties since 1970, when the post-war two-party system began to wane – and declined in subsequent elections to a point where barely 65% voted Tory or Labour, encouraging some commentators to think the decline terminal.

The referendum, however, reversed the decline. The Brexit vote ended the schism on the Eurosceptic Right as UKIP voters returned to the Tory fold; and those on the Left of the Greens and the Lib Dems flocked to Jeremy Corbyn’s more ‘Red Flag’ Labour offering. So, as in Scotland previously, two-party politics was back with a vengeance in England too.

But without one crucial element. Our historic two-party system regularly produced one-party government for the life of a Parliament. But our new two-party system has produced a hung Parliament with no party having an overall majority. This knife-edge parliamentary arithmetic means the smaller parties may be down – but they are not out.

The Conservatives need an alliance with one small party (Ulster’s DUP) to be sure of a majority. Even then, with the Tories and Labour divided over Brexit, no majority on any issue will be certain and on many votes the smaller parties will be pivotal in determining many outcomes.

So politicians return from their summer recess to a great parliamentary paradox: the two-party system has resurrected itself but rather than bringing with it the stability and certainty of the two-party politics of old, almost every major vote in the months ahead will be uncertain and unpredictable – and politics will be peculiarly unstable. Power will rest in Parliament. Government will be able to take nothing for granted. No vote will be in the bag until all the votes are counted. Westminster will have a new lease of life – perhaps even a spring in its step. Our democracy might be all the better for it.

The Rt Hon Greg Clark MP was one of several speakers at the EEF National Conference, addressing the challenges and opportunities that face the UK’s manufacturing sector

Overview

Brexit, reshoring, better and cheaper technology, competition, digitisation, and how people will work in the future have all converged to make manufacturing examine its place in the British economy more keenly than ever before. That was evident at Engineering Employers’ Federation’s (EEF)’s National Conference in February where over 850 people swelled to hear from the Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, columnist Martin Wolf, businesswoman Jo Malone and others about the importance of this once neglected sector.

The news, in general, is pretty good.

There is the optimistic view and the more pessimistic view on the future of manufacturing, the pessimism being driven by Brexit fears and a sharp fall in automotive investment this year to £644 million (forecast) from the £2.5 billion it recorded in 2014. Some facts are unambiguous. Productivity in the UK compared with our peer group in Europe is low, although this baffles many in manufacturing who have invested years on making their processes and people much leaner. In fact, EEF can demonstrate that productivity in the manufacturing sector is higher than in services.

The UK is ‘top heavy’ in services, with just 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) from manufacturing, although 68% of business research and development (R&D) is in manufacturing. While the 10% proportion is consistent with other G20 countries (Britain is the 9th biggest manufacturing economy), government recognises the need to diversify the economy. Increasing the number of profitable, high-tech manufacturing firms – often with well-paid jobs – is a good way. And with new technology and a more engaged media, the sector is being seen in a new way by a greater number of people and is losing its ‘oily factory worker’ stigma.

Technology, especially factory automation, is increasingly replacing lower-skilled repetitive jobs, meaning that more of the jobs that remain require engineering skills, soft skills and management and are more enriching and better paid than before.

However, many sectors and businesses still rely heavily on semi-skilled, lower-paid work to assemble and process products such as food and utility goods, and skilled specialist work such as car assembly, which is secure, is not highly paid. Brexit has boosted exports by devaluing the pound, however it has increased input costs for many firms which buy raw materials from Europe.

Generally, manufacturing as a sector has had a strong half year. The Markit /CIPS UK manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), the widely-accepted barometer of manufacturing health, jumped to 57.3 in April from 54.2 in March – the highest level in three years. Forward to July and industrial output has slipped. But, for industry, the UK is in stable and modestly-growing territory. Other countries are growing faster, though.

Review of the Year

5REVIEW OF THE YEAR |


4 | ANDREW NEIL

Andrew Neil

Return of the Two Party SystemThe BBC’s Andrew Neil gives his take on the state of Parliament following the June 2017 general election.

It was a year in which politicians learned not only of the power of a referendum to overrule the will of Parliament – but of its power to change the party system in which they operate. Nobody saw this coming. But, in retrospect, perhaps we should have, since we had the fallout from the Scottish referendum to guide us.

In the autumn of 2014 the Scots voted 55%-45% to remain part of the United Kingdom. That was supposed to settle the matter of Scottish independence for a generation, until some Scottish Nationalists began regarding a generation as no more than a couple of years. But in post-referendum elections to Holyrood and Westminster, it also recast the Scottish party system.

Remember, Scotland had been one of the first parts of the UK to throw off the British two-party system and replace it with a multi-party choice of SNP, Labour, Tory, Green, Lib Dem and even UKIP. But as the constitutional issue took centre-stage – and remained there even after the referendum – Scottish voters coalesced round a binary choice: for or against independence.

Thus was a new two-party system born of a centre-left Nationalist party (the SNP) and a centre-right Unionist party (the Scottish Tories). The other parties have not been completely obliterated, especially in Holyrood with its peculiar voting system. But by the general election of 2017 Scotland had become a battle between a dominant

Neil believes two referendums have redrawn the map of British politics.

Nationalist party and a resurgent Tory party representing the Union. Two-party politics was back north of the border.

So we should have been prepared for something similar when Britain voted 52% to 48% to leave the European Union in the June 2016 referendum. At the time, we remarked on the power of referenda to overrule both the Commons (where MPs were 65% pro-EU) and the Lords (probably 80% pro-EU). What we did not see was how the Brexit referendum would reconfigure English politics just as the Scottish referendum had redrawn Scottish politics.

So we were taken by surprise for a second time. In this year’s general election – perhaps the single biggest act of self-harm a sitting government has ever inflicted on itself – almost 85% in England voted either Conservative or Labour. The English had not voted in such numbers for both major parties since 1970, when the post-war two-party system began to wane – and declined in subsequent elections to a point where barely 65% voted Tory or Labour, encouraging some commentators to think the decline terminal.

The referendum, however, reversed the decline. The Brexit vote ended the schism on the Eurosceptic Right as UKIP voters returned to the Tory fold; and those on the Left of the Greens and the Lib Dems flocked to Jeremy Corbyn’s more ‘Red Flag’ Labour offering. So, as in Scotland previously, two-party politics was back with a vengeance in England too.

But without one crucial element. Our historic two-party system regularly produced one-party government for the life of a Parliament. But our new two-party system has produced a hung Parliament with no party having an overall majority. This knife-edge parliamentary arithmetic means the smaller parties may be down – but they are not out.

The Conservatives need an alliance with one small party (Ulster’s DUP) to be sure of a majority. Even then, with the Tories and Labour divided over Brexit, no majority on any issue will be certain and on many votes the smaller parties will be pivotal in determining many outcomes.

So politicians return from their summer recess to a great parliamentary paradox: the two-party system has resurrected itself but rather than bringing with it the stability and certainty of the two-party politics of old, almost every major vote in the months ahead will be uncertain and unpredictable – and politics will be peculiarly unstable. Power will rest in Parliament. Government will be able to take nothing for granted. No vote will be in the bag until all the votes are counted. Westminster will have a new lease of life – perhaps even a spring in its step. Our democracy might be all the better for it.

The Rt Hon Greg Clark MP was one of several speakers at the EEF National Conference, addressing the challenges and opportunities that face the UK’s manufacturing sector

Overview

Brexit, reshoring, better and cheaper technology, competition, digitisation, and how people will work in the future have all converged to make manufacturing examine its place in the British economy more keenly than ever before. That was evident at Engineering Employers’ Federation’s (EEF)’s National Conference in February where over 850 people swelled to hear from the Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, columnist Martin Wolf, businesswoman Jo Malone and others about the importance of this once neglected sector.

The news, in general, is pretty good.

There is the optimistic view and the more pessimistic view on the future of manufacturing, the pessimism being driven by Brexit fears and a sharp fall in automotive investment this year to £644 million (forecast) from the £2.5 billion it recorded in 2014. Some facts are unambiguous. Productivity in the UK compared with our peer group in Europe is low, although this baffles many in manufacturing who have invested years on making their processes and people much leaner. In fact, EEF can demonstrate that productivity in the manufacturing sector is higher than in services.

The UK is ‘top heavy’ in services, with just 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) from manufacturing, although 68% of business research and development (R&D) is in manufacturing. While the 10% proportion is consistent with other G20 countries (Britain is the 9th biggest manufacturing economy), government recognises the need to diversify the economy. Increasing the number of profitable, high-tech manufacturing firms – often with well-paid jobs – is a good way. And with new technology and a more engaged media, the sector is being seen in a new way by a greater number of people and is losing its ‘oily factory worker’ stigma.

Technology, especially factory automation, is increasingly replacing lower-skilled repetitive jobs, meaning that more of the jobs that remain require engineering skills, soft skills and management and are more enriching and better paid than before.

However, many sectors and businesses still rely heavily on semi-skilled, lower-paid work to assemble and process products such as food and utility goods, and skilled specialist work such as car assembly, which is secure, is not highly paid. Brexit has boosted exports by devaluing the pound, however it has increased input costs for many firms which buy raw materials from Europe.

Generally, manufacturing as a sector has had a strong half year. The Markit /CIPS UK manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), the widely-accepted barometer of manufacturing health, jumped to 57.3 in April from 54.2 in March – the highest level in three years. Forward to July and industrial output has slipped. But, for industry, the UK is in stable and modestly-growing territory. Other countries are growing faster, though.

Review of the Year

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Review of the Year

6 | REVIEW OF THE YEAR

The Industrial Strategy, the detail of

which is expected to come in the 2017

Autumn Statement, is designed to

thread together current government and

industry investments across research,

industry, skills development, energy

and infrastructure. It is also expected to

include new ambitious plans in areas

such as digitisation, robotics, artificial

intelligence and energy storage, and

stitch these together into a single,

cogent national strategy.

It has 10 pillars, ranging from investing

in science, research and innovation to

rebalancing growth across the whole

country, by providing development

funding for big infrastructure upgrades

such as the Midlands Rail Hub and

Northern Powerhouse Rail.

‘The Industrial Strategy is crucial,’ says

Terry Scuoler, Chief Executive Officer

of the manufacturers’ organisation,

the Engineering Employers’ Federation

(EEF). ‘Currently the economy is on an

even keel and manufacturing is quite

robust. While the sun is shining you fix

the roof, and Government has seen we

have to do it now,’ he emphasises.

The strategy is full of good things, of

which industrialists across the board,

from the silver-haired director to the

20-something design engineer, will

approve. Few would argue with its

top pillar: investing in research and

development (R&D) and developing skills.

It says skills shortfalls in some parts of the country contribute to imbalances in productivity in the UK, as shown in a recent Confederation of British Industry (CBI) report, highlighting education and skills as the biggest determinants of regional variations in productivity. It pushes for more and better technical training.

In the Budget, the Government announced new money for technical education to fund the new T-Level qualification for technical education. The Government said it was ‘the most ambitious post-16 education reform since the introduction of A-levels.’

Scuoler says of the Industrial Strategy ‘Politicians are becoming more aligned with industry and its needs. Catapults

Industrial Strategy

‘Everyone is looking at manufacturing. It

is essential to take into context that much

of the rest of the world is doing much

better,’ says Engineering Employers’

Federation’s (EEF) Chief Economist, Lee

Hopley. ‘Global growth forecasts for

many countries are ahead of ours.’

In January, the Government launched

proposals for ‘a modern industrial strategy

to build on Britain’s strengths and tackle

its underlying weaknesses to secure a

future as a competitive, global nation.’

A systemic weakness in the

manufacturing base and the economy

restrains the levels of exports. Total

exports of goods and services in

2016 were circa £550 billion, with

manufacturing comprising 45% of this.

The Prime Minister received a short tour of the facilities at the National Science and Innovation Campus while launching proposals for building a Modern Industrial Strategy

Chemicals: Brexit, industrial strategy and future innovation

are being seen as valuable and effective.

They are reaching more SMEs, and

while they can never reach them all, the

innovation ecosystem that Catapults

and Innovate UK represent are helping

SMEs, not only big companies.’

A survey of member companies of the

Chemical Industries Association (CIA)

highlighted that retaining tariff-free

access to the EU single market is the

biggest concern. Frictionless trade,

regulatory consistency and access to

skilled workers are identified as the

priorities to maintain UK chemical

industry growth in the light of Brexit.

More than three-quarters of the

member companies surveyed by CIA

in March and April 2017 said that the

introduction of customs barriers would

have a significant impact on their

businesses. At least 40% of the UK’s

chemical exports are destined for the

EU, CIA says, and about two-thirds of

these would be subject to tariffs should

the UK leave the single market without

a trade agreement.

A similar proportion of chemical

imports from the EU into the UK

would be affected by tariffs, pushing

up prices of raw materials for

downstream manufacturers. CIA adds

that some key raw materials used by

UK manufacturing industries have no

alternative non-EU source.

Certainty over the regulatory landscape

is also important, and a key priority for

CIA is to secure regulatory continuity as

part of the Repeal Bill.

‘For years now UK companies have

complied with European Union

chemicals regulations including REACH

– the regulation for the Registration,

Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction

of chemicals – and CLP – the regulation

for the Classification, Labelling and

Packaging of chemicals,’ says CIA Chief

Executive, Stephen Elliott.

‘Our industry is highly regulated, and

has to be, in order to give assurance.

Chemical businesses across the UK

will be grateful for any certainty and

continuity that this Bill provides.’

If UK companies are no longer allowed

to register chemicals for export to the

EU under REACH and have to go via

a EU-based representative, the cost of

compliance with the regulations will

increase greatly. The vast majority of

the CIA survey respondents believe

that regulatory continuity is going to

be critical.

The Government’s green paper on

industrial strategy, which was published

in January, was described by CIA as a

‘golden opportunity’ to build on the

work that has already been done by

the Chemistry Growth Partnership

since it was established in 2013. This

strategic collaboration brings together

industry, trade unions and Government

to reinforce the strength of the UK

chemical sector. The hope is that its

work will lay the foundation for a

Sector Deal for the chemical industry.

The sector should also benefit from

some of the additional £2 billion in

research and development (R&D)

investment via the Industry Challenge

Fund that the green paper introduced.

In the absence of domestic fracking

production, INEOS landed its first shale

gas from the US at its Grangemouth

refinery in September, having invested in

a fleet of ships to transport the ethane

across the Atlantic. The Grangemouth

Brexit presents a challenging time for the UK chemical industry



Chemicals: Brexit, industrial strategy and future innovation

are being seen as valuable and effective.

They are reaching more SMEs, and

while they can never reach them all, the

innovation ecosystem that Catapults

and Innovate UK represent are helping

SMEs, not only big companies.’

A survey of member companies of the

Chemical Industries Association (CIA)

highlighted that retaining tariff-free

access to the EU single market is the

biggest concern. Frictionless trade,

regulatory consistency and access to

skilled workers are identified as the

priorities to maintain UK chemical

industry growth in the light of Brexit.

More than three-quarters of the

member companies surveyed by CIA

in March and April 2017 said that the

introduction of customs barriers would

have a significant impact on their

businesses. At least 40% of the UK’s

chemical exports are destined for the

EU, CIA says, and about two-thirds of

these would be subject to tariffs should

the UK leave the single market without

a trade agreement.

A similar proportion of chemical

imports from the EU into the UK

would be affected by tariffs, pushing

up prices of raw materials for

downstream manufacturers. CIA adds

that some key raw materials used by

UK manufacturing industries have no

alternative non-EU source.

Certainty over the regulatory landscape

is also important, and a key priority for

CIA is to secure regulatory continuity as

part of the Repeal Bill.

‘For years now UK companies have

complied with European Union

chemicals regulations including REACH

– the regulation for the Registration,

Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction

of chemicals – and CLP – the regulation

for the Classification, Labelling and

Packaging of chemicals,’ says CIA Chief

Executive, Stephen Elliott.

‘Our industry is highly regulated, and

has to be, in order to give assurance.

Chemical businesses across the UK

will be grateful for any certainty and

continuity that this Bill provides.’

If UK companies are no longer allowed

to register chemicals for export to the

EU under REACH and have to go via

a EU-based representative, the cost of

compliance with the regulations will

increase greatly. The vast majority of

the CIA survey respondents believe

that regulatory continuity is going to

be critical.

The Government’s green paper on

industrial strategy, which was published

in January, was described by CIA as a

‘golden opportunity’ to build on the

work that has already been done by

the Chemistry Growth Partnership

since it was established in 2013. This

strategic collaboration brings together

industry, trade unions and Government

to reinforce the strength of the UK

chemical sector. The hope is that its

work will lay the foundation for a

Sector Deal for the chemical industry.

The sector should also benefit from

some of the additional £2 billion in

research and development (R&D)

investment via the Industry Challenge

Fund that the green paper introduced.

In the absence of domestic fracking

production, INEOS landed its first shale

gas from the US at its Grangemouth

refinery in September, having invested in

a fleet of ships to transport the ethane

across the Atlantic. The Grangemouth

Brexit presents a challenging time for the UK chemical industry


Review of the Year


Plastics: Waste, sustainability and manufacturing methods

cracker had been running at below half capacity for the previous three years because of a lack of affordable ethane, and INEOS will recommission the second, mothballed, cracker at the site that has been gathering dust since 2008. The price of US gas remains cheaper than that sourced from Europe.

INEOS also bought the oil and gas business of Denmark’s DONG Energy for a shade over a billion dollars, as well as BP’s Forties pipeline. However, in the long term, bio-based feedstocks will become more important to the chemical industry, and are already starting to make inroads into the personal care and plastics markets. Oil and gas supplies are not finite, and renewable sources, from crops to waste streams, represent a huge opportunity for chemicals manufacturers.

The formation of BioPilots UK in October looks to position the UK as a global leader in biorefining technology development and bio-based product manufacture. The alliance of five centres (Beacon in Wales, York’s Biorenewables Development Centre, the Centre for Process Innovation in Redcar, IBioIC in Scotland and Norwich’s Biorefinery Centre) aims to demonstrate

new bio-based products and processes at a commercially relevant scale, and speed up commercialisation of products from biomass such as plants, algae and waste.

Raw materials are not the only concern regarding process inputs: the chemical industry is, necessarily, a high-energy user, and the cost of electricity is a real worry. ‘The UK is paying anything up to 80% more for its electricity than competitor countries,’ claims CIA’s Elliott. ‘The longer that continues the more it becomes a disincentive for solution-providing foundation industries such as chemicals to invest in the UK.’

CIA believes the abolition of the carbon price support tax and an extension of the energy-intensive industries compensation package to a wider range of businesses would be important steps to ensure the future competitiveness of the industry. ‘Secure and affordable energy is a prerequisite for a stronger manufacturing base which I believe the world’s fifth largest economy must urgently address. It is also integral to the chemical industry’s long term future in the UK and its ability to contribute to an Industrial Strategy that works for all,’ Elliott added.

The UK plastics industry is taking big strides to reduce waste and improve sustainability. ‘This has been a big theme for years,’ says the British Plastics Federation’s Director General, Philip Law.

‘Companies are constantly trying to reduce the amount of material in, for example, a packaging mould, without losing its physical performance, and also trying to reduce energy consumption.’

The industry is doing a lot with its supply chain to minimise the impact

of end-of-life products. There is a measurable reduction in the weight of plastics products and plastics are highly resource efficient, compared with some materials.

‘Plastics recycling has progressed rapidly and it’s not only packaging,’ says Law. ‘For example, well over a million PVC window frames have been recycled in the UK and we are second only to Germany here. The overall plastics packaging recycling rate has now reached 45%. Within that figure,

Increases in the amounts of recyclable plastics are positive indicators of increased sustainability

Just over a year after our decision to

leave the European Union, it is still

very difficult to gauge exactly what

the consequences will be for the

manufacturing industry.

In July, figures reported in The Financial

Times showed that investment in

the UK car industry had fallen to just

£322 million in the first half of 2017,

projecting £644 million for the year.

This is in stark contrast to 2014 when

the automotive sector spent a cool

£2.5 billion on plant, kit, buildings and

training. But commentators, including

the Society for Motor Manufacturers

and Traders, pointed out that auto

sector investment is cyclical and 2014

levels were at the top of the cycle in an

exceptional year.

Jefferson Group, a recruitment agency

specialising in manufacturing and

engineering, counted 200 separate web

news stories from December 2016 to

June 2017 that related to ‘significant’

manufacturing investment; capital

expenditure of more than £1 million, or

a new research centre, training centre

or new manufacturing/distribution park.

While pharma is concerned about

the effects of extracting the UK

pharmaceutical industry from

EU regulation, this did not stop

Brexit’s overall effect on manufacturing

57% of all plastics bottles are recycled

and the bottle recycling collection rate

in Wales has actually reached 75%.’

A barrier to more recycling is the

disharmony of local authorities’

collection policies, where a more

approach standard would promote

economies of scale and transfer of

best practice. The industry is highly

innovative and has recently won

awards for ground-breaking schemes

to recycle hospital face masks and

greetings cards. The BPF organises a

Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan

to which the plastics industry, brand

owners and retailers have signed up.

For plastic milk bottles, for example,

recycling is very high – over 75% are

successfully recycled.

Technology is driving better products.

MuCell technology is a way of making

products like bottles with a foam

structure that uses 30% less material.

The product is just as strong as a

normal moulded part but uses less

plastic. Several companies are adopting

it in the UK, such as ZoteFoams in

Croydon, leaders in making bottles

for cosmetic products. Its Neocell

product for yoghurt pots, for example,

has achieved up to 26% weight

reduction per unit. The technique

is becoming more popular in the

automotive industry.

Addressing the industry’s main

challenges, in 2018 the BPF will

sponsor an academic study into the

relative efficiency of new types of

polymer and is working to increase

awareness among politicians about the

business opportunities available in the

plastics industry.

The decision to leave the EU will have ramifications for UK manufacturing in the immediate future, and in the long term



Just over a year after our decision to

leave the European Union, it is still

very difficult to gauge exactly what

the consequences will be for the

manufacturing industry.

In July, figures reported in The Financial

Times showed that investment in

the UK car industry had fallen to just

£322 million in the first half of 2017,

projecting £644 million for the year.

This is in stark contrast to 2014 when

the automotive sector spent a cool

£2.5 billion on plant, kit, buildings and

training. But commentators, including

the Society for Motor Manufacturers

and Traders, pointed out that auto

sector investment is cyclical and 2014

levels were at the top of the cycle in an

exceptional year.

Jefferson Group, a recruitment agency

specialising in manufacturing and

engineering, counted 200 separate web

news stories from December 2016 to

June 2017 that related to ‘significant’

manufacturing investment; capital

expenditure of more than £1 million, or

a new research centre, training centre

or new manufacturing/distribution park.

While pharma is concerned about

the effects of extracting the UK

pharmaceutical industry from

EU regulation, this did not stop

Brexit’s overall effect on manufacturing

57% of all plastics bottles are recycled

and the bottle recycling collection rate

in Wales has actually reached 75%.’

A barrier to more recycling is the

disharmony of local authorities’

collection policies, where a more

approach standard would promote

economies of scale and transfer of

best practice. The industry is highly

innovative and has recently won

awards for ground-breaking schemes

to recycle hospital face masks and

greetings cards. The BPF organises a

Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan

to which the plastics industry, brand

owners and retailers have signed up.

For plastic milk bottles, for example,

recycling is very high – over 75% are

successfully recycled.

Technology is driving better products.

MuCell technology is a way of making

products like bottles with a foam

structure that uses 30% less material.

The product is just as strong as a

normal moulded part but uses less

plastic. Several companies are adopting

it in the UK, such as ZoteFoams in

Croydon, leaders in making bottles

for cosmetic products. Its Neocell

product for yoghurt pots, for example,

has achieved up to 26% weight

reduction per unit. The technique

is becoming more popular in the

automotive industry.

Addressing the industry’s main

challenges, in 2018 the BPF will

sponsor an academic study into the

relative efficiency of new types of

polymer and is working to increase

awareness among politicians about the

business opportunities available in the

plastics industry.

The decision to leave the EU will have ramifications for UK manufacturing in the immediate future, and in the long term


Review of the Year


Investment

GlaxoSmithKline from investing £275 million in its UK manufacturing facilities, and Novo Nordisk is investing £115 million over the next decade on a diabetes research unit in Oxford (see the Pharmaceutical edition).

When industry as heavily invested in the UK as pharma sees a large geopolitical change, it can be unsettling but it clearly has not stopped business in its tracks. And some firms have never been busier, including suppliers of machine tools and moulding machines that serve the huge subcontract manufacturing industry where hundreds of big original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) source thousands of parts.

Credit ratings agency Moody’s said the UK economy could be tipped into recession if Britain fails to land a deal with the European Union. Others are talking up the list of free trade deals we can negotiate with countries from the US to Japan.

Colin Tirel at ARBURG Ltd, a supplier of injection moulding machines in Leamington Spa, says ‘to date, there does not appear to be any negative feeling in the market towards Brexit, quite the opposite with, pleasingly, many instances of work being reshored to the UK. One issue we do see is that of a shortage of technical personnel in the industry. This is something many customers have commented on.’

It has been striking how many big investments have been made in the manufacturing sector since the start of 2017. The net amount of new investment in the sector this year, offset by closures, liquidations and offshoring, is difficult to quantify, but there seems to have been a far higher than average number of factory investment and expansion stories – as well as training and research centre launches and upgrades – in the first half of 2017 than in previous equivalents periods.

A selection of some bigger and more notable investments in manufacturing in 2017 to date are listed below:

» In December 2016 Siemens opened its £310 million turbine blade plant in Hull.

» Announced in October 2016, Spanish automotive supplier Gestamp Tallent began work in May on a new £126 million plant near Cannock. The investment comprises £70 million in new technology and installation and build costs of £56.3 million.

» In March Toyota said it will invest

£240 million to upgrade its car plant

in Burnaston. For future output it said that tariff-free trade with the EU was essential. The company said it would also move to use more locally-sourced components, which carmakers in Britain are focusing on as a way to overcome currency fluctuations and potentially meet new local content rules (Reuters). In July it was awarded planning permission for the expansion and said this would create 90 jobs.

» Airbus UK, and aeroengine maker Rolls-Royce, received a boost when China Aviation Supplies Holding Company signed a general agreement for 140 aircraft, worth up to £18 billion. All the ordered A320 and A350 aircraft’s wings and the A350’s Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines will be manufactured in Britain.

» International industrials group, Liberty House, completed a £100 million deal to acquire the speciality steels division of Tata Steel UK in May, protecting the jobs of 1,700 existing staff at three major sites at Rotherham, Stocksbridge and Brinsworth in South Yorkshire and smaller sites across the UK.

A multi-million-pound investment deal by Toyota was approved in July

Jobs, pay, work and pensions

It also said it would create around

300 new steel jobs in South Yorkshire

and make multi-million pound

investments to secure the future of

five sites across the North of England

and West Midlands.

» In February supercar maker McLaren

said it will build its supercar chassis

in the Sheffield City region, building

a new £50 million factory, creating

200 jobs.

» Boeing’s first factory in the UK was

also announced in February. The

multinational aircraft maker will build

a £20 million plant to make actuators,

which operate aircraft wing flaps, on

the 737 and 777 airframes.

» In April, Detroit Electric confirmed

a $370 million deal to build electric

sports cars and suburban utility

vehicles (SUVs) in Leamington. More

than 200 new jobs will be created at

Detroit Electric’s factory in Harrison

Way with the launch of the SP:01, a

£100,000 sports car to rival the Tesla.

» Ready meals manufacturer Charlie

Bigham’s secured investment to build

a new factory in a Somerset quarry

that will initially create 100 jobs, with

the plan to increase this to 300 in the

next few years.

» Expanding manufacturing to logistics,

in April work began on the second

phase of £500 million iPort logistics

scheme in Doncaster set to create

many jobs. The total area will

approach 6 million sq ft. Phase 1 of

iPort has already seen 2.34 million sq

ft of space let to Amazon, Fellowes,

CEVA and Lidl.

» In March Costa opens £38 million

roaster in Basildon, Essex to

quadruple production. It can now

roast 45,000 tonnes of coffee a

year (or 24 tonnes a day), up from

the 11,000 tonnes at its previous

Lambeth site. The new site is close

to where the raw coffee arrives at

Tilbury Docks, saving carbon miles.

These big announcements were

supplemented by hundreds of stories

of smaller, but very significant,

investments such as Telford-based

Proto Labs’ €4 million spend on new

machinery to service Europe-wide

demand for rapid prototypes.

Engineering Employers’ Federation’s

(EEF) annual Manufacturing Fact Card

shows that pay within the sector

continues to outpace services and

the whole economy average, being

up 1.9% (2015 vs 2014) or 3%

compared to 2013. Average pay in

the manufacturing sector in 2016/17

is £31,489, in services it is £26,825,

and £27,607 is the average for the

whole economy.

Unite, Britain’s largest manufacturing

union, says that employees in the

private sector over the last two years

have suffered the same downward

pressures on pay as experienced by

those in public services such as the

NHS, where the majority of health

staff have seen their pay in real terms

eroded by 17% since 2010. Cases such

as the recent multi-year pay deal on

behalf of over 2,000 workers employed

at luxury carmaker Bentley are the

exception rather than the norm.

Weak demand in the economy is not

helped by below inflation pay deals

– or no rise at all – as the Consumer

Price Index (CPI) rate of inflation stands

at 2.6% (July 2017). Wages are badly

lagging behind inflation, Unite says,

while Stock Exchange performance,

at recent record highs, suggests

big companies have the necessary

cash reserves.

Unite the union argues that private sector pay for the majority of employees in manufacturing has steadily eroded



Jobs, pay, work and pensions

It also said it would create around

300 new steel jobs in South Yorkshire

and make multi-million pound

investments to secure the future of

five sites across the North of England

and West Midlands.

» In February supercar maker McLaren

said it will build its supercar chassis

in the Sheffield City region, building

a new £50 million factory, creating

200 jobs.

» Boeing’s first factory in the UK was

also announced in February. The

multinational aircraft maker will build

a £20 million plant to make actuators,

which operate aircraft wing flaps, on

the 737 and 777 airframes.

» In April, Detroit Electric confirmed

a $370 million deal to build electric

sports cars and suburban utility

vehicles (SUVs) in Leamington. More

than 200 new jobs will be created at

Detroit Electric’s factory in Harrison

Way with the launch of the SP:01, a

£100,000 sports car to rival the Tesla.

» Ready meals manufacturer Charlie

Bigham’s secured investment to build

a new factory in a Somerset quarry

that will initially create 100 jobs, with

the plan to increase this to 300 in the

next few years.

» Expanding manufacturing to logistics,

in April work began on the second

phase of £500 million iPort logistics

scheme in Doncaster set to create

many jobs. The total area will

approach 6 million sq ft. Phase 1 of

iPort has already seen 2.34 million sq

ft of space let to Amazon, Fellowes,

CEVA and Lidl.

» In March Costa opens £38 million

roaster in Basildon, Essex to

quadruple production. It can now

roast 45,000 tonnes of coffee a

year (or 24 tonnes a day), up from

the 11,000 tonnes at its previous

Lambeth site. The new site is close

to where the raw coffee arrives at

Tilbury Docks, saving carbon miles.

These big announcements were

supplemented by hundreds of stories

of smaller, but very significant,

investments such as Telford-based

Proto Labs’ €4 million spend on new

machinery to service Europe-wide

demand for rapid prototypes.

Engineering Employers’ Federation’s

(EEF) annual Manufacturing Fact Card

shows that pay within the sector

continues to outpace services and

the whole economy average, being

up 1.9% (2015 vs 2014) or 3%

compared to 2013. Average pay in

the manufacturing sector in 2016/17

is £31,489, in services it is £26,825,

and £27,607 is the average for the

whole economy.

Unite, Britain’s largest manufacturing

union, says that employees in the

private sector over the last two years

have suffered the same downward

pressures on pay as experienced by

those in public services such as the

NHS, where the majority of health

staff have seen their pay in real terms

eroded by 17% since 2010. Cases such

as the recent multi-year pay deal on

behalf of over 2,000 workers employed

at luxury carmaker Bentley are the

exception rather than the norm.

Weak demand in the economy is not

helped by below inflation pay deals

– or no rise at all – as the Consumer

Price Index (CPI) rate of inflation stands

at 2.6% (July 2017). Wages are badly

lagging behind inflation, Unite says,

while Stock Exchange performance,

at recent record highs, suggests

big companies have the necessary

cash reserves.

Unite the union argues that private sector pay for the majority of employees in manufacturing has steadily eroded


Review of the Year


According to university admissions

body UCAS there has been a drop

in undergraduate applications for

all degrees from both British and EU

students in 2017. The number of

applications from overseas students

for post-graduate engineering courses

has also fallen in the past year. Partly

in response to university tuition fees of

up to £9,000 per year and sub-optimal

application rates, degree apprenticeships

are a new and growing route through

employment and higher education.

The small number of degree

apprenticeships currently being

delivered is expected to increase

substantially over the next couple

of years, says Henriette Fordham

at the Higher Education Funding

Council for England (HEFCE). Many

higher education providers, including

universities, further education colleges

and private providers, are developing

programmes based upon the increasing

number of degree apprenticeship

standards. Several institutions

have been provided with funding

through the Degree Apprenticeship

Development Fund to develop new

provisions to be delivered from the

academic year 2017/18.

‘While they do not involve a financial

cost for the apprentice, they do

involve working in paid employment

for the majority of the week and, as

a route towards a higher education,

qualification they can be challenging,’

says HEFCE’s Fordham. ‘We expect

them to complement traditional higher

education routes, which will continue

to appeal to potential students, but as

employers look to spend their available

levy funds on opportunities to develop

their existing workforce and recruit

new skilled staff we expect that an

increasing number will consider degree

apprenticeships as one of a variety

of options.’

Engineering degrees and degree apprenticeships

However, the majority of private sector jobs come from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Federation of Small Businesses says 60% of all private sector employment in the UK is from SMEs and in manufacturing it is thought to be much higher.

The state pension age was due to increase to 68 between 2044 and 2046. Under new proposals that have to be agreed by parliament, this will move forward to between 2037 and 2039. The Government did not include this proposal in its General Election manifesto.

Unite claimed the increase in the retirement age meant that workers would be paying for failed economic policy under the Conservative

Government. It says raising the state pension retirement age to 68 between 2037 to 2039 will be detrimental to workers, especially if you have a physically-demanding job or are suffering ill-health, and they called for this proposal to be reversed.

Unite Assistant General Secretary for Manufacturing, Tony Burke, said ‘Brexit dominates economic and fiscal policy.

‘As a union, we are seeking a ‘Jobs First’ Brexit where every aspect of the negotiations is set against whether this will create secure and well-paid employment in a country with a strong industrial base. To this end, we are calling on Business Secretary, Greg Clark, to put flesh on the bones of the Government’s industrial strategy.’

Expansion of degree apprenticeships could help close skills gap

13DS SMITH PLASTICS |


MP for Gloucester, Richard Graham visited the Gloucester site in April 2017, to understand more about what we do in the business. Pictured with Iain Hannam (Managing Director)and Lydia Butler (Customer Sustainability Co-Ordinator)

A selection of our products

The plastics division of international packaging business DS Smith has made conscious efforts to drive greater sustainability in its manufacturing output. Its Gloucester

site has been home to a number of efficiency strategies, including the recycling of used materials and making the facility more sustainable.

DS Smith ensures that all of its products are fully made from polypropene and are

always 100 per cent recyclable. Any waste emanating from the production process

is later recycled off on site at a specialised facility. Not content with just recycling

the material however, DS Smith tries and go one step further by bringing back

waste products from its customer base and changing them into new products.

Such efforts not only aid efficiencies but also help the overall image of the sector.

‘Undoubtedly, there remains a lot of negativity surrounding plastics as a material,’

says Lyndsey Loyden-Edwards, UK sales manager for DS Smith. ‘The fact that it

doesn’t biodegrade has played a large part in its reputational problem, but following

the championed circular economy model, materials are put into a continuous loop

and brought back into the manufacturing process to be used again.’

Making our facilities more efficient

This is demonstrated through two examples, says Iain Hannam, Managing Director at

its Gloucester plastic facility. ‘First, we fitted LED lighting across the main Gloucester

factory in 2016,’ he says. ‘Our facility is an old building – with the company having

held a presence there for more than 40 years. As the factory wasn’t purpose

built, it has meant us working under constrained circumstances for a long time.’

FACTS ABOUT DS SMITH PLASTICS

» Offers a selection of converted corrugated plastic extruded products

» Only DS Smiths Plastics extrusion site in the UK

» Exports plastics products to the USA

» Holds ISO 14001 environmental standard

DS Smith Plastics

14 | DS SMITH PLASTICS


Highlighting best practice

The fact it is also a building of a more

mature vintage has inevitably meant

greater energy consumption. This reality

heightens the importance of obtaining

the maximum efficiency levels in the DS

Smith factor, Hannam says.

Second, the company has also

refurbished one of its large warehouses

nearby with the aim of improving

its sustainability and making it as

efficient as possible – a process which

also involved installing LED lighting.

‘As with the Gloucester facility, this

helps with energy saving reductions,’

Hannam says. ‘Aside from materials

and labour costs, energy is the biggest

financial cost for the company today,

a fact reflecting the reality for many

manufacturing companies.’

Another route taken by a company that

takes its sustainability credentials very

seriously was its decision to subscribe

to the government’s Climate Change

Levy, an initiative aimed at reducing

carbon emissions. To date, this decision

to adhere to certain commitments to

ensure the subsidy against the levy

has benefited DS Smith, says Hannam.

‘To date, we’ve achieved the maximum

for a number of years and maintained

this,’ he says of the levy.

The industries we serve

In plastics, a large UK market DS Smith

operates in is graphics, supplying flat

sheets of materials across a variety of

distribution channels. This has resulted

in a lot of prestigious work over the

past decade, notably for the 2012

London Olympics when the company

won signage-related work for some of

the venues.

Another industry where DS Smith has

a healthy presence is construction,

with the company supplying a lot of

protection sheeting both for building

production and marine protection,

most commonly in shipbuilding

work. A famous project where it

leant its expertise in this area was the

construction phase at the Principality

Stadium in Cardiff.

Correx® products in the pharmaceutical supply chain

DS Smith offers a selection of environmently friendly packaging solutions

Upstream flow

Primary packaging suppliers & manufacturers of closing systems and parts.

» One way & multi-trip solutions

» Fibre free

» Protecting & Package products going into Laboratories

» Easily sterilised packaging

» Water and Moisture resistant

Central flow

Between cleanrooms, in factories and laboratories.


» Fibre free

» Easily sterilised packaging

» Water and Moisture resistant

» Chemically and biologically inert

» Environmentally friendly

Downstream flow

Distribution networks, direct customers and retail.


» Storage and packaging for retail sale

» Lightweight

» Rigid

PRIMARY SUPPLIER

FACTORY/ LABORATORY

CONTRACT FILLER

CUSTOMER

15DS SMITH PLASTICS |


While the aforementioned projects mostly consist of customers utilising DS Smith flat sheet products, the company has also increasingly looked to convert these material sheets into a useable product for the packaging market. Their end-users by industry are diverse, ranging from automotive to pharmaceutical, with another 20 or so different markets beyond these.

The potential of the automotive and retail sectors

From the Gloucester site, the automotive sector accounts for the majority of the output, mostly through the supplying of transporting packaging for components in the supply chain. In recent years, DS Smith has successfully carried this out in packaging for Jaguar Land Rover when shipping its engine parts to China.

In the last year, it is also the automotive sector where DS Smith Plastics has experienced rapid growth. However, this kind of growth is cyclical, according to Hannam. ‘This falls in line with overall vehicle manufacturing, and as production rates have risen in the past year, so has the opportunities for a company like us.’

Changing customer demands in the warehousing side of the retail sector have also generated new business opportunities. Hannam says: ‘There’s more reliance from retailers in not using cardboard in warehousing but plastics instead. The material lasts longer and of course, would be safer in the event of a fire.’

Investing in equipment

Another area of substantial company investment has been in shop floor equipment, according to Hannam. ‘At each stage of evolution of the machinery we buy, we are able to run faster and achieve higher outputs within the same amount of hours and power consumption,’ he explains.

Equipment investment in an industry such as plastics is a continuous process, Hannam feels, due to the array of new innovations associated with the machinery used by DS Smith. The importance of software updates, including the development of an in-house CRM system, will also ensure the Gloucester operation is well equipped for the future.

Achieving safety excellence

As DS Smith’s plastics division moves forward, Hannam says it will do so by adhering to the highest safety standards – something that is very important to DS Smith as a group. Plans are afoot to achieve another a major safety standard in the form of ISO 45001 by the middle of 2018, adding to its existing ISO 14001 environmental standard.

‘The accreditations gives us a high degree of internal credibility,’ Hannam says. ‘We saw how acquiring the ISO 14001 environmental accreditation got staff thinking about ways of doing things on a different level – and we’d like to replicate this with how they approach safety.’

DS Smith Plastics is fully committed to offering innovative and sustainable solutions to meet the demands of our customer base

“

“

Richard Graham talking to our engineering team in the factory

16 | FARREL



Banbury® Technolab® Internal Mixer

Assembly Shop

Farrel Limited is the leading designer, developer and producer of mixing and compounding machinery for the polymer processing industry. Our company focuses

on the production of the Banbury® Mixer, which celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2016. Highly innovative and beneficial to the tyre industry, the Banbury® mixer produces the compound from which tyres and other products are made. It remains the first choice for a diverse range of applications.

Our History

Farrel’s origins can be traced back to 1900. It began as David Bridge & Sons, a

company that made machines for the rubber industry in Castleton, Rochdale.

We continue to produce our current range of mixers in the same building.

In 2008, Farrel became a part of the HF Group of companies. In turn, this led to

the formation of the HF Mixing Group, created in 2010 together with two of our

former competitors.

Growth & Success

In recent years Farrel has seen substantial growth placing us as the leading

manufacturer of tangential mixing systems for processing tyre compounds. We

have seen progress in the notoriously difficult Asian market and a general increase

in sales worldwide; as a result Farrel is a global player that sells to all of the top

100 tyre manufacturers.

FACTS ABOUT FARREL

» Located in Castleton, Rochdale, Lancashire

» Founded in 1900

» Employs 165 people

» Groundbreaking Banbury® mixer invented in 1916, with production and sales starting in 1918

» Leading designer, developer and producer of mixing and compounding machinery for the polymer processing industry

» Numerous design patents

» Winner of Rochdale business Award 2015

» Sales turnover of £42.0 million in 2016

Farrel

Farrel is a global player that sells to all of the top 100 tyre manfacturers

“ “

17FARREL |


There are a number of factors that have

contributed to our success, including a

fall in production times, increased order

intake, enhanced machine reliability and

the addition of the Banbury BM700N

mixer to our portfolio; currently the

largest tangential mixer on the market.

We have managed to achieve this

growth in a number of ways including:

1. Investment in infrastructure

Investment, development and the

careful optimisation of the factory

have been integral. In 2014 we were

granted funding from the Regional

Growth Fund. With this backing we’ve

been able to invest in state-of-the-art

machinery and robotics technology.

Concentrating on our core competences

of hard surface application and

machining, the investment has given a

leaner manufacturing process which has

drastically reduced production and lead

times. We have continually invested

25% of the company’s overall profit

into capital expenditure each year.

2. Research & Development (R&D)

R&D is an essential part of our business.

We have developed a new series of

Tangential mixer, patented cutting

edge Rotor Technology, cemented our

hard welding competence and overall

process know-how in general.

3. Investing in people

Our growth and success is in direct correlation with the investment into our workforce. The Regional Grant has enabled us to create and safeguard engineering jobs in Rochdale. In turn, this has enabled us to really hone our craft by investing in extensive training for our staff including iMechE membership and CEng accreditation for our engineers.

In 2015 we were presented with a Rochdale Business Award for skills and workforce development in recognition of our Apprentice scheme. This is at the core of our success and makes sure our expertise and know how stay within the business.

4. Continuous Improvement Programme

Alongside capital investment and training, a continuous improvement programme has helped us to simplify a number of processes, effectively reducing assembly times and manufacturing costs.

Exploring Future Growth Channels

The outlook for the rubber mixing industry is very strong and it’s evolving; this applies to the industrial sector as a whole. Farrel has already taken a number of steps to ensure it stays ahead of the curve:

1. A Fourth Industrial Revolution

We are in a Fourth Industrial Revolution; an age of smart manufacturing and digital factories with the intention of improving productivity, shortening product development cycles as efficiently and cost effectively as possible (Industry 4.0 Summit, 2017). Farrel has taken an active approach and championed a move towards this way of working with a number of initiatives such as:

» Remote service concepts

» Online condition monitoring

» Digitised measuring devices

Whilst 83% of UK manufacturers are planning to invest in automation and control systems in the future, only 48% of manufacturers across Europe

In 2015 we were presented with a Rochdale Business Award for skills and workforce development in recognition of our Apprentice scheme

““

Banbury® N-series production size mixer

» K N O W L E D G E T R A N S F E R P A R T N E R S H I P ( K T P ) D U S T S T O P P R O J E C T

A notable R&D undertaking, was the two-year KTP Dust Stop Project, and was supported and part-funded by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council and Innovate UK. During this time Farrel worked with Loughborough University’s School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering to design a contact mechanics model which predicts tribological conditions (friction, wear and lubrication) of rotating sealing surfaces within the mixing chamber.

By determining more precisely the lubrication requirements, mixer performance has been improved while reducing the carbon footprint. Aside from increased sales, the project allowed access to technology of strategic importance and once again proved our commitment to pushing boundaries and developing new technologies.

18 | FARREL



consider themselves ready for the

future – we like to think we are ahead

of the curve and this will contribute

to our continued future growth

(Industry 4.0 Summit, 2017).

2. Automation Solutions

In keeping with Industry 4.0 we have

seen a significant increase in the sales of

Automation Solutions. To capitalise on

this ever growing market, the HF Mixing

Group set up a dedicated Systems

Business Unit at our headquarters in

Freudenberg, Germany. Automated

Solutions offer big rewards to our

customers; such as a high level of

standardisation with low investment

costs, to the consistent documentation of processes and material flows.

3. Commitment to Innovation

Innovation is at the heart of what we do; and this shows no sign of slowing down in the future. Farrel is committed to pushing new technologies and the UK government tax incentive Patent Box, has enabled us to take full advantage. This initiative has helped UK manufacturers like Farrel remain competitive and stay in the UK.

Conclusion

In addition to continuing to develop

new innovations, Farrel will also look

to consolidate its product line and

build high volume standard products

that will reduce cost and boost

competitiveness. Our growth over the

last five years has been substantial,

and our head count has also increased.

Over the next five years our goal is

to increase the number of mixers

produced annually. Additionally there

is also huge potential in maintenance

work on existing machines. To

support this continued growth

Farrel will continue to invest in our

manufacturing processes and people.

Mixer performance has been improved while reducing the carbon footprint

““

Finished pair of NST™ patented tangential rotors

Automated robotic welding of rotors

19AMARAY |


Jamie Tinsley, Managing Director of Amaray Europe

FACTS ABOUT AMARAY

» 1980s. Diversification into media packaging, creating the globally-adopted DVD and Blu-ray case, becoming global packaging leader and supplier to major Hollywood studios

» 1990s. Diversification into pharma packaging

» 2000s. Operational facilities established in the USA. Diversification into Consumer Goods markets via inspired thinking and creative product design, fully supported by a network of highly efficient plastic injection moulding. BRC, ISO9001:2008, ISO13485, and Sedex approved

Amaray’s factory in Corby. Home of making good things, better.

Amaray is a high-volume, highly-efficient, highly-automated plastic injection moulding company who produce plastic packaging through cost-effective

manufacturing. With a laser-focus on customer satisfaction, Amaray strengthens brand-to-consumer relationships within the personal care, home care, media and food packaging markets.

Amaray began life in 1901 manufacturing lead-based plumbing products and was formally known as Dubois Ltd. However, the advent of plastics in the 1960s saw the first of many changes to the business as they introduced polypropylene injection moulding as their core capability. Relocating from Kings Cross, London to Corby, Northamptonshire in the 1970s, Amaray improved their standing as key manufacturers for leading brands in the DIY and pharmaceutical markets, moulding plastic components and registering the first of over 320 patents.

Customer-focused innovation and manufacturing excellence continue to define Amaray’s success. As one of the largest high-volume producers of plastic components and packaging, Amaray’s competitive advantage continues through innovation, ingenuity and an immense understanding of customer and market desires. Amaray has dominated the media market for over 25 years. The benefit of Amaray’s experience in media is that it has an extensive history of collaborating with reputable global brands, working to understand their needs to provide creative, cost-effective products.

Innovative thinking

With more than 320 patents, innovation remains integral to Amaray’s future and its development of new packaging formats to engage consumers through ease-of-use and functionality continues at a pace. Convenience is a key consideration for consumers;

Amaray

20 | AMARAY



great packaging that supports varying lifestyles and enhances their experience can make all the difference to a consumer’s decision to repurchase again in the future. Packaging is a communication tool for brands so, making the consumers’ experience with packaging memorable, will bring brand and user closer together. Major Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands appreciate Amaray’s unique approach to bringing new and innovative ideas to their marketplace.

Amaray’s collaborative culture spills over into the design process. Companies which outsource the design of their rigid packaging sometimes meet challenges from a manufacturing perspective, as designers often prioritise aesthetics over the practicalities of manufacturing. Amaray’s extensive knowledge bridges the gap between design and manufacturing, ensuring that customers achieve the best design, made as efficiently and as cost-effectively as possible.

The understanding of consumer and environmental needs guides Amaray’s transferral of plastic technologies, pioneered in their media products, into new product categories. Plastic’s inherent flexibility, lightness and

strength-to-weight ratio allows Amaray

to design durable and responsible

packaging from the outset, that delivers

benefits to the entire supply chain,

including post-consumer recycling.

Operational excellence

Manufacturing media products in

extremely high volumes inspired

Amaray to aggressively drive

opportunities for operational

efficiency, reduce waste and lower

costs. The business now thrives on this

relentless approach. Beyond design,

the company’s ability to mass produce

high-quality products via injection

moulding sees Amaray regularly

achieve high-performance supplier

ratings with their customers. This, in

addition to operational excellence,

is why Amaray are chosen as the

best provider for mould transfer;

existing tools owned by brands

can be transferred to Amaray and

incorporated into their production

lines. Through naturally streamlined

processes, optimisation and integrated

automation, Amaray deliver cost

reductions via efficiency gains. These

benefits are already being realised

by several global companies within

multiple consumer markets.

Major FMCG brands appreciate Amaray’s unique approach to bring new and innovative ideas to their market place

“

“Dynamic robotic handling systems optimise Amaray’s production performance

High-speed quality checks using computerised optical measurement systems

21AMARAY |


Responsibility

Amaray’s sustainability approach

focuses on minimising usage of

depleting resources, to reduce the

effect on the environment and to

manage waste responsibly. Amaray

help brands meet consumers’

concerns regarding environmental

issues by designing recyclability into

its products. This is evidenced by

their Closed Loop internal recycling

programme where excess inventory

and plastic scrap is re-used to make

alternative products. Historically,

the home entertainment market has

struggled with inventory management

and sales forecasting. Over-estimating

sales whilst retaining high levels

of stock embraces high costs with

financial risk. With the introduction

of a Closed Loop system, the excess

inventory is returned to Amaray to

recycle and re-use in new customer

specified products. Through waste

reduction and material re-use, the

demand for virgin material is limited,

inventory management becomes

more efficient and unnecessary landfill

is avoided.

The plastics industry – the future

The plastics industry is a major player

in UK manufacturing. Its turnover

is £23.5 billion, it has over 6,200

registered companies and employs

approximately 170,000 people

(representing 6.5% of all those

employed in manufacturing within

the UK). The UK is the 4th largest

consumer of plastics in Europe and

the 15th globally, exporting 65%

of home-made products to the

European market. By 2020, the global

plastics industry is expected to be

worth in excess of $650 billion. The

UK is one of the global leaders in

plastics technology with a highly-

reputable status around the world. It

is renowned for innovation in product

design and process development and

is supported by first-rate academic

institutions and government-

supported bodies. However, the

industry faces constant challenges,

which are preventing it from realising

its full potential.

There is a notable shortage of skills

within the industry. The UK has some

of the world’s most skilled engineers

and product designers who have

helped establish our reputation as a

major innovator. To ensure Amaray

maintain their competitiveness they

continue to develop and recruit

technical apprentices whilst focusing

intensely on their people and culture.

After implementing a variety of

engagement initiatives, employees have

become sensitive and conscious of their

contribution to both the company and

its local community. Over the past 18

months, Amaray have been active in

the local community; raising money

for charity through dragon boat racing

and donating time to gardening and

building renovations at a local hospice.

With an engaged workforce committed

to driving performance and making

good things better, Amaray continue

to outperform year-on-year results

across all departments. In addition,

their high-performance manufacturing

facility creates further opportunities for

reshoring production to the UK.

Through naturally streamlined processes, optimisation and integrated automation, Amaray deliver cost reductions via efficiency gains

“

“In-line secondary processes include high-speed product welding

22 | ABRIL INDUSTRIAL WAXES



Hugh McAulay, Managing Director

Spray atomiser for the production of fine powdered waxes

Having changed ownership two years ago, Abril Industrial Waxes embarked on a new chapter in its seven-decade history. Hugh McAulay, Managing Director of the

Wales-based company, details what new strategies have been implemented since the buyout and how Abril intends to grow.

Sold by its previous owner to powdered metal manufacturer, Höganäs AB, in June 2015, Abril Industrial Waxes was restructured to become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Swedish group. Now amalgamated into Höganäs’ corporate structure, the company retains a degree of independence from its new owner due to the niche areas it serves.

I was brought into the business in January 2016 shortly after the acquisition because of my corporate background, and the following period has been about reshaping the company and putting in place a defined future growth plan. Since then, significant changes have occurred. Having been elected onto the Board of Directors, which included the previous owner for maximum continuity, this collective of executives set about building a three-year strategy for growth.

Use of our products

Whilst our core product is a synthetic amide wax, Abril places significant emphasis on adding value to this base material. Around 50 per cent of our business is generated from producing this type of wax, which we manufacture in Wales, before further processing it in-house to ensure the outcome is niche and special. That is ultimately where the value lies. The other fifty percent of our business is specialised tolling where we produce specific blends and combinations of wax that are both unique, and confidential, to individual customers.

FACTS ABOUT ABRIL INDUSTRIAL WAXES

» Produces materials for manufacturers in plastics, paper, surface coatings, powder metallurgy and adhesives

» Headquartered in Pyle near Bridgend, Wales

» Acquired by Swedish metal power manufacturer Höganäs in June 2015

» Employs 26 members of staff

Abril Industrial Waxes

23ABRIL INDUSTRIAL WAXES |


A company like Höganäs, which has been our largest customer for some time, would typically use our modified amide wax as an external lubricant in the powdered metal technologies that it produces for mostly automotive industry customers. As such, with eventual end users such as Volkswagen Group, General Motors and Toyota, the quality control within the business is extremely high to meet these required standards. Our products also find significant usage in surface coatings and adhesives and sealants as rheology modifiers.

Increasing staff count

Integral to achieving this level of quality is the team at our site in Wales. Today, there are 26 people employed by the company, a number that has grown from the 19 in place at the beginning of 2016. Beforehand, we regularly drew on external staff from agencies, but we decided to step away from this approach as the potential to train and rely on non-contracted staff members was limited. Agency work is temporary and often results in high staff turnovers, denying us of the time required to properly invest in individuals.

To counter this, we put in place a programme to bring the company up to the required employee levels to cover all working shifts. We also took this opportunity to promote from within and create a new structure within the business. Completed this year, from an initial pool of almost 80 candidates, the new staff began in March 2017 and since then we have invested both time and resources into training and developing these individuals, with particular focus on health and safety, and the process and laboratory skills required for the roles. Now functioning in greater numbers, our core of people are multi-skilled – ranging from chemical engineering to chemistry backgrounds

– and this gives us the right level of

expertise to handle complex scenarios

with authority.

Increasing output

The Abril facility has remained largely

unchanged since the acquisition

but, in line with our 3-year plan, we

are currently exploring options for

increased capacity that will begin later

this year. Having been brought in to

double both turnover and production

output in a three-year period, my

team and I are actually setting our

Abril places significant emphasis on adding value

“ “

New investment will see an expansion of bulk raw material storage tanks

24 | ABRIL INDUSTRIAL WAXES



sights higher than this as we look to secure Abril for the next 10-15 years. Throughout this growth period, we must ensure the growth is spread equally across both parts of the business, amide wax and tolling, and that we develop products and capacity for both our parent company and non-Höganäs customers equally. Abril operates with an explicit obligation from Höganäs not to become solely an internal supplier to them.

Expansion of the business by a minimum of double and up to three times its size by 2019 is a lofty target and this will require substantial investment in equipment. Acquisitions in this area will include provisions of new bulk raw material tanks, along with adding to our spray atomisers. To meet an anticipated surge in material output, Abril’s equipment level will need to be increased in terms of units

by at least 50 per cent in the coming

years, a figure that could potentially

even rise to 100 per cent.

Proudly niche

The material sales themselves show

a continued upward trajectory. We

expect 2017 to show an increase in

product sales of 35-40% over 2015

sales when the business as purchased.

Come the end of 2019, we would like

to meet the target of doubling the

sales when compared to 2015 and,

whilst these growth targets may sound

very ambitious, by industry standards

they are quite modest.

Other companies producing the sorts

of industrial waxes we manufacture are

likely to produce volumes many times

greater than we do. However, these

high-volume producing companies are

not really competitors in our eyes; we

have always been niche and wish to

remain so.

Innovation in new products, new

market developments and emerging

markets also figure in our future. The

company is growing its presence in

the area of rheology modifiers for

the sealants and adhesive markets

with a new range of low temperature

activating products and has set itself

ambitious targets to grow in this

sector. We will look to expand further

into the pharmaceutical and cosmetic

sectors and will look at how we can

use degradable wax beads to replace

plastic micro-beads in facial scrubs.

We are working with an ambitious

car-care products company on a new

method of removing dye-transfer in car

leather seats.

As we expand and take on these

exciting new projects, we will remain

niche, fast moving and efficient and

continue to set ourselves apart by

creating the specialist products that no

one else can, or wishes, to make.

Innovation in new products, new market developments and emerging markets are our future

“

“

Part of the Development Lab at Abril

25RADICI GROUP PERFORMANCE PLASTICS |


John Rae, Managing Director, Radici Plastics UK Ltd

Radici Novacips plant, Chignolo d’Isola, Bergamo, Italy

KEY FACTS ABOUT RADICI GROUP PERFORMANCE

PLASTICS

» Founded: 1941

» HQ: Gandino, near Bergamo, Italy

» Key people: Angelo, Paolo and Maurizio Radici

» Employees: 3,000

» Sales Revenue (2016): €946 million

» Business areas: speciality chemicals, performance plastics and synthetic fibres

» Industrial sectors: automotive, electrical and electronics, clothing, home, construction, sports

» Locations: global presence in 15 countries throughout Europe, North and South America and Asia

» UK representatives: Radici Plastics UK Ltd ([email protected])

Radici Group is one of Europe’s major producers of chemicals and materials based on polyamides, commonly known as nylons. Represented in the UK by Radici Plastics

UK Ltd based in Hampstead, North London, the group is family-owned and headquartered in Bergamo, Italy.

With 3,000 employees and a revenue of €946 million in 2016, the group has

grown to become the third largest polyamide producer in Europe as a result of its

twin core philosophies of innovation and sustainability.

The company produces a wide range of chemical intermediates, polyamide

polymers, engineering plastics and synthetic fibres. These products are the result

of the Group’s outstanding chemical know-how and vertical integration in the

production chain.

The Group’s strategy is a strong focus on innovation, quality, customer satisfaction

and social and environmental sustainability.

Radici Group has developed into a global industrial organisation, creating a

network of 30 production units and business offices located in 15 countries across

the globe. In every country, in every region the Group offers a consistent range of

materials supplied to the same quality according to the its values and ethics.

Key success factor – vertical integration and value chain management

Radici Group’s major strength and distinctive feature is its vertically-integrated

polyamide production chain. The Group has the ability to produce polyamides starting

Radici Group Performance Plastics

mailto:[email protected]

26 | RADICI GROUP PERFORMANCE PLASTICS



from very basic chemicals, such as

ammonia and phenol, and controls

every process and operation to produce

a broad portfolio of monomers,

polymers, engineering plastics and

synthetic fibres. This means Radici can

supply material at every stage of the

value chain to the industries it serves.

The competitiveness of the group has

been assured by ongoing investments

into research and development (R&D)

and production technology.

From this base the company focuses

its strategy on innovation and

sustainability to meet the ongoing

needs of its stakeholders.

Innovation

This covers the development of new

products with enhanced performance

and features such as:

» Elevated temperature resistance to

meet the needs of, for example, the

automotive industry, where smaller,

more powerful engines generate

higher temperatures

» Improved chemical resistance

» High-strength materials for structural

applications to replace metal and

reduce the weight of components

» Bio-based materials with reduced

environmental impact.

In addition to product development, Radici leads the industry in its innovative attitude to social and environmental sustainability.

Sustainability, defined as ‘the ability to meet the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’, is at the core of all Radici operations.

The company monitors, records and publishes indicators according to the Global Reporting Initiative model.1

Radici Group has documented sustainability along the entire production chain thanks to the skills developed in the assessment of the environmental impact of products and processes with an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certified methodology.

Working through the Sweden-based International EPD® System, the company has co-operated to define internationally accepted Product Category Rules (PCRs), a reference for any company in the industry that wants to measure the environmental impact of its products.

Radici Group was the first company to propose the concept of a production chain PCR and has modified its production technology to develop a portfolio of materials with reduced

$34 million worth of investments made during the 2011–2015 period to sustain the competitiveness of group companies

““

“

» Manufactured using biopolymers obtained from renewable sources

» Manufactured using clean energy

» Solution-dyed materials saving water and energy

» Manufactured using recycled raw materials

Radici Group production routes with reduced environmental impact

From left to right: Paolo, Angelo and Maurizio Radici, Radici Group shareholders

1 http://www.radicigroup.com/en/documentation/corporate/report

http://www.radicigroup.com/en/documentation/corporate/report

27RADICI GROUP PERFORMANCE PLASTICS |


environmental impact as shown opposite.

In the three years from 2013 to 2015

Radici has invested €8.8 million to

promote sustainability. Some of the

results are shown below.

» 14.3% reduction in the total

consumption of primary energy

» 4.2% increase in the amount of

renewable energy used

» 21.6% reduction in total greenhouse

gas emissions

» 60.5% reduction in emissions of

other pollutants

» 64% reduction in use of water

through increased recycling

» Continuous improvement in quality

of waste water

– 55% reduction in chemical oxygen

demand

– 22% reduction in total nitrogen

content

– 56% reduction in total metal

content

» Continuous investment in people,

23% increase in hours of training

per employee.

Today, Radici Group is one of very few

on the market which control its entire

productive process.

This control, from the polymer

chemistry to the production of

synthetic fibres or engineering

plastics, results in process streamlining

and improvement of product

performance. This is known as the

‘short supply chain’, with reduced

environmental impact, thanks in part

to the recycling of materials.

Radici Group embraced the philosophy

of a circular economy as far back as

the late 1980s and, now that the

European Union is on the front line

in promoting this business approach,

we can affirm that Radici Group is the

ideal upstream supplier for a market

oriented towards eco-design, thinking

increasingly about materials in terms of

their post-consumer life, guaranteeing

at the same time optimal performance

and minimal environmental impact.

The challenge our Group faces relates

to the complete recyclability of

synthetic fibres.

The environmental strategy of Radici

Group, supported by know-how

acquired over 75 years with its vertical

integration of the supply chain, has

the objective of ensuring that all

textile sector products are recycled

mechanically, becoming a new

plastic material suitable for technical

or industrial use. Radici Group has

for some time been working with

certain customers in the definition of

formulations which make the finished

item recyclable and reusable for the

manufacture of other products.

Today, the real challenge for large

companies – therefore our challenge –

is making available innovative materials

and new technological solutions

filled with new significance, tied to

sustainable development. A 360°

sustainable business.

The Radici Group way to a circular economy

» I N D U S T R I E S S U P P L I E D B Y R A D I C I G R O U P

» Automotive

» Electrical and Electronic

» Consumer goods

» Clothing

» Furnishings

» Construction

» Household appliances

» Sport

28 | UNION COLOURS



Pigment powder concentrate as produced by Union Colours

Phillip Myles, General Manager, pictured second right in the pigment development laboratory

Union Colours is the international technical marketing arm of Longyu Pigments & Chemicals Corporation, the largest producer of organic pigments in China. The tie up was

a proposal to take advantage of the UK team’s international technical marketing capabilities, along with the financial and manufacturing strength of a big Chinese corporation.

Following their launch in 2004 they targeted the largest pigment users in inks,

plastics and paints across Europe, with a special focus on serving regulatory

demanding applications. Their market positioning combined technical service

capabilities more typical of the very large European Pigment manufacturers, with a

flexibility more typical of medium sized enterprises.

Globalisation

With their products and services receiving strong technical acceptance by the

European market, in 2010 the company decided to expand globally. Strengthened

by their established brand and the brand of their international clients, globalisation

started rapidly. In 2017 Union colours reached a planned milestone, 50% of their

sales are now outside of Europe.

Union Colours can deliver to any sea port in the world. They have pan-Europe

distribution from their warehouse in Denmark, they hold a bonded warehouse in

Brazil serving Latin America; they have stocking facilities in South Africa for Africa;

they have an office in Mumbai for India and for more difficult to reach markets

they engage a technical distributor sales network.

FACTS ABOUT UNION COLOURS

» A Global Technical Producer of Organic Colour Pigments

» Sales to 46 Countries Worldwide

» Holding 3.5% Market Share in Europe, and 10%+ in Chosen Markets

» International Technical Centre in Stockport, UK

» Supporting Technical Centres in India, China and South Africa

» Strategic Supplier to the World’s Largest Pigment Using Multi-national Companies

» Special Capabilities in Regulatory Controlled Applications

» Financed by the Largest Pigment Producer in China

Union Colours

29UNION COLOURS |


The company found that although technology trends differ across regions, on the whole clients have the same requirements from a pigment producer, a broad portfolio of products that perform well, with consistent quality at an affordable price.

Technologies

Organic colours are made by synthesising various oil derived chemicals. Modern versions are coated during synthesis with speciality chemicals that enhance the product’s performance in application.

Union Colours employ some of the finest pigment chemists in the world: as a result their clients benefit from advanced technical possibilities. It is Union Colours experience in product design and regulatory affairs that gives their clients the confidence to work with them.

Working closely, such as sharing laboratories, is what stimulates innovation and benefits the partners, the chemists’ study how the pigments perform in the client’s application then re-engineer them with improvements.

The pigment formulations and processing know-hows represent the intellectual property held by Union Colours: alongside people, their technologies are the company’s key assets.

Non-commodity product focus

Commodity applications for pigments include publication inks, a market sector that has declined greatly by the paradigm of magazine and newspaper readers migrating online.

Meanwhile some non-commodity sectors are offering good growth prospects, such as highly technical sectors like the colouration of plastics and inks for food packaging and inks for printing on personal care products and textiles with possible skin contact.

Pigment powder after synthesis

These segments are tightly controlled by regulations limiting the negative elements found in organic chemistries that are considered detrimental to human health or the environment. Sales volumes change

non-commodity and commodity

30 | UNION COLOURS



Union Colours has had a number of products directly approved for use by large FMCG producers based on their product’s cleanliness.

Few companies can service these sectors successfully, and Union Colours is determined to be at the forefront by continuing to engineer cleanliness into their products to meet the future ever tightening specifications.

Manufacturing in South Africa

In addition to their Chinese made product range, in 2015 the company acquired the pigment manufacturing assets of the only pigment producer in Africa. Since its acquisition the focus of their Johannesburg location has been to manufacture pigments for these highly technical sectors, a strategy that has been met with considerable success.

As part of a continued expansion plan, a second much larger pigment making facility will be built in Durban South Africa in 2017. This new facility will be the first pigment plant built outside of Asia in decades, and the first to have a special focus towards producing cleaner pigments.

A future sector leader

Union Colours has shown exceptional growth in regulatory demanding applications; they are already

recognised by their sizable market share and rate of expansion into these sectors.

Together Union Colours and their clients are building technically leading products in areas normally out of reach for most Asian commodity producers.

The company could not grow so fast without the commitment and capabilities of their employees. Their engagement is high, as the company fosters a warm, team-orientated, client-focussed culture, along with an underlying aggression to build market share.

Our new African plant is the first volume making facility built outside of Asia in over 3 decades

““

Purpose built laboratories for pigment development.

Union Colours Product in Application

One of the iconic visions of 2014 was the sea of poppies spreading out of the Tower of London. Commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of WWI the 888246 ceramic poppies had been coated in a red pigment developed by Union Colours UK, manufactured by Union Colours South Africa. Photo by © The Land / Wikipedia

31STORT CHEMICALS |


Stort Chemicals stand at Surfex 2016, NEC Birmingham. This is a key showcase for the UK coatings industry

The family management team: Ken Gilkes, Emma Marchant, Marguerite Gilkes, Matthew Sanderson and Richard Gilkes

Ken and Marguerite Gilkes founded Stort Chemicals in Bishop’s Stortford, close to the River Stort in 1981. Ken had spent all his working life in the chemical cndustry. The company was

set up in their house – this was quite a challenge for Marguerite, with three school-age children to look after and also carrying out all the back office duties of a start-up chemical distributor.

After graduation in chemistry from the University of Birmingham in 1961, Ken had

worked in a variety of multinational companies, such as Cellon, part of Courtaulds

Chemical, Hadfields Paints, part of the Bestobell Group, British Resin Products, part

of BP Chemicals and, from 1970–1980, with the Berger Group, part of the German

giant Hoechst, which at that time was the largest chemical company in the world.

Most of the time was spent on various aspects of the development, marketing and

sales of synthetic resins and polymers for the coatings and allied products industry –

one of the largest segments in the chemical industry overall.

This eventually led to a place on the Board of Berger Chemicals, in the North East

of England. Then, in 1980–82 came the largest and strongest recession to affect

UK manufacturing since the end of the Second World War. In fact, this offered

Ken and Marguerite the opportunity to return south from Newcastle to Bishops

Stortford and to take their destiny into their own hands.

Stort Chemicals early years

The technical knowledge built up over the 20 years prior to 1980, coupled with the

strong friendships built up over that period, proved crucial to the success.

FACTS ABOUT STORT CHEMICALS

» Headquarters in Bishop’s Stortford

» Employing 18 people, and responsible for our core business of speciality chemicals distribution

» Employing 24 people in our joint venture, StortEskens in Warrington, responsible for our paint machinery business

» Founded in 1981

» Turnover 2016: £9 million

» Very close association with our principals – large manufacturers of speciality chemicals, many who have been our partners for 25 or more years

Stort Chemicals

32 | STORT CHEMICALS



The early years were spent visiting customers throughout the UK, persuading them to buy specialised products for the coatings and adhesives markets. These were manufactured by Wacker Chemicals and Henkel Chemicals – without whose support in the early years Stort would not have survived. Both the Wacker and Henkel contacts had come from the Hoechst connections. Such contacts are so vital for all start-up companies.

We continue to sell a large range of speciality chemicals from German manufacturers, including Wacker, who are still one of our biggest principals today, after 36 years!

Continued growth

In 1986, Stort invested in small offices in Bishop’s Stortford. In 1988, Henkel Chemicals offered us the UK distributorship for their range of Aroma Chemicals – widely used in the production of fragrance compounds for perfumery. This took Stort into a brand-new market – the fragrance and flavour (F&F) industry. Another major segment in the overall chemicals industry – less technical than coatings but extremely rewarding. F&F is a creative industry, with perfumers deciding which new products launched by the large producers of aroma chemicals will be successful – not the manufacturers.

1995 – Stort becomes a true family business

1995 was an important year for Stort, when Richard, son of the founders, after completing his degree, followed by four years at Barclays Bank, and an MBA from Cranfield, joined the business. His financial acumen, coupled with his IT skills, rapidly ensured our growth was profitable. If a business like Stort, by now stable in terms of turnover, is to survive and prosper long term, its financial health becomes critical and Richard has ensured this. Our investment in computer

technology, both hardware and software, has been consistently high and has allowed us to expand with our bank’s full backing, particularly as they believe our figures!

2000s – further expansion and diversification

Ken’s 60th birthday was celebrated by moving up to the Executive Chairman role, with Richard moving to Managing Director.

From Ground Zero in 1981, turnover was now £3 million, with a high-gross profit, reflecting our chosen area of speciality chemicals rather than the much lower-yielding commodity chemicals.

In 2001 Emma, daughter of the founders, with a degree from Manchester, joined as Director

of Flavours and Fragrances. Her enthusiasm and selling ability has helped grow the F&F division from a steady £1 million turnover throughout the 1990s, to a now stable turnover of £2 million+ over the past three years.

In 2006, we also moved into large new offices on the banks of the River Stort, giving us room for further expansion. These became even more necessary when we set up a subsidiary in 2005 to handle the sales and servicing of paint tinting and mixing machines

Any successful distributor must always remember Customer is King

“ “Emma Marchant, daughter of the founders, assessing new developments from one of our fragrance suppliers

We are part of the total UK chemical distribution market. In 2015, this sector was worth £4.5 billion (€5.4 billion) to the UK. The small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) segment of which we are part concentrates on the speciality chemical side of the market, and represents approximately one third of the total market, i.e. £1.5 billion (€1.8 billion).

33STORT CHEMICALS |


using colourants from a new principal who had chosen Stort Chemicals to represent them: CPS Color BV.

Three years later we sold 50% of

the business to a Dutch partner and

StortEskens Ltd was born. It is now run

out of a custom-equipped warehouse

and workshop in Warrington and

employs 25 people, including 11 fully-

trained and equipped field engineers.

Our excellent relationship with some

of the largest paint companies and

DIY stores in the country has seen the

turnover grow to £2.5 million.

People

While lip-service is often paid to the

importance of employing the right

people, in a sales and service company,

the largest item of expenditure is

investment in people.

Stort believes this passionately and, in

recent years, made a strategic decision

to employ several young graduates and

train these initially as sales office staff

with the intention that they will later

become external sales managers capable

of promoting our products to our

customers in a correct technical manner.

In fact, all of our recent technical

recruits must have a graduate

qualification in chemistry or a similar

discipline, so that they will be able

to introduce our range of products

to our customers in a professional

way. This approach is expensive and

time consuming, but we believe our

customers appreciate this and our

investment in such staff is already

paying off.

As a measure of my personal gratitude

to the University of Birmingham for

the excellence of my own graduate

course, I have given them a bursary

to fund undergraduates in the School

of Chemistry.

Alongside our in-house training, as

we operate in a highly-technical and

regulated industry, our principals will

always give specific product training

in their well-equipped laboratories –

usually overseas – again expensive but

a necessary cost.

We have also ensured health and

safety plays a major part in the

training of all our staff – this must be

best practice in an industry handling

so many different chemicals. This

is reinforced by our long-standing

membership of the Chemical Business

Association (CBA), the UK’s key body

for the chemicals supply chain. Signing

up to responsible care is a pre-requisite

of membership.

A very recent recruit heralds the next

stage of the company’s growth. The

eldest grandson of the founders,

Matthew, who graduated from

Macquarie University in Sydney 18

months ago and has now returned to the

UK, recently joined Stort as Marketing

and Business Development Manager,

with the particular remit to investigate

ways we can best communicate our

products to our customers in a rapidly-

changing market place.

Stort Chemicals is proud to become a

third-generation company.

Stort Eskens’ UK Technical and Training Centre – Warrington

» T H E F U T U R E

Our core chemical distribution business plus our JV StortEskens Ltd has now reached the point where we are confident that our Group target of £10 million of profitable turnover in 2018 will be met.

This is due in large part to the dedication, hard work and expertise of so many of our staff over so many years.

34 | SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL



Our head office and factory in Andover

Think of the harshest environment on the planet – that’s Scientific Management International’s backyard where their moulding routinely operates. Designing,

manufacturing and installing pressure moulded cable harnesses for the most hostile of environments on Earth – regularly including through submarine hull installations and on the ocean floor. Scientific Management International are the only company worldwide to hold continuous Capability Approval from the Ministry of Defence for over 20 years. This is illustrated by having had over 10,000 installations with zero leaks to date, and will have precisely zero leaks in the future.

Essentially, cable harnesses and connectors are the coverings that secure the wires and fibre optics transmitting signals or electric power in a variety of industrial, commercial, civil and military contexts. Clearly, in hostile environments involving extreme temperatures, wet and high-pressure conditions below the surface – be that on the hull of a ship or the seabed – this requires advanced technology and expert installation. In this case also strengthened by internal deep cycle testing, product x-ray procedures and constant and total quality control.

Scientific Management International is a privately held company based in Andover, Hampshire supplying hostile environment cable harnesses and connectors to the marine, aerospace, alternative energy and transport industries – including Britain’s own nuclear fleet for over 20 years. Professionalism is the difference between life and death, where right first time every time and guaranteed 10,000 installation zero leak performance is essential, providing solutions to the highest technical challenges in the sector.

FACTS ABOUT SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL

» Formed 1992

» Designer & manufacturer of Pressure Moulded cable systems for hostile environments

» Develops products in accordance with UK Defence Standards – 20 years uninterrupted

» SME operating as a prime contractor to UK MOD and Tier 1 Defence companies

» Operating in Marine, Aerospace & Renewables markets

» Based in Andover, Hampshire with offices in Perth, Australia & Paris, France

» ‘Right first time, every time’ – ‘Fit & forget’ technology

» www.smi.group

Scientific Management International

http://www.smi.group/

35SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL |


Why it pays to get it right first time

The importance of getting things right first time cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, too many suppliers and customers alike are seduced by lower initial costs into compromising on reliability, resulting in the need for rectification at some stage down the line. This can involve costs often many times what it would have taken to do the job properly in the first place.

In contrast, Scientific Management International’s approach is to work closely with customers from the very early stages of a project bringing over 25 years expertise and experience to bear, ensuring installations are right first time, fit and forget – with zero leaks. This does not always make them more expensive than their rivals, even in terms of upfront costs. Sometimes tailoring an installation to its purpose from the start means developing a more graceful engineering solution, resulting in lower costs. This was found recently with PlastEthUrm mouldings which can take fibre optics around a

90 degree bend and so can fix issues

with connectivity in confined spaces.

A culture of excellence and innovation

Scientific Management International are

committed to technological excellence,

which underlines their heritage not

only as a one hundred percent reliable

supplier, but also as an international

industry leader having offices in UK,

France & Australia. Customers therefore

have confidence in everything they

do, and that includes looking forward

and developing technology in order to

solve the problems of the future.

Innovation is woven into the culture

of the business at every level, along

with a focus on rigorous accreditation.

The certificates held include the ISO

9001:2008 quality management system,

approval for the manufacture of 1st Level

pressure glands from the Ministry of

Defence, along with, as mentioned

above, 20 years continuous capability

approval for the manufacture of pressure

hull and equipment glands which is a

unique achievement worldwide.

Right first time, every time, fit and forget Glen Richardson, Chief Technical Officer, Scientific Management International Ltd

“ “

SlipstreaM connector moulding

36 | SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL



Some recent successes

Interesting projects from the past

few years include the first tidal

installation for SeaGen (Marine Current

Turbines) replacing another supplier’s

failed harnesses, and supplying

export cable terminations for Tidal

Energy’s Deltastream installation in

Pembrokeshire, with low and medium

voltage and fibre optic connectors.

The faultless reputation within the

industry is well illustrated by the

fact that they were a supplier to the

recently commissioned Open Hydro

2MW Tidal turbine at Cape Sharp

in the Bay of Fundy, which has just

started producing power.

The most successful projects are those that involve collaborating with other innovators, and making an impact on the industry as a whole, bringing 25 plus years experience to good use. This was certainly the case when commissioned

by the Royal Navy to help develop a solution to reliability issues with a motor used in submarines. The R&D team redesigned the relevant part in a way that resolved the problem and saved the Navy budget, and this solution was then applied across the fleet.

In order to continue to grow they have to ensure they can recruit staff with the right skills to maintain depth as well as breadth of knowledge – excelling in both how it’s always been done and how it could be done now and developing that process. This is more difficult for the manufacturing disciplines than at the technology and design professional level, and has led to growth of the apprentice training programme in order to secure high growth plans. Apprentices are recruited each year and currently have 5 at various stages of development. This has a major benefit in that apprentices develop within a culture of total reliability – or as they say, fit and forget.

Our excellence in the UK has led to ongoing expansion overseas Martin Stillman-Jones, Chairman

“ “

‘ A L E G A C Y O F I N N O V A T I O N

The first submarine pressure hull glands were developed by Submarine Cables in Erith, Kent, during the 1950s, but the associated technology evolved considerably in the ensuing decades.

For a long time, it was felt that selecting material for cable harnessing involved a compromise between electrical performance and abrasion resistance; different materials had different advantages, and disadvantages. Eventually, it was Scientific Management International that developed a technology combining the best of both worlds, leading to extended life for cable harnesses.

Keith Wells, CEO of Scientific Management International says ‘The first ‘PlastEthUrm’ technology was introduced into another NATO country’s submarines five years ago and to date six boats have been supplied, with three launched and in service. As ever there has been one hundred percent fit and forget performance.’

Another innovation has been the SlipstreaM connector moulding, which combines compact size with a 90 degree bend radius. This enables the efficient and reliable transfer of power and data in wave and tidal installations even where there is restricted space or where low resistance to tidal movements is a consideration.

When mated with PlastEthUrm, SlipstreaM enables Scientific Management International to provide lifetime warranties for cable mouldings and harnesses.

Pressure hull gland

37RJG TECHNOLOGIES |


Richard Brown, Managing Director

Training Facility

The formation of RJG Technologies in 2015 brought together two world-recognised experts in the field of plastics technology, Rod Groleau and John Goff, who

had separately pioneered an approach for injection moulding using scientific principles in the USA and Britain. This approach revolutionised the plastics industry and has made RJG an international leader providing training, consultancy, and technological know-how for those using plastics in their manufacturing process… whether it’s for medical equipment, the pharmaceutical sector, or supply to the automotive market.

Located in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, RJG Technologies is now part of RJG, Inc.,

a privately-owned family business, and was formed when the parent company

acquired G&A Moulding Technology. Providing progressive, structured, and relevant

training, RJG delivers a range of tailored courses that address the current skills

shortages seen within the plastics industry. Following a prescribed route (Figure 1)

can lead to the prestigious Master Molder® qualification. This provides the recipients

with the knowledge and expertise to apply best practices to drive quality and value

to the products produced, providing a competitive edge for their organisation.

Making the changes

The immediate impact was the speed of decision making, empowering a change in

the direction of the business to provide new services as part of the group. The focus

was to invest in the infrastructure and the people to improve the business. Investment

was made in staff training to add the additional skills and knowledge required to

FACTS ABOUT RJG TECHNOLOGIES

» Leading provider of training and consultancy in the Plastic Processing Industry

» Trainers and Consultants with a wealth of knowledge and experience from within the Plastics Industry

» Winner of Plastic Industry Awards 2015 and finalist 2013 and 2014

» Established reputation for training courses that meet the industry needs

» Team of 11 employees in the UK with 140 worldwide

» Headquarters in Traverse City, USA with facilities in Mexico, France, Germany, UK, Italy, Singapore, China and South Korea.

RJG Technologies

38 | RJG TECHNOLOGIES



support the growing business. This ensured we had the ability to deliver enhanced training courses that met the needs of the industry at the time of an acute skill shortage.

In the consultancy area of the business, we developed our TZERO® consultation initiative. This guides our clients through logical steps to develop a plastic component to get it to market right first time. Previous successes have encouraged us to push the boundaries of what is possible for every client and given us confidence to be bolder in our approach to the challenges we face.

Development of a clear vision of the service we offer crystallised our direction, providing the team impetus to deliver it. Investing in our staff has been the best thing we’ve done over the last year in order to grow the business and make a difference to everyone’s work-life balance.

The team

Our team has expertise in all elements of converting plastic pellets into quality products. Through years of industry experience, our team has gained a deep understanding of how things work on the shop floor. This knowledge has helped us shape our training and consultancy services around issues that injection moulders are facing on a daily basis.

For a company with a small number of employees, we have an extraordinarily broad mix of skills to meet our customers’ needs. At RJG, everyone is encouraged to provide input – creative thinking is a natural part of the development process. We recognise that what we do has to be enjoyable to provide job satisfaction as well as financially rewarding for the business.

Our core values and purpose

We have developed a three-year strategy that narrows our focus in order to help us be as successful as possible. Our core values are centred on going the extra mile to provide our customers with training and consultancy that exceeds their needs – something they appreciate. They value our approach to provide honesty, accuracy, efficiency, and consistency in everything we do. We are always looking to develop and improve, to ensure we are the best we can be – as people, as a team, and as a company.

Our purpose is to deliver high quality injection moulding training, consultancy, and process monitoring equipment that surpasses the expectations of our customers in the medical, pharmaceutical, and automotive sectors. Our mission: to get RJG recognised as a global leader through market awareness, innovative product development, and consideration to the environments we work in.

The foundation of our three-year strategy is:

» To develop and deliver high quality training

» To provide consistent consultancy support on every project

» To work closely with every customer to identify problems and develop strategies for permanent solutions that guarantee the quality of plastic parts

» To develop new products that meet the demanding aims of our customers in the plastic industry.

RJG’s training and consultancy service is viewed as a long term solution to the skills gap in the plastics industry

““

Training classroom

Master Molder® II

Master Molder® I

Systematic Moulding

Injection Moulding Essentials

Maths for Moulders

Figure 1

39RJG TECHNOLOGIES |


Two key factors in the success of this

strategy are to invest in the training

of our team and to communicate the

changing demands of our market for

the services we offer.

New products

Although our current products

exceed expectations, we have not

been complacent. Our Research and

Development team have focussed

on the development of new and

innovative products that will

differentiate us from our competitors.

The approach has been simple:

» Work as closely as possible to the

end-user to meet their future needs.

» Ensure we have a clear understanding

of the end-users’ requirements by

listening to the Voice of the Customer.

» Don’t assume the conventional

and more traditional product is the

most appropriate one, but develop

a solution that meets the needs and

demands of our customers.

» Achieve the most cost effective

solution while also achieving good

financial returns.

The Hub™

The Hub was developed to enable

injection moulding plant managers to

monitor their entire plant floor from

a single remote access point via a

web browser. The aim of The Hub is

to increase the efficiency of a mould

shop, as all the data will be available at

one central point, negating the need

to spend time and energy continuously

walking the shop floor. It will show

how all machines are performing and

allow quick decision making to prioritise

the specific areas that need attention.

This is an exciting development for the

company and the industry.

The CoPilot™

The CoPilot, as its name suggests, is a

system to support, monitor, visualize,

and record the status of the injection

moulding process. The CoPilot is

designed to guide the moulding

technician to manage and maintain

the moulding process. The product

functions as a notification system, a

communication tool, and a coach – it

provides a simple and practical guide

to aid moulding technicians of all

experience levels produce quality parts

within process. The CoPilot can also be

used as a training tool to teach staff

of all skill levels how to reinstate and

manage a moulding process.

The future

With the present-day skill shortages,

we believe that it is important for

employers to invest in their employees’

skills and develop apprentices. In

2017/18, we believe that further

growth will be achieved with the

introduction of two new products:

The Hub and CoPilot. With these new

products and our strong training ethos,

we are well placed to meet the current

and future needs of our industry.

These are all exciting developments

for us, and we believe we are well

positioned to see even further growth

in the future.

RJG is an internationally recognised centre of excellence in the field of polymer training and consultancy with an unrivalled reputation in the plastics sector

“

“Hands on Training Experience

» C O M P A N Y A C C R E D I T A T I O N S

» PAAV\Q-SET accredited centre

» Cogent Skills Partner

» Member of British Plastics Federation.

» ISO 9001:2015

40 | APPLIED COATING TECHNOLOGIES (ACT)



Dr Yasin Zaka, Managing Director and Christine Hancock, Commercial Director

ACT’s third robotic line, commissioned in 2015

Applied Coating Technologies (ACT) is the UK’s premier industrial and automotive coating company with manufacturing sites based in the West Midlands. For more

than 30 years the management team have developed innovative coating solutions and invested in state-of-the-art application technologies. The company now has three autonomous business units focused on providing customer a world class service and with one of the strongest research and development (R&D) teams in the industry continues to develop new coating technologies.

After obtaining his PhD from Aston University Dr Y. Zaka started his career as a coatings technologist at the R&D centre of Inco Engineered Products. There he developed coatings that could protect electronic equipment from radio frequency interference (RFI). Keen to commercialise his innovative coating application and develop a business Dr Zaka went back to Aston University Business School and studied for a Masters Degree in Business Management.

In 2000 Dr Zaka and his colleague Christine Hancock formed their own company, Applied Coating Technologies. From the onset they believed that to grow their business they needed to invest in the latest technology, innovate and develop new products and markets and to focus on customer service. This formula has served them well and the company has grown steadily from employing just two people in 2000 to over 90 in 2016. Revenue was £8 million in 2016 and is forecast to exceed £10 million by 2019.

ACT started life specialising in applying conductive coatings to provide protection against interference caused by electromagnetic waves. Electronic products housed

FACTS ABOUT ACT

» Established in 2000 by Dr Yasin Zaka and Christine Hancock

» Specialises in applying functional and decorative coatings, using manual and robotic coating technologies

» Currently operates from two sites in Oldbury, West Midlands with plans to open a third facility in 2018

» Employs 90 people with a turnover of £8 million

» Focuses on core values: innovation, investment in latest technology and world class customer service, to achieve growth

Applied Coating Technologies (ACT)

41APPLIED COATING TECHNOLOGIES (ACT) |


in plastic enclosures are particularly

susceptible, as plastics are non-

conductive and do not offer any

resistance to electromagnetic (EM)

waves generated by mobile phones

and other electronic equipment.

The internal surfaces of plastic mouldings

used in mobile phones, computers,

medical and defence equipment are

now routinely coated with specially

formulated conductive paints to provide

protection against EM/RFI.

Over the years, customers requested

the company apply decorative/cosmetic

coatings to the exterior surfaces of their

mouldings. The appeal and value of

an injection moulding can be greatly

enhanced by applying a cosmetic finish.

This led to the formation of the second

business unit. ACT has developed

an extensive knowledge portfolio in

applying metallic, pearlescent, high-

gloss and soft-feel paints to coatings by

manual spray application.

This division now services over

100 customers including many

household names such as Whirlpool/

Indesit, Kholer Mira, Electrolux,

Rentokil Initial, BMW and Bentley.

Christine Hancock is the Commercial

Director and responsible for Marketing

and customer support. She commented

that the most satisfying aspect of her

job in recent years has been the fact

that over 30% of all new projects

won by the business have been where

companies have repatriated coating

work back to the UK from the Far East.

Having worked successfully for some

of the premier automotive marques

such as Bentley, Lotus and McLaren the

company ventured into high volume

automotive supply by setting up its

Automotive Coatings Division in 2005.

As well as traditional coating

technologies, the Automotive division

has three robotic spray lines capable of

coating over 10,000 parts per day.

ACT processes are flexible and can

meet the demands of the automotive

sector for high and low volume

production runs and provides coating

services to some of Europe’s most

recognisable automotive brands,

including BMW, JLR, Aston Martin,

VW Bentley and Volvo.

Turnkey project management solutions

are in place to procure and control

mouldings, to paint and provide sub-

assembly operations.

ACT’s latest line was commissioned

in 2015 and incorporates the latest

ABB robot, and has been designed

to spray water based paints on

mouldings up to 1.5m in length.

The appeal and value of an injection moulding can can be greatly enhanced by applying a cosmetic finish

“

“

Satin silver finishes create a premium brand image

42 | APPLIED COATING TECHNOLOGIES (ACT)



Designed to offer consistent quality, cost efficiency and high volume output the line now supports three major projects for JLR.

Two of the robotic lines are dedicated to exterior trim. ACT produces badges for Range Rover and Discovery models for JLR.

The companies core values of innovation and development, is now being championed by the next generation of the Zaka family. Dr Mujtaba Zaka obtained his PhD on understanding the properties of carbon nanomaterials from the University of Oxford and then worked in industry in both the UK and Germany, before joining ACT in 2016.

Since joining ACT he has made significant advancements in the application of paints by robotic spraying and is currently designing two new state-of-the-art robotic spray lines which the company hopes to commission and install next year.

Looking further ahead, Mujtaba is collaborating with US corporations

to develop novel coatings based on

carbon nanomaterials. Of particular

interest are transparent conductive

coatings which can be applied by

conventional spraying methods. These

coatings are used in the manufacture

of touch screens but can also provide

protection against EM/RF interference.

Collaboration with a German partner

has resulted in unique products being

designed by using a combination of

physical vapour deposition (PVD) and

laser profiling. The development is

covered by a non-disclosure agreement

(NDA) but the company is confident

the first production components will

be installed on a car being launched

next year.

Going forward, the management team

remains steadfast in its belief of our

core values. To achieve sustainable

growth it must invest in the latest

technology, develop innovative

processes, and provide world class

customer service.

The company’s core value of innovation and development, is now being championed by Dr Mujtaba Zaka

“

“

Dr Mujtaba ZakaRange Rover moulding being de-ionised prior to robotic spraying

43SI PROTECH |


With a long-standing history of developing and producing revolutionary, high-spec injection mouldings, primarily for the beverage industry,

SI Protech has become a respected and recognised leader in the manufacturing industry Having been been acquired by US corporation, Joseph Company in 2016, the company strategy has been strengthened in the areas of innovation and investment.

Founded in 1997 by sole trader, Mark Sillince, SI Protech has grown rapidly. The

company, now based Littlehampton, began by producing initial designs and

prototyping then, as a result of customer demand, developed increasingly into

production engineering and manufacturing.

It was important for the company to maintain its heritage of development and

innovation, so founder Mark Sillince as Research and Development (R&D) Director

remains very much at the heart of product and process development. Our new

Managing Director, Alan Edmonds, leads the company in strategy and financial

success. The company has recently won an award for the best manufacturing

business in the local area.

Focus on innovation

Innovation is at the core of the company’s existence and has been since its

foundation. Founder, Mark Sillince, was the inventor of the original can widget for

Boddingtons – one of the biggest packaging revolutions in the beverage sector. His

influence is still powerful in all areas of the business and this underpins SI Protech’s

reputation as a solutions provider in the beverage industry.

Alan Edmonds, Managing Director

Our bespoke machines semi-automatically assemble multiple parts, apply unique identifiers with Laser Mark, and 100% leak test the finished assembly

FACTS ABOUT SI PROTECH

» Started trading in 1997

» 30,000 sq ft factory in Littlehampton

» 35 employees

» £4 million turnover

» 75% export

SI Protech

SI Protech invests 10% of its annual turnover in research and development

“ “

44 | SI PROTECH



The introduction of the world’s first self-chilling can (Chill-Can®) has also been one of the company’s latest and proudest successes. This technology will revolutionise the way drink manufacturers market their products, as well as the way in which consumers enjoy them. The technology is now being developed to be used in the medical and cosmetic industries – a huge and exciting market development for SI Protech.

‘Creative problem solving gives us that competitive edge that every business strives to achieve,’ commented Mark Sillince. ‘Rather than just delivering a product that our customers think they want, we work alongside them to develop the ultimate solution for their objectives. We share the development process and the success of delivery with them.’

With this long-standing expertise as its driving force, SI Protech is proud of the number of established and long-serving customers with whom it continues to work. The company also continues to develop and produce some of the beverage sector’s highest quality beer keg components, putting the company at the leading edge of the industry.

Keeping people motivated

In recent years, the structure of SI Protech has changed significantly with the Joseph Company now a majority and US-based shareholder, a new managing director in place, plus a number of patents pending on some exciting new product developments, SI Protech is clear about the way ahead. Despite this recent change, the positive company culture has remained the same since its inception. This stability is something of which we are proud, having worked hard to find the perfect balance between creativity and practicality.

With a flexible team of 25 core staff, plus 10 seasonal contract employees, our manufacturing processes rely on committed, carefully-trained people and all members of the team that are highly skilled . Even as automation becomes a bigger part of the operations, staff are always redeployed in other areas of the manufacturing process, ensuring their specialities continue to drive the business – and importantly, they know the company is committed to them. This generates loyalty among our core team and helps to nurture creativity and accountability – all key values within SI Protech.

Alan Edmonds comments: ‘It’s a great culture; and one that is world class, customer driven and the expectation to adopt best practice is also driven by the senior management.’ Whether it’s via the training and development opportunities or the profit sharing scheme, creating an inspired, friendly, motivated culture within SI Protech is the main aim.

Creative problem solving gives us that competitive edge

“ “

A robot removing beer keg valve parts from a plastic injection moulding tool

» H O W D O E S T H E C H I L L - C A N ® W O R K ?

In the self-chilling Chill-Can®, the beverage can has a built in Heat Exchange Unit (HEU) which contains the technology necessary to chill the drink in under a minute. Upon activation (pressing the button at the base of the can), the patented technology activates the environmentally-safe reclaimed CO

2 in the HEU

that leads to the chilling of the beverage.

The Chill-Can® is a revolutionary, safe, environmentally-friendly patented technology that the beverage industry has coveted for decades.

45SI PROTECH |


Exporting

The company produces over 35 million

components and assemblies per year.

75% of the goods SI Protech produces

are exported around Europe and the

rest of the world, with multinational

companies coming to a small town

in West Sussex to find solutions and

have their products developed and

manufactured. With the influence of

Joseph Company behind them, access

to and growth in the US market is

assured and very much part of the plan.

Trust in the company from across the

world comes from its quality assurance

with every client and project. SI

Protech is ISO 9001 certified for quality

across all areas of the business, and

is ISO 14001 certified for the highest

environmental standards, in an industry

where these can be easily overlooked.

These internationally recognised

accreditations, provide assurance even

beyond the proven record of quality

and service that precedes SI Protech.

Investment and intellectual property (IP)

SI Protech invests 10% of its annual

turnover into research and development.

This substantial investment plus further

investment in automated assembly

equipment and our people has played

a vital part in SI Protech’s growth. By

constantly improving the infrastructure

and equipment, we can ensure work

is always at the highest standard

and our functions keep up with the

latest technology.

Securing more of our own IP, in

particular patents and trademarks,

is embedded in plans for company

growth. The volume of innovative

products SI Protech has developed over

the years means holding our own IP has

been a huge leap forward in competing

and co-operating with other big

names, with £100,000 having been

spent on IP registrations in recent years.

The future is in IP

SI Protech currently turns over £4

million and, having seen a 20%

growth in sales from 2015 to 2016,

we expect to see a 15–20% growth in

2017. Investment is driving the future

of SI Protech, with plans for 50% of

turnover coming from our own IP

by 2020. A willingness to embrace

change and a desire to extend into

new sectors and businesses will enable

remarkable growth, as the company

enters a new era.

Management team receiving ISO 9001 Quality and ISO 14001 Environmental certification in 2016. Vasco Miguel, Mark Sillince, Alan Edmonds, Stewart Ray and Neil Cranfield

Top: Communication headset typically used by retail stores Bottom: Medical analyser used to monitor lithium levels

Air and beer keg valve containing 43 parts in assembly

46 | CHAMCOTEC



Paul Morris, Managing Director, Chamcotec Ltd

Chamcotec was formed as a result of one man’s boredom. I had actually been long retired but, in 2006, I wanted a new challenge so set up Chamcotec in Flint, North

Wales. Chamcotec initially began producing shampoos and sanitisers for pets, and later started producing antibacterial products for the healthcare and farming industries. One of the key ingredients in our products is a Bioflavonoid that is highly antibacterial and antiviral.

This particular Bioflavonoid has been known since the 1930s. The issue since

its initial discovery was always in extracting it, in a consistently stable and active

enough manner so that it could be consistently reproduced, in order for it to be a

viable highly-effective product suitable for onward use. With our genuinely unique

process, Chamcotec has achieved this. Chamcotec now produces approximately

30 different products for use in the pet care, health, farming, dairy and

poultry sectors.

Using flavonoids

In the dairy industry, the development of our products have proven particularly

influential as they are currently being used as an organic alternative to peracetic

acid to sanitise dairy lines and milking equipment, reducing cell counts and as an

aid to reducing mastitis. Tested to BS EN 1656, the highest veterinary standard,

these products are highly effective. Not only does peracetic acid destroy silicon

membranes within milking equipment it is also a noxious substance; it has proved

most unpleasant for the cows and for the farmers handling it.

FACTS ABOUT CHAMCOTEC

» Founded 2006

» Produces products to the highest BS EN 1656 Standard

» Only producer of bioflavonoid-based organic sanitising products

Chamcotec

47CHAMCOTEC |


Our dairy sanitiser product is neutral, after use it can be disposed of down the drain or slurry pit, with no harmful environmental impact. The product continues to work long after use and is also organic farmers and growers -approved. This particular product took six years to develop; while the central issue was not being able to produce it, but doing so in a consistent and effective way. A lot of what Chamcotec does is based around the core Bioflavonoid, this natural bioflavonoid forms part of a plant’s natural defences.

For example, if a rose gets black mould, it will produce this substance in order to inhibit the contagion. It is also particularly prevalent in acidic fruits such as oranges. Creating and extracting this bioflavonoid is challenging – to produce a tonne of ready-to-use bioflavonoid requires in the region of 50 tonnes of oranges but its efficacy goes a long way. More prevalent quaternary-based antibacterial substances found in every day household products are typically effective at one in 20. Bioflavonoid-based products, on the other hand, are effective at dilutions of more than 1,000 to 1, depending on use. For example a large swimming pool could be sanitised with a very small amount.

Chamcotec growth pattern has been somewhat strange to date. While demand has increased, the number of people on its team has decreased. At one time Chamcotec had eight staff but this now stands at four. This was simply a result of being able to operate with smaller numbers. One person works within sales with the remainder in production and dispatch. I work within the formulation side of the business. Chamcotec is quite secretive about its production and formulation methods. The Chamcotec ethos is that if Chamcotec patents the formulation of a product, then it is in effect telling competitors how

to extract Bioflavonoids and how to make its products. After taking advice from several patent lawyers, it was decided to operate this current practice This may change someday and we will explore the patent route in the future, but for now Chamcotec believes that the best option is not to divulge its methods and formulations. It is important that Chamcotec protects its unique position because, unquestionably, one of Chamcotec’s strengths is that it is the only company in the world making a highly-effective Bioflavonoid product. Chamcotec are certainly not aware of any competitors. Many companies and people have tried previously to produce Bioflavonoids in a manner to make them commercially viable, to date only Chamcotec has managed to achieve this.

Word of mouth

Once customers have used Chamcotec products, it is most common for them to keep doing so. This has put Chamcotec in the fortunate position of having consistent repeat sales. Our marketing budget is zero, other than a few flyers occasionally sent out to farmers. The sectors in which Chamcotec operates are very vocal. Farmers talk to each other regularly via on line forums and at markets, about what products they use on their farms and recommendations are made

Six years in development and approved by organic farmers

“ “

Organic approved milking equipment sanitiser

Alcohol-free hand sanitising gel

48 | CHAMCOTEC



between them. Pet users will commonly talk about the products in online forums and with one another at shows. This results in the Chamcotec customer base being a mix of individuals and agents distributed all around the UK.

Being organic and non-toxic, Chamcotec products do no environmental damage. The initial challenge for Chamcotec is having its products accepted in the marketplace as a viable alternative to established offerings. Often, the thinking can be that an organic product is not as effective as a non-organic one. With some clients this results in an education process. But this is results-driven, and we have found that once a customer has tried Chamcotec products, and seen tangible benefits, then they are won over. A farmer, for example, is more concerned about the results rather than about the technical aspects of a product – they are certainly more concerned to improve yields and reduce the incidence of mastitis.

Recognition of innovation

Along with customers, Chamcotecs

work has also received validation from

the Government. Chamcotec was the

subject of a Technology Strategy Board

(now Innovate UK) review some four

years ago. On their point scale used

to measure innovation, Chamcotec

scored 49 out of 50 – among the

highest they’ve had. This scored

Chamcotec on effectiveness of the

product, how the products are viewed

by potential customers and test results.

Chamcotec see farming as a growth

area for the future. There is an industry

drive to move away from antibiotic

and noxious products and towards

environmentally-friendly, organic ones.

This fits the Chamcotec remit perfectly.

Pet care is another interesting area

for Chamcotec, realising new product

launches within the last year. Health

care has also proved strong, with

Chamcotec products proven to be

highly effective against infections like

MRSA, but there are some limitations

around what we can do in that sector

because of price.

A publicly-funded organisation like

the NHS will naturally seek to buy

less expensive hand gels, but these

are less effective so it’s a balance

between costs and results for them.

Chamcotec also plans and currently

has on trial poultry sector sanitising

products. These are being tested on

10 farms and breeding houses within

the poultry sector. These products are

currently achieving, by the elimination

of parasites and harmful bacteria, an

increase in yield of 3%, a substantial

increase in money terms for the

farmers involved. Chamcotec has also

developed products for use within

poultry processing plants in order to

eliminate campylobacter within them

– currently a very topical issue for

both the sector and the Food Safety

Agency.

The company has developed products for use within poultry processing plants

“

“

A range of our products are for domestic use

49ESSENTIAL EARTH |


Gez Murphy, Managing Director

Christmas is coming

Essential Earth contract candle manufacturing was created by Gez Murphy to forge alliances with leading candle brands with the main aim of giving certainty of supply

in a professional and costeffective matter. The first brand we teamed up with was Ed and Claire Croft’s Abahna who we were most grateful to when they came on board with a new manufacturer and gave support and showed belief in us. Since then Abahna and Essential Earth have grown together and it’s been a privilege to be a part of their success.

Whilst we cut our teeth with Abahna we worked with some major brands for the next year or so and eventually became a junior manufacturer and then full manufacturer. This in turn opened up numerous doors as our client portfolio spoke volumes in the industry and gave new start-ups and existing brands great assurances they were dealing with a reputable manufacturer.

Our environmental focus

At the heart of Essential Earth’s ethos is an adherence to using natural vegetable wax blends which are made using only waxes which are produced from sustainable and renewable crops. We don’t use any paraffin waxes. All of our core range of fragrances are 100% natural essential oil fragrances. We do work with fragrances which are made using essential oils but are not 100% natural.

Manufacturing with a retail perspective

‘Delivering at the point of need‘. All of our clients suffered serious supply problems when the peak season started, it was rife in the industry. With my retail background

FACTS ABOUT ESSENTIAL EARTH

» Elmley Lovett Worcestershire, Warwick Bridge Cumbria

» Founded 2010

» Manufacturer of luxury candle brands

» 100% natural vegetable waxes

» Employs 11 staff

» Posted 2016 turnover £393,000

Essential Earth

Manufacturing from a retail view

“ “

50 | ESSENTIAL EARTH



and experience I approached manufacturing from a retail view, you need it now I’ll supply it now. Simply, we receive a PO with a delivery date and that’s what we work to without delay. Despite the many challenges component suppliers create we’ve put together a format which enables us to deliver. At the centre of this working practise is we are in fact not a 9–5 workplace, we did what it took and

in the early days and sometimes 7am to 10pm was an extreme we faced to achieve our goals. Now we’ve grown to 11 staff this no longer needs to happen but when called for, and it happens, we go that extra mile. Why? Simply, if the client hasn’t got it then their retailers can’t sell it which then comes back around to us and we can’t make it. We have without a doubt helped our clients grow quicker due to their confidence when negotiating sales with major retailers. To date, this has been achieved despite challenges placed in front of us. In this age of automation and shop floor technology, the candle making process has stayed traditional through a handcrafted approach drawing on artisan methods.

Buying into the ethos

We don’t pay minimum wage and as such don’t have a workforce with a minimum wage mentality. Extra hours at busy periods are there for our workers and when asked , they deliver due to the very hands on management team which includes my wife Ellen and our Ryelands site general manager Kelly. The whole group is a team and we have a very high staff retention rate due to the environment we create to work in and the benefits that offers, which in turn means our clients have an experienced and dedicated candle supplier. This didn’t really gain any momentum until 2013, so despite our relative success over the 4 years the UK manufacturing industry remains a challenging place to operate in and clearly has a problem seeing ‘The bigger picture’ and clearly has no intention or will to operate with an ethos of delivering at all costs. When the peak season approaches we work to counteract the problems we’ll face and minimise the effect that will have on us to deliver, this in itself is a very difficult process and something we deal with year in year out.

We are not a manufacturer in any ordinary sense of the word

“ “In July we start preparing our Christmas orders

Ellen and the Warwick Mill team

51ESSENTIAL EARTH |


Developing Essential Earth

We are in advanced stages of signing

off with a major UK candle brand who

have negotiated a substantial deal

with Canada and the USA through a

rights deal with a sole distributor.

On top of this we have 3 new ventures

about to go out into the marketplace

with their new branded products and

despite the excitement I have for them

all I also despair at the difficulty and

short sightedness the manufacturing

sector shows to start ups. Essential

Earth sees every one of these as

possibly the next ‘Big Thing’ and as

such we price our manufacturing costs

not much higher than our established

brands. However, every other supplier

in the chain charges excessively as

the quantities are relatively small

compared to the major brands. They

have no vision and work only on

short term gain which we didn’t do

with a gift market entrepreneur who

had an idea but needed to be very

competitive in early 2016 and who

went on the place £60,000 plus worth

of orders from a standing start in the

first 12 months, 2017 has also shown

an impressive increase on 2016.

Our ethos has clearly endeared us

to our clients and we grow year on

year with the help of people we work

with through recommendation and

reputation. We are not a manufacturer

in any ordinary sense of the word

and our practises are very simple. Our

growth is steady but remains nailed

to our principles and all of our clients

regardless of size gets the same level of

service. We will work rigorously going

forward to try and get other sectors

in our industry to maybe see things a

little differently and work with us to

help everyone grow… time will tell.

On a final note, finance for business

through the banks has been very

difficult for a long time and we found

it to be near impossible but we came

across The Funding Circle in 2016 and

there is clearly now a platform which

does want to lend and it was very easy,

simple and quick. Check them out.

We don’t pay minimum wage and as such don’t have a workforce with a minimum wage mentality

“

“

Busy busy in the early days

52 | SCENT PERFIQUE



Alice Papiransky, Managing Director and founder of Scent Perfique Ltd

Luxury candle for private label own brand

Scent Perfique Ltd is an international fragrance house and contract manufacturer who are at the forefront of a fast-growing industry. Inspired by market trends, we are

seeking diversity, and challenging perceptions. Self-funded by CEO / Managing Director Alice Papiransky, the company now has a turnover of over £1 million.

Inspiring products in a world of fine fragrances

Specialists in creating inspiring products in a world of fine fragrances, we offer

brand support to multinational companies and also small craft co-operatives.

Scent Perfique is not only recognised worldwide for their quality of fine fragrance

oils but also for producing high-quality candles, wax melts, reed diffusers and room

sprays for the home fragrance industry as well as creating luxury body products and

perfumes for the cosmetic sector. With an extensive fragrance library of over 380

fragrances, which are all International Fragrance Association (IFRA) compliant, they

certainly have a lot to offer.

The stepping stone for new businesses

We see ourselves as the stepping stone for new or existing businesses, offering

them the flexibility to develop and introduce new products, without having to

commit to large Multiple Order Quantity (MOQ) or excessive financial outlay.

This flexibility has opened opportunities to many of our customers especially new

businesses and even those working from home while bringing up their families.

FACTS ABOUT SCENT PERFIQUE

» Premium fragrance oils

» 500% sales growth from 2013-2016

» Stepping stone for new businesses

» Own brand private label

Scent Perfique

53SCENT PERFIQUE |


We have seen our customers’ businesses

grow over the years and some have even

become prestigious high street brands,

independents and on-line retailers.

Being in the position to supply all the

raw materials or the finished product,

branded or unbranded, for re-sale

or private label has also given us the

opportunity to develop and introduce a

wider product range to our customers

helping their business continue to grow.

Manufacturing

The heart of the business revolves

around the core ingredient, Fine

Fragrance. Like no other sector, it

has the ability to inspire and evoke

emotions. This requires creativity when

developing and carefully selecting

a fragrance that is going to be

commercially viable for our clients.

Quality is paramount to Scent Perfique and all our fragrances are quality assured, throughout batches, ensuring there is no compromise to the quality of the end product.

Manufacturing techniques remain traditional to the art of the candle making and all candles are poured and finished by hand at our premises in Ellon. We have certainly seen the demand for ‘own brand’ increase for candles but also for the home fragrancing sector in general.

The popularity of reed diffusers has grown over the past few years and, as a business, we are always looking to make improvements and take things to a new level in terms of performance and quality.

In 2013 we tested a pioneering solvent base that was eco-friendly, odourless and non-toxic and had the ability to enhance a fragrance along with its longevity and is now also compliant with Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) legislation. Our new formulation has proven to be very popular and is still boosting sales. This was a deciding factor for us at the time, and we

invested in a filling machine which has made such a difference to production and lead times, especially as

production continues to increase daily.

Design and development

Our strategy is always focused on product development by introducing innovative and competitive solutions to our clients that will make their brand stand out. So offering guidance and support in the initial stages is paramount, ensuring every aspect of development and production requirements are covered. An attention to details and commitment is where my creative flair and technical excellence meet, so clients are invited to our fragrance studio for a consultation where ideas, perceptions and concepts are drawn together with visuals and of course most importantly the main ingredient: The Fragrance.

Inspiring products in a world of fine fragrances

“ “

An example of a private label candle. We had the pleasure of working with the author of Cults Perfumes, Tessa Williams

54 | SCENT PERFIQUE



Challenges

Over the years we have had to overcome changes to regulations and technical requirements for the cosmetic and home fragrancing sectors. Only last year we were faced with the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) regulations which threw many of our customers into sheer panic. We recognised that unless we could support our customers in complying with the regulations, we could potentially lose a great deal of business.

We invested in technical software so we are able to produce all the necessary CLP documents for fragrances and finished products. This certainly instills confidence in us as a company that is compliant, especially for our existing clients but also any future companies that will seek our products and services.

Fragrances that make a statement!

It is paramount to Scent Perfique

that our fragrances are the very best

out there on the market. As today’s

consumers have become more sensory

driven and are more educated in

terms of what they require from a

fragrance, I decided that it was time to

take the fragrance world to the next

level by introducing more complex

and sophisticated fragrances. So I

started by introducing a few of our

most popular fragrances in a more

concentrated version.

These are more complex than the

standard versions giving them a

stronger presence in the finished

product. Not knowing if these would

be a success due to the price increase,

I was pleased to get such a good

response and we have continued to

add to the range and even introduced

an INTENSE collection aimed at

attracting the high-end market and we

have achieved this goal.

My fragrance journey began

After researching I saw a gap in the

market for a fragrance oils supplier.

At the time, choice was limited and

the US seemed to be the best option.

Preferring to deal with the UK, I found

a reputable manufacturer, built the

website and introduced my first

eight fragrances.

My journey began in the kitchen then

extended to a workshop in the garden.

Within a few months I had increased

the range of fragrances from the profits

and the company began to grow. Scent

Perfique started to blossom quite rapidly

already employing its first member of

staff, not forgetting calling on friends

and family to help when needed.

Within a few months Scent Perfique

had outgrown the home environment

and I was faced with the next step of

moving into business premises.

Now operating out of Castlepark

Industrial Estate in Ellon,

Aberdeenshire we employ seven

members of staff, who all have

their own responsibilities within the

different departments, and seasonal

staff when required. We are dedicated

to providing an efficient and reliable

service ensuring our customers receive

their goods in a timely fashion.

My journey has been eventful, inspiring

and totally fulfilling and, given that we

have always been self-funded, I am

extremely happy with the position

Scent Perfique Limited has within the

industry today.

Scent Perfique is recognised worldwide for producing the highest quality fragrance oils, fragranced candles, reed diffusers, wax melts and body products

“ “

Luxury reed diffuser for private label own brand

55TRENT OIL LUBRICANTS |


Third generation Directors. Alex Stilborn, Kate McArdle and Dean Bennett.

All industries whether it be manufacturing or construction are increasing their environmental and health and safety considerations across their use of lubricants and

specialist fluids. Alex Stilborn, managing director of Nottingham based Trent Oil Lubricants, says the firm wants to establish itself at the forefront of industry innovation by utilising its smaller size for greater product flexibility.

As a family-business with a background in fuels going back more than 45 years,

Trent shifted its focus deciding to concentrate on their lubricants business in

2007, marking a major step change in the direction of the company. Margins

in the fuel sector had become increasingly squeezed, becoming genuinely

difficult for a smaller firm to compete. We saw our opportunity in manufacturing

lubricants, as many of the major firms were out of touch with the market. Our

decision has seen us continue to grow on a yearly basis as our brand goes from

strength to strength.

We’ve continued developing our own brand while remaining a distributor for

a few key major companies, including Quaker Chemicals, Total and Q8. As of

2017, over 80 per cent of all of our products sold are made by us. With less

risk and higher margins, the financial impact of the lubricants business was also

significant. Following the sale of our fuel business, we were able to nurture the

company we looked after and gradually increase our turnover which in turn

brought the opportunity to add more staff in all areas, sales, administration and

even a chemist. We owe the continued success of our business to the quality and

dedication of our staff.

FACTS ABOUT TRENT OIL LUBRICANTS

» Founded in Nottingham in 1971 as Trent Oil Products Ltd before changing to Trent Oil Lubricants Ltd in 2007

» Produces branded lubricants while also manufacturing for Star UK Ltd and distributing for Total, Q8 and Quaker

» Employs 17 staff with a turnover of £3 million

» Members of the UKLA and VLS Lubricant Industry Associations

» Developing a new range of soluble construction oil’s in conjunction with Nottingham Trent University

» Finalist in the 2016 Midlands Family Business Awards

Trent Oil Lubricants

56 | TRENT OIL LUBRICANTS



Re-engineering products for a changing market

Trent sells products into many

diverse industries, expanding within

engineering and construction. Other

sectors which use our products include

the automotive, commercial, off

highway and agriculture industries.

Such is the level of close collaboration

with engineering companies especially,

our products become mostly customer-

driven. Due to the changing industry

demands on the oils themselves, we’ve

had to adapt our approach by re-

engineering different products to cope

with modern day scenarios. We’ve also

developed many relationships with

additive suppliers which helps to keep

us ahead of our competitors in the

lubricants market.

One of our main associations is

producing the Star Brand for the UK

division of Star Micronics, a global

sliding head machine manufacturer.

Over the course of the past nine

years, this has developed into a strong partnership. Every time Star Micronics sells a machine into the UK, Trent supplies the approved oil when the equipment is rolled out. The Star range of neat cutting oils manufactured by Trent continues to grow as we are the only Star approved oil in the market.

A commitment to innovation

The Star Micronics partnership is just one example of our expanded range being carried forward by customer-driven demands and partnerships. This approach is coupled with a strong commitment to innovation. While industry also looks certain to become more competitive in the future, being an SME works to our advantage. Being a smaller family owned business has allowed Trent to operate with more flexibility, enabling us to adapt new products faster and in turn allowing us the opportunity to meet market demands far quicker than our larger multinational competitors.

We owe the continued success of our business to the quality and dedication of our staff

“

“

c r e a t i v e w i t h o i l

57TRENT OIL LUBRICANTS |


One area in which we’ve demonstrated

this lately has been in our construction

product line. We’ve developed

products to enhance performance as

well as promote the environmental and

health and safety aspect which have

become of paramount importance.

We continue to work closely with

our customers in this area, some of

which make up the largest precast and

general concrete firms in the country.

There is little doubt that many facets

of our industry are changing. Health

and safety requirements are becoming

more stringent while pressures to

develop more environmentally friendly

products have also intensified. With

these factors in mind, Trent Lubricants

hasn’t been afraid to look outside of

the company for help in developing

the next generation of products. One

area where this is evident is a project

where we have worked closely with

nearby Nottingham Trent University to

develop products for the construction

industry. Adapting environmentally

friendly techniques in blending for the

construction industry, saw us eventually

taking on one of the university’s

graduates, in a full-time role.

An increasingly global scope

As an independent manufacturer, our

aim is ensuring international companies

looking to source either specialist or

standard lubricants from us. We have

experienced a significant increase in

interest from Europe and now extend

into new territories. Naturally, this

has meant ramping up our exporting

credentials. Further expansion across

Europe and greater forays into the

Middle East are likely to be the regions

we give the greatest attention to.

Geopolitical factors need to be

considered however, the Brexit issue

is a double edged sword for us. In

the aftermath of the June 2016 vote,

base oils and other raw material

costs have increased significantly.

However, the weakened pound has

worked in our favour in terms of what

we can command on the continent.

The more the pound weakens, the

stronger our exports will continue to

be. While this may not be the most

beneficial scenario long-term, we have

nevertheless identified the positives.

Safer, more user-friendly products

New products continue to dominate

our thinking whatever the sector: with a

focus on developing a new generation of

safer, more user-friendly products. The

replacement of traditional technologies

with more sophisticated ones will also

be an important component of creating

more of these alternatives. This has

meant Trent and its partners exploring

new ways of making them.

Our well-earned reputation is very

important to us. We’ll continue with our

mantra that if you do something well

you will succeed, rather than cut corners

which unfortunately does happen within

our industry. As a third generation

business, we possess a lot of pride in our

achievements. By continuing to deliver

customer-driven products in a quick

and efficient way, we are confident

of securing our place as an industry

innovator for many generations to come.

Our growth as a business is testament to our values that if you do something well you will succeed

“

“We have experienced a significant increase in interest from Europe and now extend into new territories

58 | REVIEW OF PARLIAMENT

Review of Parliament

Prime Minister Theresa May sought to strengthen her position before negotiations with the EU began

A snap electionOn the 19th April 2017, having repeatedly insisted that she had no intention of calling a snap election, Prime Minister Theresa May sprung a complete surprise when she summoned the press to Downing Street to announce she would seek a Commons vote to go to the country on June 8th 2017.

The announcement, made as Parliament returned from its Easter break, had the force of a thunderclap in Westminster. Quite unexpectedly, MPs and parties were plunged into election mode.

The immediate effect was to turn what were now the two remaining Prime Minister’s Question Times of the Parliament into de facto leader’s debates – especially since it was made clear that Theresa May would not take part in the kind of televised debates held in the 2010 and 2015 elections.

The Prime Minister stated her case: ‘There are three things that a country needs: a strong economy, strong defence and strong, stable leadership. That is what our plans for Brexit and our plans for a stronger Britain will deliver... The Right Hon. Member for Islington North (The Labour Leader, Jeremy Corbyn) would bankrupt our economy and weaken our defences and is simply not fit to lead.’

To Conservative jeers, Mr Corbyn counter-attacked: ‘She says that it is about leadership, yet she refuses to defend her record in television debates. It is not hard to see why. The Prime Minister says that we have a stronger economy, yet she cannot explain why people’s wages are lower today than they were 10 years ago or why more

households are in debt. Six million

people are earning less than the

living wage, child poverty is up, and

pensioner poverty is up.’

The two leaders traded more accusations

with Theresa May warning that ordinary

working people would face higher

taxes and lost jobs under Labour while

Mr Corbyn claimed the Prime Minister’s

priority was ‘tax giveaways to the richest

corporations while our children’s schools

are starved of the resources they need

to educate our children for the future’.

Brexit emerged as one of the Prime

Minister’s main campaign themes: ‘every

vote for the Conservatives will make me

stronger when I negotiate for Britain with

the European Union. And every vote for

the Conservatives will mean we can stick

to our plan for a stronger Britain and

take the right long-term decisions for a

more secure future for this country.’

Later that afternoon, the Commons

voted to call an early election, by 522

votes to 13.

What a difference. Theresa May and

Jeremy Corbyn’s final Commons

confrontation before the election

had seen the Conservatives limbering

up for a triumphal campaign which

would culminate in the inevitable

smashing of their Labour opponents.

When the diminished, battered band

of Conservative MPs reassembled,

minus their parliamentary majority,

for the state opening of Parliament on

June 21st, they were chastened and

uncertain, while euphoria gripped the

occupants of the Labour benches.

When they came to speak in the

traditional debate on an address

thanking Her Majesty for the Queen’s

Speech – the new Government’s

legislative programme – the dynamic

between the two main figures had

changed completely. Mr Corbyn

seemed a far more confident, assertive

parliamentary performer, relishing the

opportunity to throw back the taunts

that had been hurled at him during

the campaign.

A Government which had warned

that he could only gain power in

a ‘coalition of chaos’ with the SNP

and the Lib Dems had been forced

to negotiate for the support of the

Northern Ireland Democratic Unionists

... and as the first debate of this

new Parliament began, that support

had not been secured. Mr Corbyn

could not resist the open goal. To

triumphant Labour laughter he noted

that ‘the latest coalition may already

be in some chaos’.

‘Nothing could emphasise that chaos

more than the Queen’s Speech

we have just heard: a threadbare

legislative programme from a

Government who have lost their

majority and apparently run out of

ideas altogether. This would be a thin

legislative programme even if it was

for one year, but for two years – two

years? There is not enough in it to fill

up one year.’

That was a reference to the

Government’s decision to declare a

two-year Parliamentary Session – a

procedural move intended to ensure

ministers could push through vital

Brexit legislation in time for the exit

date in March 2019. Mr Corbyn

mocked the Prime Minister for

dropping a series of election promises

that had not found favour with the

voters: means-testing the winter fuel

allowance and replacing the triple lock

on pensions among others.

On Brexit, Mr Corbyn stuck to Labour’s

careful positioning in favour of a deal

with the EU ‘that puts jobs and the

economy first’. He called for full access

to the single market and a customs

arrangement that provided Britain

with the ‘exact same benefits’ as now.

And in his final flourish he warned

the Prime Minister that Labour were

now ‘not merely an Opposition; we

are a Government in waiting, with a

policy programme that enthused and

The Queen’s Speech

The Queen’s Speech announced the government’s legislative plan for the coming Parliament

59REVIEW OF PARLIAMENT |



Prime Minister Theresa May sought to strengthen her position before negotiations with the EU began

A snap electionOn the 19th April 2017, having repeatedly insisted that she had no intention of calling a snap election, Prime Minister Theresa May sprung a complete surprise when she summoned the press to Downing Street to announce she would seek a Commons vote to go to the country on June 8th 2017.

The announcement, made as Parliament returned from its Easter break, had the force of a thunderclap in Westminster. Quite unexpectedly, MPs and parties were plunged into election mode.

The immediate effect was to turn what were now the two remaining Prime Minister’s Question Times of the Parliament into de facto leader’s debates – especially since it was made clear that Theresa May would not take part in the kind of televised debates held in the 2010 and 2015 elections.

The Prime Minister stated her case: ‘There are three things that a country needs: a strong economy, strong defence and strong, stable leadership. That is what our plans for Brexit and our plans for a stronger Britain will deliver... The Right Hon. Member for Islington North (The Labour Leader, Jeremy Corbyn) would bankrupt our economy and weaken our defences and is simply not fit to lead.’

To Conservative jeers, Mr Corbyn counter-attacked: ‘She says that it is about leadership, yet she refuses to defend her record in television debates. It is not hard to see why. The Prime Minister says that we have a stronger economy, yet she cannot explain why people’s wages are lower today than they were 10 years ago or why more

households are in debt. Six million

people are earning less than the

living wage, child poverty is up, and

pensioner poverty is up.’

The two leaders traded more accusations

with Theresa May warning that ordinary

working people would face higher

taxes and lost jobs under Labour while

Mr Corbyn claimed the Prime Minister’s

priority was ‘tax giveaways to the richest

corporations while our children’s schools

are starved of the resources they need

to educate our children for the future’.

Brexit emerged as one of the Prime

Minister’s main campaign themes: ‘every

vote for the Conservatives will make me

stronger when I negotiate for Britain with

the European Union. And every vote for

the Conservatives will mean we can stick

to our plan for a stronger Britain and

take the right long-term decisions for a

more secure future for this country.’

Later that afternoon, the Commons

voted to call an early election, by 522

votes to 13.

What a difference. Theresa May and

Jeremy Corbyn’s final Commons

confrontation before the election

had seen the Conservatives limbering

up for a triumphal campaign which

would culminate in the inevitable

smashing of their Labour opponents.

When the diminished, battered band

of Conservative MPs reassembled,

minus their parliamentary majority,

for the state opening of Parliament on

June 21st, they were chastened and

uncertain, while euphoria gripped the

occupants of the Labour benches.

When they came to speak in the

traditional debate on an address

thanking Her Majesty for the Queen’s

Speech – the new Government’s

legislative programme – the dynamic

between the two main figures had

changed completely. Mr Corbyn

seemed a far more confident, assertive

parliamentary performer, relishing the

opportunity to throw back the taunts

that had been hurled at him during

the campaign.

A Government which had warned

that he could only gain power in

a ‘coalition of chaos’ with the SNP

and the Lib Dems had been forced

to negotiate for the support of the

Northern Ireland Democratic Unionists

... and as the first debate of this

new Parliament began, that support

had not been secured. Mr Corbyn

could not resist the open goal. To

triumphant Labour laughter he noted

that ‘the latest coalition may already

be in some chaos’.

‘Nothing could emphasise that chaos

more than the Queen’s Speech

we have just heard: a threadbare

legislative programme from a

Government who have lost their

majority and apparently run out of

ideas altogether. This would be a thin

legislative programme even if it was

for one year, but for two years – two

years? There is not enough in it to fill

up one year.’

That was a reference to the

Government’s decision to declare a

two-year Parliamentary Session – a

procedural move intended to ensure

ministers could push through vital

Brexit legislation in time for the exit

date in March 2019. Mr Corbyn

mocked the Prime Minister for

dropping a series of election promises

that had not found favour with the

voters: means-testing the winter fuel

allowance and replacing the triple lock

on pensions among others.

On Brexit, Mr Corbyn stuck to Labour’s

careful positioning in favour of a deal

with the EU ‘that puts jobs and the

economy first’. He called for full access

to the single market and a customs

arrangement that provided Britain

with the ‘exact same benefits’ as now.

And in his final flourish he warned

the Prime Minister that Labour were

now ‘not merely an Opposition; we

are a Government in waiting, with a

policy programme that enthused and

The Queen’s Speech

The Queen’s Speech announced the government’s legislative plan for the coming Parliament




The fire that destroyed Grenfell Tower,

a social housing block in the London

Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,

seemed to some to crystallise the issues

that had driven the ‘Corbyn Surge’ in

the General Election just days earlier.

Accusations about the neglect of

social housing tenants, chronic under-

investment and official incompetence

were flying, even while the pall of

smoke still hovered over the capital and

the horrific images of the blaze were

replayed on TV.

So potent was the symbolism that it

became intertwined in the debates

on the post-election Queen’s Speech

- but the Government also committed

to keep MPs informed about the

aftermath, the efforts to identify

casualties in the wreckage of the

tower, to re-house and assist those

who had lost their homes, and to set

up a public inquiry.

So it was that the Communities

Secretary, Sajid Javid, came to the

Commons on July 3rd to announce

£2.5 million had been distributed

from the special £5 million fund set

up to help the residents. Mr Javid said

the public inquiry and the criminal

investigation had to be allowed the

space to follow the evidence wherever

it took them, and everyone should be

careful not to prejudice their work.

Responding to the Labour MP, David

Lammy, who had lost a family friend in

the fire, he added that although it was

for the judge to determine the scope

of the inquiry, he expected it to be ‘as

broad and wide-ranging as possible’.

Mr Javid also dealt with the key issue of

the authorities’ inability to say exactly

how many people had died: ‘There

has been much speculation about who

was in Grenfell Tower on the night of

the fire, and it is vital that we find out.

The Director of Public Prosecutions

has made it clear that there will be no

prosecution of tenants ... who may have

been illegally sub-letting their property,

... There may have been people living in

flats that were illegally sub-let who had

no idea about the true status of their

tenancy. Their families want to know if

they perished in the fire. These are their

sons, their daughters, their brothers and

their sisters. They need closure, and that

is the least that they deserve.’

The Government was also taking

urgent action to avoid another tragedy

in buildings with architectural cladding

similar to that which appeared to have

been a factor in the Grenfell fire.

Grenfell Tower

engaged millions of people in this

election, many for the first time in

their political lives. We are ready to

offer real strong and stable leadership

in the interests of the many, not

the few.’

Tributes for the Grenfell victims came from across the country

Back in March, when an election seemed a distant prospect, parliament’s main focus was on the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. This Bill, which would give Theresa May the authority to begin the UK’s divorce from the European Union, was forced on the Government after a Supreme Court ruling that Parliamentary approval was required to begin the process.

Despite fears that the Bill could be watered down or even reshaped to reverse the Referendum verdict, it passed through the Commons unscathed. All attempts to amend, or add, to its 136 words were voted down. Predictions of a major rebellion of up to 50 Conservative Remainers proved unfounded, and only a handful defied the party whip.

But when it moved on to the House of Lords, where there is no Government majority and a large concentration of pro-EU peers, the Bill was amended twice.

One change guaranteed the rights of EU

citizens living in the UK, and the second

promised Parliament a ‘meaningful vote’

on the final Brexit deal. That meant

the Bill had to return to the Commons

because both Houses of Parliament must

agree on the final wording of legislation.

After much debate, MPs rejected both

Lords’ amendments, the Bill was sent

back for immediate consideration in

the House of Lords, where David Davis

came to watch his Junior Minister,

Lord Bridges, call on Peers to drop

their opposition. And while the Liberal

Democrat, Lord Oates, did urge Peers

to continue defying the Government,

support for the amendment melted

away, and the attempt to throw it back

to MPs was once more rejected, as was

the attempt to keep the ‘meaningful

vote’. The final form of the Bill was

settled – and it was sent off for the

Royal Assent, un-amended.

The passage of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act cleared the way for the Prime Minister to act

on the Referendum verdict and formally trigger Britain’s departure talks with the EU.

She was greeted by cheering Conservative MPs when she announced, on the 29th March, that the process had begun: ‘A few minutes ago, in Brussels, the United Kingdom’s permanent representative to the EU handed a letter to the President of the European Council on my behalf confirming the Government’s decision to invoke Article 50 of the treaty on European Union. The Article 50 process is now under way and, in accordance with the wishes of the British people, the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union.’

Last rites on the Brexit Bill

Article 50 is triggered

Theresa May meets with European Council President Donald Tusk in Downing Street

David Davis, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union since July 2016




On the afternoon of March 22nd, as MPs were engaged in a routine vote of the Pensions Bill, a man drove his car into pedestrians just outside, killing two people and injuring dozens more, before stabbing to death a police officer who was guarding the gates to the Houses of Parliament, and he was then shot dead himself.

The sitting of the Commons was suspended and MPs were held in their Chamber for several hours, before being escorted away. When they returned the next day, they began with a minute of silence. Then the Speaker opened proceedings by expressing ‘our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims of this outrage. A police officer, PC Keith Palmer, was killed defending us, defending Parliament and defending parliamentary democracy.’

The Prime Minister was heard in silence as she updated MPs: ‘Yesterday, an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as

normal, as generations have done

before us and as future generations

will continue to do, to deliver a simple

message: we are not afraid, and our

resolve will never waver in the face of

terrorism. We meet here, in the oldest

of all Parliaments, because we know

that democracy, and the values that it

entails, will always prevail.’

A terrorist attack on Parliament

She added that she wanted to build

a close partnership with the EU: ‘We

want to continue to buy goods and

services from the EU, and sell it ours

... Indeed, in an increasingly unstable

world, we must continue to forge the

closest possible security co-operation

to keep our people safe. We face the

same global threats from terrorism

and extremism.’

Jeremy Corbyn warned against leaving

without a trade agreement: ‘the Prime

Minister says that no deal is better than

a bad deal, but the reality is that no

deal is a bad deal.

He said the debate had now moved

on to what a post-Brexit Britain would

be like: ‘There are Conservatives who

want to use Brexit to turn this country into a low-wage tax haven. Labour is determined to invest in a high-skill, high-tech, high-wage future ... Labour will not give this Government a free hand to use Brexit to attack rights and protections and to cut services, or to create a tax dodger’s paradise.’

The eurosceptic Conservative, Jacob Rees-Mogg, quoted the Elizabethan hero Sir Francis Drake: ‘’There must be a begynnyng of any great matter, but the contenewing unto the end untyll it be thoroughly ffynyshed yeldes the trew glory’ ... I wish my Right Hon. Friend good luck and good fortune in her negotiations until she comes to true glory and is welcomed back to this House as a 21st century Gloriana.’

The attack on Westminster was one of several terrorist attacks in the UK during the year

This year more than most, US

politics had a bearing on our own.

Not only were many MPs looking

across the Atlantic for a trade deal

and an enhancement of the ‘special

relationship’, following the decision

to leave the EU. But the American

people themselves had managed to

outdo the British electorate when it

came to delivering the most surprising

democratic decision of 2016.

As recently as January 2016, a small

number of MPs had gathered in

Westminster Hall to debate whether or

not Donald Trump should be banned

President Trump

She gave an account of the previous

day’s events and ended by declaring

that the best response to terrorism

was to act normally: ‘As I speak,

millions will be boarding trains and

aeroplanes to travel to London and

to see for themselves the greatest

city on Earth. It is in these actions –

millions of acts of normality – that we

find the best response to terrorism:

a response that denies our enemies

their victory, that refuses to let them

win, that shows we will never give

in; a response driven by that same

spirit that drove a husband and father

to put himself between us and our

attacker, and to pay the ultimate price; a response that says to the men and women who propagate this hate and evil, “You will not defeat us.” Mr Speaker, let this be the message from this House and this nation today: our values will prevail.’

The Labour Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said people should not allow the voices of hatred to divide or cower them – adding that PC Keith Palmer had given his life defending the public and democracy.

Watching impassively in the crowd of MPs standing at the Bar of the House, in the area across the Chamber facing the Speaker’s Chair, was the Foreign Office Minister, Tobias Ellwood. He had tried to save PC Palmer’s life by giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Many MPs took a moment to exchange a word with him as they passed or pat him on the arm. And many of those who spoke over the next hour praised his actions.

Tributes and thanks came from all the Party Leaders – the SNP’s Westminster Leader, Angus Robertson, the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron, and the DUP’s, Nigel Dodds.

The Conservative MP, James Cleverly, had served with PC Palmer in the army spoke movingly and implored the Prime Minister to ‘posthumously recognise his gallantry and sacrifice formally.’ Theresa May promised that she would.

PC Keith Palmer, who died trying to stop the attacker, was given a full police service funeral, and praised for his heroism




from entering the UK altogether. His comments about Muslims, among others, had led to an online petition for him to be considered a ‘hate preacher’ and therefore banned from British soil. Even those who supported the motion knew there was little chance of such a ban being implemented. But few would have suspected that, just 13 months later, Parliament would be discussing the appropriateness of a state visit from President Donald Trump.

One of the first acts of the new US President was to order a blanket ban on people from a list of Middle Eastern countries travelling to the US. In the Commons, the former Labour Leader, Ed Miliband, and the Conservative, Nadhim Zahawi, joined forces to ask the Speaker for an emergency debate – and it was held that day.

Mr Zahawi, born in Iraq to Kurdish parents, arrived in the UK as a nine-year-old refugee from Saddam Hussein’s regime. He is now a British citizen, but because he was born in Iraq, he believed he came under the Trump ban.

He told MPs his place of birth already meant he had been required to go through an interview at the US embassy, to secure the right to travel to America, under rules imposed by President Obama. But the new restrictions were much tougher.

The US Government has since clarified that people with British passports will not be affected by the ban, whatever the country of their birth, but Mr Zahawi still thought the ban was ‘wholly counterproductive’. He described how it was already being used by pro-Islamic State social media accounts as ‘clear evidence that the USA is seeking to destroy Islam. They have even called it the “blessed ban”’.

Labour’s Yvette Cooper, who chairs

the Home Affairs Select Committee,

was ‘deeply worried’ that the

Government had already invited

the new President to make a state

visit to Britain: ‘It will look like an

endorsement of a ban that is so

morally wrong and that we should be

standing against.’

The Conservative, Sir Simon Burns,

disagreed: ‘I think it is absolutely right

that the British Government continue

the work of the Prime Minister to

build bridges with President Trump so

that we can, through engagement,

seek to persuade him and to minimise

or reduce the danger of his more

outrageous policies ... I believe that

very little would be achieved by

cancelling a state visit to which the

invitation has already been extended

and accepted.’

The emergency debate was on a formal

motion that MPs had ‘considered’

Donald Trump’s travel ban, so no call

for a policy change was voted on.

Nadhim Zahawi MP strongly criticised the Trump administration’s travel ban on certain Muslim countries

from entering the UK altogether. His comments about Muslims, among others, had led to an online petition for him to be considered a ‘hate preacher’ and therefore banned from British soil. Even those who supported the motion knew there was little chance of such a ban being implemented. But few would have suspected that, just 13 months later, Parliament would be discussing the appropriateness of a state visit from President Donald Trump.

One of the first acts of the new US President was to order a blanket ban on people from a list of Middle Eastern countries travelling to the US. In the Commons, the former Labour Leader, Ed Miliband, and the Conservative, Nadhim Zahawi, joined forces to ask the Speaker for an emergency debate – and it was held that day.

Mr Zahawi, born in Iraq to Kurdish parents, arrived in the UK as a nine-year-old refugee from Saddam Hussein’s regime. He is now a British citizen, but because he was born in Iraq, he believed he came under the Trump ban.

He told MPs his place of birth already meant he had been required to go through an interview at the US embassy, to secure the right to travel to America, under rules imposed by President Obama. But the new restrictions were much tougher.

The US Government has since clarified that people with British passports will not be affected by the ban, whatever the country of their birth, but Mr Zahawi still thought the ban was ‘wholly counterproductive’. He described how it was already being used by pro-Islamic State social media accounts as ‘clear evidence that the USA is seeking to destroy Islam. They have even called it the “blessed ban”’.

Labour’s Yvette Cooper, who chairs

the Home Affairs Select Committee,

was ‘deeply worried’ that the

Government had already invited

the new President to make a state

visit to Britain: ‘It will look like an

endorsement of a ban that is so

morally wrong and that we should be

standing against.’

The Conservative, Sir Simon Burns,

disagreed: ‘I think it is absolutely right

that the British Government continue

the work of the Prime Minister to

build bridges with President Trump so

that we can, through engagement,

seek to persuade him and to minimise

or reduce the danger of his more

outrageous policies ... I believe that

very little would be achieved by

cancelling a state visit to which the

invitation has already been extended

and accepted.’

The emergency debate was on a formal

motion that MPs had ‘considered’

Donald Trump’s travel ban, so no call

for a policy change was voted on.

Nadhim Zahawi MP strongly criticised the Trump administration’s travel ban on certain Muslim countries

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