Within the current global economic climate many manufacturers are finding the going increasingly tough but those companies that have been able to build strong relationships with their customers are continuing to thrive. Mansfield-based Plastek UK Ltd (Europe) is one such company.

To further Plastek UK’s major success in the injection moulding industry, it is putting the finishing touches to a £2 million pound expansion of its facilities in its European Headquarters in North Nottinghamshire.

Plastek UK Ltd is securing its future growth plans by embarking on a strategically phased expansion plan in line with being awarded major new business.

Phase one of the expansion at its Mansfield site is due to be completed by the end of January 2015, and has culminated in adding a further 860m2 of manufacturing space to its already impressive state of the art factory. The extension to the factory floor will house a further 8 moulding machines.

In order to strengthen Plastek’s expertise in supplying packaging products for the Food & Beverage, Pharmaceutical Packaging and Personal Care markets, and to underline its commitment to ISO 22000 + PAS 223 Plastek is also creating a brand new clean room environment in this area. Plastek has won major new projects within the aforementioned markets, and the investment in the expansion is a direct result of this success.

Plastek and its contracted partners have carried out all of the works on track within a very tight schedule, and have taken advantage of the annual seasonal shutdown period for carrying out major works such as the installation of new isolation valves for the mould shop water system. This has meant minimal disruption to ongoing production.

Additionally Plastek has created a new Tool Room and Maintenance workshop, as well as a new loading/unloading area for machinery at the rear of the facility.

“I am delighted with the progress of the first phase, and every person involved has worked tirelessly to ensure that all of the projects have completed on time and to the highest standards,” Mick Shaw – General Manager comments. “The expansion at Plastek UK underlines our commitment to our customers, and shows the strength of Plastek UK as a major player in the packaging arena. I want to extend special thanks to all of our Plastek personnel for their hard work through this period, as well as to all of our contracted partners.” He adds, “This is just the beginning of the expansion programme for Plastek, and we already have plans in place to increase our presence further in the future.”

Darren Warboy – Engineering and Service Manager, who has headed up the expansion project, said, “It is gratifying to see the culmination of all the months of hard work and planning coming to fruition. This expansion has incorporated state of the art technology in all areas so that the factory will continue to run as efficiently as possible and keep up with the exacting demands of our customers’ products.”

Plastek UK continues to be strong overall and will continue to invest in new equipment and infrastructure and is actively looking at new business acquisitions within Europe. Ultimately Plastek has further expansion plans at the European HQ site to double the manufacturing floor.

Plastek UK Ltd was established in 1999, and is a division of the US-based Plastek Group, a renowned world-class manufacturer in the plastic packaging industry. Headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, the group is a privately held company owned by the Prischak family specialising in tool making and moulding of rigid plastic packaging for global retail brands. Established in 1956 it now has sites in North America, Latin America and Europe.