Clearview North September 2014 - Issue 154 | Page 72
COLOUR
New owners
for Auto-Plas
International LTD.
UK Plastic Moulding Specialists, Auto-Plas
International, are on the move…….
After 57 years of designing
and manufacturing plastic
components to service the
automotive and glazing
industries, the Harris family
decided to sell the business. This
tough decision was made after
careful consideration to the
future of the business and the
needs of its loyal customers.
The new owner, Laurence Hart,
completed the acquisition of the
company on the 1 July this year
and has since been busy refining
business development plans for
the next three years with newly
appointed Managing Director,
Reshad Shamtally.
A CLEAR VISION FOR GROWTH
A successful and highly affluent
businessman, Laurence - who
also owns a long standing and
reputable automotive, consumable
spares company - has a clear vision
on how the diverse business sectors
of Auto-Plas can grow in line with
current demands set within both
the home improvement and auto
manufacturing sectors on-shore.
“Top of our immediate agenda
is the relocation of the entire
operation to a new facility
nearby, where the business can be
configured for sustainable growth,
with careful consideration given
to infrastructure, process control,
flexibility and efficiency,” he
explained.
Obviously, moving the vast
amount of machinery and tooling,
including: no less than seven
injection moulding lines ranging
from 50T - 700T capability, five
vacuum formers, ABB robotic
paint system, two manual paint
and preparation booths, Resin
Transfer Moulding (RTM)
line……to quote only the largest
pieces of equipment, requires very
precise planning and the expertise
of specialist movers who can
handle unit weights greater t han
35T.
“The ‘BIG’ move is currently
underway and is being done
in three key phases between
August and October, to minimise
disruption and ensure seamless
continuity of supply and services
to our customers, which is key,”
Laurence added.
NEW PRODUCTS TO
LAUNCH IN 2015
“While moving the operation
clearly requires specific focus
as priority, other members of
our team are also hard at work
developing and qualifying a stream
of new product innovations
intended for staged roll out to
market during 2015. New product
Innovation is a key objective for
us and is considered essential for
72
SEP 2014
‘raising the
quality standard
of goods’
our future business growth,” said
Reshad Shamtally.
“Auto-Plas proactively engages
customers and suppliers to explore
areas of business development,
whether it is collaboration,
process improvement or mutually
beneficial trade through existing
or new goods and services.,” he
added. “This strategy is intended
to maximise utilisation of UK
manufacturing capabilities and
drive continuous improvement
of operations, raising the quality
standard of goods and increasing
the flexibility of services beyond
those of our competition.”
To assist with the engineering
effort on all fronts the company
has partnered with the Institute
for Manufacturing (Cambridge
University), Essex County Council
and Ford to formulate a series of
specific project plans, utilising
sponsored resources which will
support the sustainable growth
of the business over the next 12
months.
EXCITING CHALLENGES
These exciting challenges
have come at a time when UK
manufacturing is starting to
display significant signs of growth
due to consumer-driven demand
for supply chains to provide:
• Greater product options and
bespoke services
• Quick response with regards to
product lead time and after sales
service
• Improved product quality and
performance
• Improved value for money
• UK made product which is
reliable beyond its expected
lifecycle.
These drivers provide a perfect
opportunity for Auto-Plas to
capitalise on its existing strengths,
whilst fuelling growth with an
injection of fresh innovations
geared around qualified customer
requirements.
Watch this space...
To read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com