Vision and Versatility Rewarded
TV presenter and comedian Dara O Briain announced the winners of the eleventh annual plastics awards at a black-tie gala event held at the London Hilton, Park Lane on Friday 14 October. Winners included a design agency which had created a potentially life-saving piece of rock climbing equipment as well as a student who designed a grow box which enables dwellers of high rise flats to cultivate their own vegetables. The audience also heard about collaborations between all parts of the plastics supply chain which had resulted in energy efficiencies, improved safety and boosted profits.
Known as the Oscars of the UK plastic industry, the Plastics Industry Awards offer an insight into current developments in materials usage, product design and innovative manufacturing as well as identifying excellence in training and environmental performance. Almost 800 plastic professionals and their guests attended this year’s glittering awards ceremony to find out who had won.
Steve Crowhurst, organiser, said: “We received a really high standard of entries from companies and individuals whose expertise and vision have helped to develop lightweight and durable products which solve consumer, medical and industrial problems. It was a really uplifting evening which celebrated the versatility of polymers and the innovation driving our industry forward. The winners are to be congratulated on their achievements.”
Winners of the Plastics Industry Awards 2011
Consumer Product Design of the Year
Won by John Ewans Design for designing a washable, hygienic adjustable rowing shoe,
now sold throughout the world and worn by the UK National Rowing squad.
Industrial Product Design
Won by FSW Design for TroBord, a lightweight blow-moulded
ballast board developed for the rail industry.
Agentdraw Young Designer of the Year
Won by Barty Rowland-Orme who is studying product design at Brighton University.
Barty developed ‘Urban Greens’, a hydroponic growing aid which allows inner city dwellers to successfully
grow their own vegetables over balconies or outside windows.
Apprentice or Trainee of the Year
Won by Faith Kelly, Engineering Advance Apprentice at Mann+Hummel,
who has been entrusted with considerable responsibility, liaising directly with large OEMs in the automotive sector.
Personal Contribution Award
Won by Colin Williamson, former chairman of the British Plastics Federation’s Recycling Group an
d founder of Smile Plastics. Judges said Colin had been “banging the drum for plastics recycling long
before it became trendy,” and should be thanked for his part in improving the image of plastics recycling.
Best Energy or Environmental Initiative
Won by Rosti UK for implementing a raft of green initiatives including installing a
2.2 MW wind turbine which it hopes will generate up to 50 per cent of its total energy requirements by the end of the year.
Best Business Initiative
Won by Wavin for successfully creating a consortium of toolmakers to work on a project to manufacture a
new range of plumbing fittings. Wavin benefited from the specialist expertise of the individual companies,
while the four consortium members benefited from a large project which could have gone overseas.
Best Training and Development Programme
Won by Classic Industries Europe for building up the multi-skilling levels of its entire
workforce to create a flexible team which can move from job to job quickly.
Best Technology Application
Won by Electronics For Industry who developed a hot runner control system which offers
improved operator safety and reliability as well as reducing material and maintenance costs.
Processor of the Year
Won by Artenius PET Packaging Europe who impressed judges with their ambitious
diversification strategy and commitment to quality.
Supplier Partnership: Polymer Distributor
Won by Distrupol and DMM for their partnership work on Dragon Cam, a spring-loaded
mechanism which secures a rope into a rock face.
Supplier Partnership: Prime Machinery
Won by Engel UK and Ambic Equipment for a mould shop overhaul which
resulted in average operating efficiency rising from below 60 per cent to 86 per cent.
Supplier Partnership: Ancillary Machinery
Won by TH Plastics and Birkby’s Plastics for developing a turnkey
solution that enabled Birkby’s Plastics to recycle its waste product on-site.
Supplier Partnership: Masterbatch, Compound or Additive Supplier
Won by Matrix Plastics and BioCote: a partnership which saw the lead time for
antimicrobial masterbatches reduce from two or three weeks to two or three days and a dramatic increase in customer service.
Supplier Partnership: Toolmaker
Won by Midas Pattern and Mast Group for the Uri-plus project to update a medical screening device,
which judges said met all the commercial, technical timing and quality challenges
The Plastics Industry Awards have firmly established themselves as the forum for recognising and rewarding excellence an increasingly competitive market.
Launched in 2001, and held annually in London this event is dedicated to rewarding innovation and exceptional performance. The Plastics Industry Awards acknowledge the best companies and the best people in the market.
Join us on
This unique black-tie gala event is organised by the
Crain Communications, publisher of PRW and European Plastics News
