Frome Manufacturer Ready to Storm Ahead in 2017
A new factory in Frome will bring new opportunities for the construction, signage and shopfitting industries as well as offering new jobs in the area. The factory, on Vallis Way trading estate, has been built by Nick Stillwell and his team at Protomax Plastics to concentrate on the production of boards made out of upcycled plastic waste designed to provide a cost-effective and durable alternative to plywood, chipboard and MDF products used for hoardings, in shopfitting and for signs and exhibition materials. The board, under the trade name Stormboard, is hard wearing, weatherproof and at the end of its use is 100 per cent recyclable into new board. Protomax Plastics has been established in Frome for almost five years and for the past two has been chosen by Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud to be one of his Green Heroes at the Grand Designs Live exhibitions at the NEC Birmingham and in London. Protomax proprietor Nick has been supplying companies such as retailers ASDA, Sainsburyâs, Ann Summers, M&S and construction firm Costain with sustainable upcycled boards that have been turned into products for their own use. Nick invented the machine and the process but was unable to produce the boards in the quantities required at his site in Frome and until the new factory was built had to rely on plants in Europe to supply the large format boards. The new factory and its five employees will now turn out about 30,000 boards a year and already Nick is looking to recruit more machine operatives to run three shift patterns from the spring. Nick said: Itâs been a long hard slog; we werenât able to get any Government funding so have had to rely on support from friends and family and the guys here at Protomax to get this factory off the ground. We took delivery of new machines and these were installed just before Christmas so we now enter 2017 in a good position and are teaming up with Amari Plastics who will be able to offer our products for the many and varied applications that their customers require. Being able to manufacture Stormboard in the UK will open so many avenues for us. Global plastics distributor Amari Plastics has been established for more than 40 years and has 15 centres in the UK supplying the signage and display, building and construction and industrial and engineering markets. A team from the company visited Protomax to see Stormboard being manufactured. Jamie Manifold, director of supplier relations at Amari Plastics said: We have been involved with Protomax for some time and we are delighted to strengthen this association with Nick. Stormboard is an exciting revolutionary product and it will be an ideal fit for our varied customer base. Manufacturing & Engineering Magazine | The Home of Manufacturing Industry News
Wyke Farmsâ Engineering Director Wins Award
Jason Fewell, the Engineering Director at cheddar cheese and bulk food ingredients producer Wyke Farms, has been successful in winning the âUnsung Heroâ award at the ASDA Sustain and Save Exchange (SSE) Awards 2016/17. The awards were held at a summit run by 2degrees Network in Leeds last week, and the results were decided by members of the SSE casting four-hundred votes from the 31 shortlisted entries in each of the six different award categories. Wyke Farms became the first dairy company in the UK to run self-sufficiently from energy made on the farm, and Jason Fewell has been chosen by the judging panel based on his instrumental role in helping this 100% Green Business to achieve this. As a working farm, we have lots of waste streams and buildings which Jason saw sustainable potential in, and as part of our 100% Green strategy he has been working tirelessly over the last few years to implement commented a spokesperson for Wyke Farms. This includes an Anaerobic Digestion Plant project on our farm, a Water Recovery Plant project, Conceptual design and construction of Bio Gas Upgrading Plant and solar array project. Fewell was responsible for the business receiving The Carbon Trust Standard Triple Accreditation for carbon, waste and water in 2016, which was another first for the dairy industry, and he has also been a member of the 2degress Network for around for around four years now so he is rapidly becoming a key figure in the dairy industry. Wyke Farms has been producing its award-winning cheddar for over a century now and these products can be found in most supermarkets around the UK. With this clear quality of produce embedded in the company alongside the valiant efforts of workers such as Jason Fewell, it looks almost certain that the businessâs success is going to continue in the long term. Manufacturing & Engineering Magazine | The Home of Manufacturing Industry News
