West Midlands plastics company expands with new premises

18th September 2012

A West Midlands industrial plastics supplier has more than doubled its production capacity by moving to new premises with support from Yorkshire Bank.

Holbourne Industrial Plastics Ltd has completed its move from Rumer Hill Business Estate in Cannock to a new facility in Aldridge after securing a £200,000 finance package from Yorkshire Bank’s Stafford-based Business Banking Centre.

The move allows Holbourne, a significant exporter, to fully integrate its recent merger with British Micanizing, a Birmingham-based manufacturer of plastics and insulation materials.

The company, which has 10 employees, will have 12,000 sq ft of manufacturing and warehousing space at its new combined site at the Phoenix Works in Middlemoor Lane. Previously it had a total of 5,500 sq ft on its two sites in Cannock and Birmingham.

Holbourne supplies a full range of industrial plastics, from tiny components for bird-ringing programmes in New Zealand to bullet-proof windows for UK military vehicles. It is aiming to hit a turnover of £1.5million in the next 12-24 months, up from £1.3million at present.

Ken Argent, chairman of Holbourne, said: “Acquiring these new premises means we can significantly reduce the costs associated with being based on two sites. Those savings will allow us to invest in new machinery and continue offering our customers high quality engineering plastics and electrical insulation materials with short lead times.

“Our business has been built on offering high levels of service and doing what we say we are going to do, which is why we’ve been able to continue progressing, even during the downturn. This move to new premises will only make us stronger as a business.”

Janine Woolley, business partner at Yorkshire Bank’s Stafford-based Business Banking Centre, said: “Holbourne is an established company with a strong management team and a clear plan for growth which has allowed it to thrive in difficult conditions. The acquisition of new premises will further strengthen the business and give it a solid platform for further growth in both domestic and international markets.”

Established in 1992, Holbourne Industrial Plastics supplies engineering plastics, electrical insulation and flexible gasket materials to a range of sectors including manufacturing, defence, transport, construction and retail.

The company, which sources plastics from suppliers across the UK and abroad, merged with British Micanizing in 2011 to give it greater in-house manufacturing capability.