Birmingham-based Barkley Plastics is celebrating 55 years of business by increasing its capacity to help take on new orders it has won in interior parts and lighting for the automotive sector.
The latest installation of £250,000 in new presses and robots takes Barkley’s total capital machinery spend to over £800,000 in the last five years, and highlights the firm’s desire to move into more cosmetic and technical products that require industry-leading processing accuracy.
Mark Harwood, Managing Director at Barkley Plastics, said: “Things have never been quiet over the last 55 years, but I suppose that’s UK manufacturing for you.”
“We’ve already tried to stay one step ahead of what the customer wants, and this is reflected in the latest process that gives us additional capacity and production control to take on more automotive work.”
“There will also be news of a ground-breaking development in injection moulding before the end of the year.”
“The £250,000 investment is a perfect birthday present for us and will immediately be put to use on supporting a new project that will see is manufacture a selection of small, high-volume JLR parts that will go across its range of vehicles.”
“There’s no getting away from the fact that the capital spend is vital, but our people continue to be crucial to our ongoing success. We’ve got more than ten people who have been with us for forty years and David Challinor, the son of one of the founding members, only retired at the end of the years having given us 48 years of service.”
Pete Tedd, Technical Director at Barkley Plastics, said: “The increasing range of new electric and hybrid vehicles presents some exciting opportunities that suit our expertise, whilst work is being undertaken to increase our shares of the construction, electronics, medical, and retail sectors.”
“We’re predominantly a sub-contractor, but over the last few years we’ve been looking to develop our own range of products, such as the Plasfloor floor tiles and an anti-static ESD option.”