A steady increase in production demand throughout 2024 and into 2025 has led Pentagon to make a notable change to their production capacity. For over 20 years, the company operated across a two-shift pattern with the factory operating 16 hours daily. From early February, capacity is being extended across 24 hours.
Pentagon Plastics
This is a huge milestone in their 53-year history of trading. The increased demand is being driven by the medical (non-clean room moulding) and aerospace sectors. Pentagon's components are often part of larger assemblies, and commonly from engineering grades of thermoplastics.
The business has always prided itself on the level of technical expertise it offers customers. Those who follow the Pentagon’s business journey may recall the exciting news of their growing team of Setter Technicians back in 2024, undertaken to support the business' next step of growth that we are seeing today and ensure the high standard of technical expertise across all three shifts.
The third production shift will ensure that high-volume medical mouldings continue to meet increasing customer demand while opening capacity on larger presses for new business going forward. The shift will be overseen by one of the group's longest-serving employees who has been with the organisation since infancy.
Despite this hugely positive step for Pentagon, it will not be without challenges with the imminent changes brought in by the Labour government in the autumn budget and the increased operational cost of running 24 hours. This means controlling costs will be vital moving forward.
UK Manufacturing services still feel highly underutilised although Brexit delivered a positive wave of change in the form of re-shoring and companies and design engineers looking to source UK suppliers, there is still a way to go to ensure the longevity and continued growth of this sector.
One of the key areas is the long-running issues of bridging the skills gap. This includes the continued lack of duly experienced toolmakers and precision engineers and the difficulty of balancing apprenticeships and development with revenue-producing work streams and resources.
Pentagon prides itself on offering in-house mould tool manufacture and tooling services, giving customers a full turnkey solution for their plastic injection moulding projects and a single point of contact for the life of their products and projects.