WHS Plastics BFM 83

WHS PLASTICS

A MATTER OF DISTRIBUTION

WHS PLASTICS

WHS PLASTICS WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1933 & IS NOW IN ITS FOURTH GENERATION AS A PRIVATE, FAMILY-OWNED COMPANY.

A MATTER OF DISTRIBUTION PROJECT MANAGED BY: MAX HUTCHINGS

From its world-class UK facilities in Minworth and Runcorn, as well as its sister company WHS Plastics in Cairo, Egypt, WHS Plastics is a plastic injection moulder, toolmaker, painter and assembler.

“W

e are a leading tier one supplier to many Automotive motor manufacturers as well as to a variety of industries including Hygiene, Electronics and Industrial, where we operate successfully, in a highly competitive global market,” explains Andrew Kendrick, Group Sales Director for the firm. “We have an annual revenue of £50 million and employ approximately 750 people across our six sites.”

The company has built a name and reputation for itself thanks to its combination of skills and expertise in design, prototyping, toolmaking, injection moulding, painting and automation, all capabilities which WHS Plastics has in-house.

“This enables us to offer a true ‘One Stop Shop’ solution or tailor our offering to the exact requirements of our customer,” says Kendrick. “Some customers utilise our full offering and others some elements of it, but having the ability to provide the

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full package really differentiates us from our competitors.”

EXPANDING CAPABILITIES

WHS Plastics is not content to rest on its laurels with this offering, it wants to further develop its strategy of being customers “Supplier of Choice” and so is currently looking to offer new, broader opportunities including acting as a distribution hub. To achieve that goal, WHS Plastics has recently opened a new distribution centre at its site in Minworth in the West Midlands.

The facility covers an area of 75,000 square feet, boasting a full Warehouse Management System & VNA racking along with a fleet of semi-autonomous lithium battery-powered fork-lift trucks.

“We built the distribution centre because we wanted to develop and improve the business, increase growth and further support our customers.

We had multiple on-site stock areas for materials, bought out

Andrew Kendrick, Group Sales Director, WHS Plastics.

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WHS PLASTICS

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ADVANCED MATERIAL ENGINEERS

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DEVELOPING SMART SOLUTIONS & BESPOKE VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS

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OUR CORE CAPABILITIES M at e r i a l s e l e c t i o n & va l i d at i o n

AUTOMOTIVE ADHESIVE TAPE TECHNOLOGY

Product design 03

Die-cutting

OEM APPROVED SURFACE PROTECTION FILM

A p p l i c at i o n & A s s e m b ly s u p p o r t

+ Delivering cost benefits + INCREASING Production efficiency

ALFA ® ACOUSTIC INSULATION MATERIALS

THERMAL & ELECTRICAL MANAGEMENT PRODUCTS

t e c m a n a d va n c e d m at e r i a l e n g i n e e r s +44 (0) 1926 337 466

sales@tecmanuk.com

www.tecmanuk.com

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TECMAN ADVANCED MATERIAL ENGINEERS

WHS PLASTICS

Tecman have been proudly working in partnership with WHS since 2016 to develop value added components for automotive NHV management and surface protection applications, using OEM approved materials.

Our core capabilities include material selection and validation, innovative product design and die-cutting, plus application and assembly support. All our products are manufactured using an established QMS and underpinned by our on-going technical support service.

We use a strategic approach to our customers’ challenges with the aim of developing smart solutions that achieve overall cost and waste reduction during application and assembly processes. This in turn helps contribute to a greater competitive advantage for our clients.

For over 25 years, Tecman have been supporting manufacturing industries across the globe, with extensive product and engineering knowledge, innovative processes, and in-house conversion facilities.

ADHESIVE TAPE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY We have extensive experience in developing added value adhesive tape solutions for manufacturing industries by combing high-performance adhesive tape technology with innovative production processes for a broad range of bonding applications.

By drawing on our technical knowledge, experience, and global resources, we work alongside our clients’ design teams to develop the most suitable solution. By using advanced product design and conversion techniques, including multi-layer lamination, high speed die-cutting, and customised liner configurations, we optimise the components to add value to our customers processes.

OEM APPROVED SURFACE PROTECTION FILMS Tecman’s high-performance range of surface protection films are designed to meet the complex requirements of the automotive industry, including OEM approved protection film for use on gloss painted plastic.

Using die-cutting processes, our automotive surface protection solutions are developed to meet exacting requirements and provide added value to facilitate rapid and accurate placement, increasing productivity throughout assembly and manufacturing processes.

ALFA® ACOUSTIC INSULATION MATERIALS FOR NVH MANAGEMENT Our range of acoustic insulation materials have been designed for superior levels of NVH reduction, including technical foams and Alfa® Technology acoustic insulation - a series of high-performance materials including ultralight, high loft, heavy layer, and needle punch materials.

Additionally, sophisticated multi-layer laminates, including advanced scrim materials, impregnated layers, and ultra-lightweight heat reflective materials provide a high degree of flexibility when developing bespoke NVH management solutions.

By combining high-performance acoustic insulation with multi-layer laminates and innovative manufacturing capabilities, we produce some of the most advanced NVH management solutions in the industry.

THERMAL AND ELECTRICAL MANAGEMENT MATERIALS FOR EV BATTERY DEVELOPMENT Our advanced thermal and electrical management product range has been developed to meet the increasing requirement for thermal management solutions due to the rapid growth in electronics and battery development.

Our products include natural and synthetic graphite, conductive foils, and high-performance thermally and electrically conductive adhesive tapes.

These leading-edge materials can be converted into complex die-cut shapes to provide thermal interface and bonding properties, reducing hot spots, and protecting sensitive components.

For more information about our bespoke advanced material solutions, contact a member of our team on +44 (0) 1926 337 466 or email: sales@tecmanuk.com www.tecmanuk.com

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parts, work in progress and finished goods and we wanted to consolidate that,” explains Kendrick. “Therefore, as well as the additional space that the new distribution centre provides it also gives an opportunity to centralise our storage facilities allowing us to become more efficient with material handling, improving stock accuracy and reducing our inventory levels.”

“The multiple stock areas being vacated will be ideal areas for redevelopment to increase our manufacturing capacity and so support further growth and more,” Kendrick continues.

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WHS PLASTICS

“WE BUILT THE DISTRIBUTION CENTRE BECAUSE WE WANTED TO DEVELOP AND IMPROVE THE BUSINESS, INCREASE GROWTH & FURTHER SUPPORT OUR CUSTOMERS.” THE HUMAN ELEMENT

Of course, it’s not enough to build new capacity and facilities.

Increasing capacity brings its own challenges with it. To begin with, the new distribution centre created an increase in the amount of traffic going through the facility as a whole.

“The number of vehicles going to one site increased significantly,” Kendrick recalls.

“WHS introduced a vehicle management process to resolve this with improvements including dedicated booking slots and multiple loading bays.”

But at the same time, WHS Plastics also needed to have the qualified and motivated staff necessary to run those facilities. Kendrick considers this one of the major challenges in establishing the new distribution centre.

“Specialist warehouse operatives with VNA training were very difficult to find,” Kendrick admits. “We overcame this by upskilling our own team with in-house training.”

To source and develop the people WHS Plastics needs, the company has a Human Resources team to drive the recruitment process.

“Our HR team engage with senior managers who provide the specific requirements of the role. We then go through the recruitment and interview

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process to ensure a good match. At operator level, we carry out aptitude tests followed by specific on-thejob training,” Kendrick tells us. “With management roles, we use specialist recruitment agents.”

As well as acquiring toplevel talent, WHS Plastics also invests heavily in nurturing the industry’s next generation.

“We run apprenticeships. Just this year we started four new apprentices in various areas of the business and provide

a number of undergraduate placement opportunities,” explains Kendrick. “Our up-andcoming managers are supported with leadership training and one-to-one mentoring.”

WHS Plastics has built up a new, state-of-the-art distribution centre and a pipeline for talent that will help sustain the company for generations to come, but this is only the beginning. Talking to Kendrick it is clear that WHS Plastics has a clear vision for the future.

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HARRISON SILVERDALE Congratulations to WHS Plastics on the opening of their new warehouse and production facility. Since being introduced through transfer work back in 2012, Harrison Silverdale has developed a key strategic partnership with WHS Plastics, supplying threaded inserts, spring steel clips, turned parts and general fastener related items.

Working in close collaboration, we offer design and development on new projects for the automotive sector. Our technical expertise and in-house R&D capabilities, including CAD design, 3D printing, and a recently acquired 5 Axis CNC milling machine, have enabled us to win many new business contracts collectively.

Despite the difficulties of 2020, we also bucked the trend and purchased an additional warehouse at our Dronfield site, significantly expanding our storage capacity. This has allowed us to support customers by increasing stock levels in readiness for both Brexit and the pandemic. Future plans for improvements include updating our website with new products, CAD downloads, and demonstration videos.

Harrison Silverdale welcome new business opportunities from all manufacturing sectors. For more information on how we can benefit your supply chain, or to arrange a web meeting, please contact our sales office below: Tel: 01246 296 930 Email: fasteners@harrisonsilverdale.co.uk Web: www.harrisonsilverdale.com

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WHS PLASTICS

“WHS PLASTICS IS READY TO SUPPORT CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE ON-SHORING OR LOCALISATION STRATEGIES CAUSED BY THE BREXIT SITUATION.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

“We have over recent years, by investing in our, site, facilities, machines, and people, developed the business to support sustainable growth. We are now looking to introduce ‘Industry 4.0’ to further improve our efficiencies,” Kendrick explains.

Kendrick points out that WHS Plastics is already considering further site development to support growth and improve productivity.

“The overall vision for the future concentrates on growth, expanding markets and making sustainability a guiding principle in our operation by reducing our impact on natural resources and minimising waste generation.

We must continue to use our best assets, our people, our wide-ranging capabilities and capacities,” says Kendrick.

WHS Plastics is not just readying itself for the technological revolution driving “Industry 4.0” however. The UK is about to undergo massive industrial, market and economic changes as the real effects of Brexit finally take hold.

Many businesses looking to succeed in the new environment will be looking to find ways to base their practices within the country to avoid the administration and delays of cross-border business. It’s a role that WHS Plastics considers themselves perfectly placed to play.

“WHS Plastics is ready to support customers who have on-shoring or localisation strategies caused by the Brexit situation,” Kendrick tells us.

With a wealth of tools and talent at their disposal, and the determination to meet the new challenges of the 2020s, it’ll be interesting to see what WHS Plastics does next.

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WHS PLASTICS

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