2016 PIA Award finalists x 3

Building on last years successful finalist place, Andel Plastics has been shortlisted as finalists in three Plastic Industry Awards in 2016. We are delighted to have been shortlisted in all three categories that entries were submitted for in 2016. This is no small achievement for these industry recognised awards. Last year Andel Plastics were the winners of the 2015 category for Best Business Initiative, with the award being presented by Alan Davies to Graham Robinson and his Son Matthew Robinson at a gala event at the Hilton Park Lane. Click here to view the moment the announcement was made. This years finalist categories are : Supplier Partnership for Toolmaking and Best Industrial product design. Both of these revolve around a brand new product to marke. The project was completed after several years development with Anderton Concrete Products. This saw the design and development of an innovative new product which also took Andel into a new market sector. Designed originally for the purpose of deterring cable theft within the railway industry the Anderfin has evolved since it's original concept. The Ander-fin was borne from a requirement to be able to securely fix Railway cabling, which causes huge disruption and cost to the industry and travellers. Andel and Anderton worked closely with Lanxess material expert Colin Bennett to achieve compliance to the tough environmental challenges that the product required and the Anderton brand of confidence demanded. With Anderton Concrete being the experts in concrete design and Andel Plastics being the experts in plastic and tooling, the end product came through a swathe of design changes, building in extra strength and fixing points as the intended Ander-fin usage evolved into also being used for lifting the concrete troughs into position, to enable safer installation into new rail tracks After nearly two years of design, moldflow analysis and design assessment, Andel manufactured the tooling with it’s in-house toolmaking facilities. This could then be taken straight into the injection moulding facility to run test Ander-fins for trial on a new piece of track being built by Network Rail. This product was passed and approved, a tribute to the development that had been done in advance of manufacturing the tooling. The Ander-fin exceeded the expectations of Network Rail and ensuring a good safe future for newly laid track and cabling. Our third award is a new one for the PIA awards this year, Unsung Hero. The award is a chance to sing the praises of someone within the business that makes it excel. Our nomination was for our Toolsetter Paul Hunter. He started his working days a 'number of years ago' at Lucas and once worked for a customer of Andel Plastics within the same building we occupy now. Nearly fifteen years ago Paul came to work for Andel as a toolsetter, he has since trained Conor, his son to work alongside him. In 2007 when Andel’s Production Manager of many years left the business, it was Paul who took on a lot of his work from the deep end, and kept things running through the hard recession. This was no easy task with all the new pressures from the economic situation. Paul has always been on the end of a phone, the works joker, a storyteller and a pleasure to work with. One of the core members of the team, a go-to person, that gives Andel it's family atmosphere that we treasure and encourage as much as possible. his dedication to the business was tested and proved overwhelming after a dreadful accident at home that shocked everyone within the Andel family. The place was not the same without him and it was a tricky time within our employee history. However, Paul knew he was central to the injection moulding production and daytime tv was never going to satisfy his motivation to get up in the morning. Having said that, he has taken his injury with amazing humour and amazed everyone with his inner strength and determination not to sit at home but to come back to work earlier than anyone expected or hoped for. It is for all of this that we have nominated Paul in the first year of the category. “We really wish Paul all the best in this category as he is a true hero to us, to push himself so hard to return to work as quickly as he did, took amazing courage.” - Helen Flowers, Managing Director