We certainly look different today from when the company first started out injection moulding in 1956. Expansion has continued on the same site and the factory area now exceeds 6100 square metres. We employ over 140 staff, with a turnover in excess of £15 million.
Today Rutland Plastics is still a privately owned custom injection moulder of quality bespoke products for a wide variety of industries. Throughout the company’s development, we have retained a steadfast dedication to building strong partnerships with both customers and suppliers, while consciously investing in areas that add real value to these relationships.
Quality, people and the environment are key areas for us and we have made significant investment in these areas over the years. When it comes to quality, Rutland Plastics first attained BS5750 back in 1989 this is now known as Quality Management ISO9001:2015 and building on ISO9001, we have attained Medical Devices Quality Management ISO13485:2016. People are our most valuable asset and we have held Investors in People accreditation since the 1990s. When it comes to the environment we manage our production processes with careful concern and hold the standard for Environmental Management ISO14001:2015 along with implementing numerous other sustainability initiatives.
In 2021, our 65th anniversary year, we moved to a 24/7 production operation and it also saw us being named as Processor of the Year at the Plastic Industry Awards. We don’t know what the next 65 years will look like, however, we still intend to be a key part of the plastics industry and still firmly rooted in Rutland with a history we can be proud of.
HOW IT STARTED
Originally the company manufactured its own range of plastic products from artificial flowers to children’s toys. Also, see ‘Rutland Vintage‘ post, January 2020 for more information.
Later, cheap imports led to Rutland Plastics diversifying more into injection moulding for other companies including such things as car nameplates and push-buttons for Ford.
Turnover exceeded £1 million for the first time in 1977 coinciding with winning a British Gas contract for pipe fittings worth £1/2 million.
In the 1980’s we jointly developed with one of our customers the electrofusion process for pipe fittings. The latest variation is the buried lead approach for which we hold the patent.
Demand for custom moulding of large plastic products led to investment in increasingly bigger moulding machines. A 1250 tonne machine was purchased in 1990 and a 1700 tonne machine was added in 2004. A further 1700 tonne machine was introduced in 2011.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORT FOR EXCEPTIONAL IDEAS
MEET THE TEAM
Here are some of the faces from behind the scenes. They are just part of a
much larger, dedicated workforce that literally keep the
plastic flowing 24/7 at Rutland Plastics.
