Four mould and die makers honoured

Mould and die making strategies and technology usage won for four toolmakers honours at the recent Plastic Industry Awards, including 'Toolmaker of the Year'.

Mould and die making strategies and technology usage won for four toolmakers honours at the recent Plastic Industry Awards, including 'Toolmaker of the Year'.

The four toolmaking companies who were victorious at the recent Plastic Industry Awards may have been geographically diverse, being based in locations from, Wiltshire, Manchester, and Yorkshire to Ireland, but they had at least two key qualities in common - a passion for engineering excellence and membership of GTMA.

Julia Moore, GTMA CEO commented: "It was wonderful to be able to congratulate four such outstanding member companies - each of which is demonstrating how innovative toolmakers can continue to compete and succeed".

"In today's fiercely competitive market, perhaps more so than ever before, quality, reliability and integrity are the characteristics that smart buyers look for in the suppliers in their increasingly rationalised supply chains." Toolmaker of the year, PP Injection Moulds and Mouldings, offers its customers both injection moulding and toolmaking services - a business strategy which Toolroom Director, Keith Evans, believes has been key to the success of the company.

This innovative approach is supported by an ongoing commitment to investment in technology in both sides of the business which enable it to offer customers specialist services, such as mould flow analysis and the ability to carry out full tool trials.

Recent successes for the company include a foray into the US market, for which it has recently completed a tooling project as well as shipping mouldings direct to the US for the first time this year.

Of the three finalists, Sligo, Ireland-based Avenue Mould has appeared on the winner's podium every year for the last five years, being voted Toolmaker of the Year in 2001 and again in 2003.

Avenue's investment in robotised high speed machining and EDM, Moldflow, state of the art mould validation facilities including a Class 100,000 cleanroom and registration to ISO 13485:2003, has enabled the company to provide its customers with toolmaking of the highest quality, particularly in the medical device and pharmaceutical sectors.

Another company with a history of success is Hanson Thorpe which has been a finalist for the last three years.

Founded in 1991 by partners Stuart Hanson and Des Thorpe, the company, which is ISO9001:2000 accredited, operates from 11,000ft2 premises just 1 mile from junction 21 of the M60, and is equipped with in-house design and CAD/CAM facilities as well as high specification CNC milling and spark/wire erosion machines.

Ryetools, in Yorkshire, specialises in high quality detailed multi-cavity, hot runner, insert and unscrewing moulds with multiple side actions and rising cores for customers in a variety of sectors from Automotive to Packaging.

In addition to offering product and tool design services Ryetools is also able to operate its toolroom as a 24/7 in a lights out operation.

The company has built a strong and loyal customer base with an excellent reputation for customer service, superior product quality and competitive prices.

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