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Most people arrive either through an agency a job ad or an application, but young CNC programmer Jack Gibson’s mum saw the ad and contacted us on his behalf and now over two years on has proved himself an invaluable member of the team.  A great example of home-grown talent and a fantastic credit to him mum and sisters all of who I am sure helped make him the man he is today

Jack had previously completed an electrical course and saw his career going in that direction but like the rest of us was seduced by the allure of aluminium, well known as the crack cocaine of commodities.  Sensible enough to still live at home, and the only brother to three older sisters Jack and the qualities he has makes him very much the face of Inal going forward, indeed, part of a triumvirate of home-grown young programmers, all of whom will be showcased in the months ahead.

All about Jack Gibson

Question. What is the best thing about working at Inal?

Answer: Recognition

Question. Worst thing about the job?

Answer: Not being able to find things

Question. Favourite football team?

Answer: Man City

Question. Describe yourself in 3 words

Answer: Precise, generous, humble

Question. Best thing about being Jack Gibson

Answer: Chilled laid-back nature

Question. Something few people know about you

Answer: His mum was pregnant with him and shopping at the time of one of the Manchester bombings

Quick fire

Married single divorce or looking. Single and looking

Best Holiday Poland

Dream holiday California

Favourite food.  His mums cooking in her pre pescetarian era…Mum, please note!

Favourite TV Breaking Bad

Favourite App Instagram

Hot or cold.  Hot

Spicy or sweet. Sweet

Blond or brunette.  Brunette

Favourite drink, the occasional cider

Winter or summer.  Summer

Star Wars or DC. May the force be with you

Role model.  Mum (is the right answer!

Thing you are most proud of.  How I got to be how I am

Most important goal in your life.  Contentment

If you were Prime minister, what would you change?  I would do more for the homeless

What quality do you admire in people. Honesty

What quality do you dislike in people. Selfishness

Jack Gibson the face of Inal 2020 Ltd

A fantastic performance by the environmental team at Inal literally breezing through a very intensive first external audit. Paul Walker Inal Quality supremo backed by Group Quality Manager Helen Shotton sailed through the audit with zero non conformances. Great credit to them, and to everyone else on site for making our environmental expectations deliverable. We salute you.

Fantastic start to 2023 with contract wins of over £2.5 million on the books covering a number of sectors. Having doubled in size in the last two years with superb back up from our supportive but non intrusive parents their acquisition of us in now reaping dividends. The future looks very bright.

Always nice to be appreciated and in the words of Neil Sandford MD at Cuecraft ” we had zero issues with the delivery and cannot express how relieved and happy we are with the quality of the material received, so thank you very much”…enough said!

Yes…the Christmas Tree 2022 is officially up.  Great early work by Ellie to achieve yet another epic win for us.  Have to say brilliantly decorated as well after some very questionable offerings in recent years (mentioning no names) So Merry Christmas to everyone and a very happy new year.  Just a quick aluminium finishing themed Christmas cracker joke that few will get..”why didn’t the aluminium extrusion get anodised??..because it was foiled!” Boom we’re on all week.

Sherwood Group were delighted to announce the appointment recently of Milburn Paterson as Operations Manager for Inal 2020 Ltd at its Manchester site.  

Milburn a 37 year veteran of aluminium and manufacturing brings with him a huge range of skills and experience from his time spanning 3 decades as MD of a key aluminium processor, an aluminium extruder, and more recently as CEO of an automotive tier supplier.


Milburn has many contacts over the years with Inal and is very well known to most of the staff, indeed his son Connor joined us as a graduate on NBD earlier in the year, it is like a homecoming in many ways.  Milburn’s knowledge of  troubleshooting, organisation, change management, quality and efficiency are second to none in the industry, and already we can see the difference he has made.

A family man Milburn is married to Kim and has two grown up sons Connor and Kieran, and a dog Pippa which by my maths would make Mil about 4th in the pecking order.  

Born in Scotland a fisherman of some note Milburn is an Everton fan so like many of us knows disappointment pain and hurt but most importantly ambition!

“Making a welcome return to mainstream aluminium as part of the Sherwood Group was an opportunity to good to miss”  said Milburn, and we’re excited to have him.

Milburn pictured with Pippa below…Milburn’s on the right by the way.

Great week at Inal 2020 when we played host to one of our American export customers, just prior to shipping a full container of processed extrusions to the US.  After a few days at the factory and enjoying the local highlights, Connor Patterson Liverpool fan, made the ultimate sacrifice in escorting the MD Ed to see Man Utd v Sheriff in the Europa League. This proved a fitting finale a first “soccer match” for Ed much high fiving followed as traditional British beer flowed.  Team Inal were at their very best, well done everyone involved we were awesome.

UB Plastics is pleased to confirm an acquisition by Sherwood Group.

Sherwood Group – comprising Sherwood Stainless and Aluminium, Neville Precision Engineering and Inal 2020 – based in Wolverhampton is an ISO9001 and ISO14001 certified privately owned specialist supplier and fabricator of aluminium extrusion, stainless steel & aluminium coil, stainless steel sheets and special finish lighting products for industry.

UB Plastics inhabits over 70,000 sq ft of space in Burton, with 40 staff operating 25 product lines, 6-axis robots and in-mould labelling, creating innovative products for customers including beverage giants Diageo (Guiness), Carlsberg, Molson and ice-cream market leader Graphics Packaging.  

The company led by Andy Cox and Steven Brown design and manufacture all their products at their factory situated in Burton on Trent in Staffordshire.

“We’ve known Terry and Paul at Sherwood Group for a long time” said Andy Cox, Director UB Plastics. “In fact, Roy Caswell who was part of the UB founding team in 1983, has been close to Terry and Paul even before Sherwood Group became a trading entity in 1990.”

“We’re excited at UB Plastics. It’s the right move at the right time. Sherwood have demonstrated their market leadership in recent years and the acquisition helps us firstly secure the business and access investment for growth without losing focus on core markets”.

“We’re looking forward to working with some of the best people in the aluminium industry and see an exciting future for the combined business and our customers”, he added.

“We’re thrilled to complete this deal” said Paul Thurston, Sherwood Group co-founder. 

“In joining the Sherwood Group, UB Plastics immediately offers new products and new markets as well as huge opportunities for existing customers looking for specialist composite support and plastic injection moulding.” 

“With a rise in use and specification of industrial plastics and composites in some of our key sectors, it was the right time to make a strategic investment to bring this capability in-house. In so doing, it will provide product design and financial benefits to customers looking to pool their buying with suppliers able to provide a comprehensive offering” he added.

Fantastic day at Pride Park Derby on Thursday at a very select supplier day. The launch including a virtual factory tour of what will possibly be the largest single roof building in Europe was exceptional. We are proud at INAL 2020 to be one of the selected few in the supply chain a chain that will drive this sea change in how construction delivers affordable and sustainable housing.

Indications that the UK/Iceland fishing disputes of the 70’s never really went away were evidenced in Iceland today when our co owner Paul Thurston on a holiday fishing trip was caught at odds with a local angler Rumours that the high cost of dining out in Iceland has led to a dispute in fishing rights between locals and visitors are at a heightened level and the adage teach a man to fish and you’ll save him a fortune dining out has never been more profound.