News

In-house plastic injection moulding

Find out more about the new plastic injection moulding capability available through our parent company Sherwood Group.

15th September, 2023

At the end of 2022 we completed the acquisition of Burton based plastic moulding business UB Plastics and we’ve been busy incorporating them into the Sherwood Group of companies.

UB Plastics has been a supplier to Sherwood for many years, delivering millions of parts annually into our construction and fenestration customers.

Based in Burton with strong brewing sector roots, the business now manufactures and ships over 100 million parts a year, exporting to all five continents to customers at the very top of their industries.

We’re now in a position to share more about what is available to our customers across the group below.

Key facts:

  • Established 1983
  • Location Burton upon Trent
  • Employees 35
  • Site 1.7 acres
  • Products 100m + individual plastic parts annually
  • Sectors Brewery, food and drink, construction
  • Market 75% UK, 25% export

Capacity and capability:

  • No of machines 23 state of the art injection moulding machines
  • Capacity 30t to 220t
  • Machine OEMs Battenfield, Borche, Chen Hsong, Demag, Haitian, Negri Bossi, Romi and Sandretto.
  • Tooling size (min) 130mm x 130mm approx
  • Tooling size (max) 550mm x 550mm approx
  • Product size (min) 3mm
  • Product size (max) 400mm
  • In mould labelling for food and beverage and wider industry packaging from 1 label up to 12 labels for multi impression tooling.

Robots suppliers:

  • Universal 6 Axis, Geiger 3 Axis Full Servo and ATM 3 Axis Full Servo.

Main polymer suppliers:

  • Distrupol, Resinex, Plastribution.

Main materials:

  • ABS, nylon, polypropylene, polypropylene, Polystyrene, TPE.
  • We’d love to discuss the opportunities UB Plastics can bring to what we are already providing you.
  • And we’re happy to look at re-estimating current provision and prototyping to see if we can make a difference.

Get in touch, including the word Plastic in your message here.

♫ Ain’t no mountain high enough ♫

Not content with leading the Sherwood Group for over 30 years through the peaks and troughs of business, young at heart co-owner Paul Thurston showed his penchant for the uphill struggle in Cumbria last week.  Accompanied by a couple of friends Paul rolled back the years to scale England’s highest peak, the gruelling Scaffel Pike in the Lake District, a very challenging 3280 feet.

It was said Paul (far right in the photo) marched them up to the top of the hill and them marched them down again…well done Paul, we the sedentary, salute you

You are GOLD, always believe in your soul

Fantastic performance by our CEO Michael Holden to win the gold medal in the light weight category at The British Ju Jitsu National masters last weekend.

You can’t beat being lead by a gold medallist! Just back 6 months ago from a major hip operation..Michael we salute you!

A bit of old school

Fantastic work by our Operations Manager at Wolverhampton, Geoff Woodfield. It’s great having all the latest CNC’s and tech across our sites but sometimes the black art of experience and old school engineering hits like a breath of fresh air. Geoff knocked this set up together to correct an extrusion that was supplied out of angular tolerance, thus allowing the delivery deadline to be achieved and saving the supplier an expensive rejection. Geoff uses his knowledge to explore solutions in all sorts of ares, there is another rolling one which I believe will provide great commercial opportunities for us, I will be showcasing that later…

Welcome to Manchester

Great to welcome one of our key suppliers to Manchester today. With Dinis being a big football fan, recreating in part the famous Carlos Tevez Welcome to Manchester poster seemed right and fitting…but with a United lean!

Girl Power

Great to see people develop careers within the Sherwood Group.  Ellie Griffin joined us at entry level and in a short time has progressed into a very competent machine operator, who knows she could even follow other home-grown talent such as Sarah Lyon into the programming side.  Ellie has a smile and personality that enters the room ahead of her and is a great asset to the company.  Her progress reflects credit on the Group for affording people opportunities, but equally enormous credit on herself for her work ethic and dedication to being the very best she can be.  Ellie, we salute you.

Straight from the CEO

Great to have Sherwood Group CEO Michael Horan on site at Manchester today giving a town hall talk to all the staff. The abundance of great news in the group was exciting to hear and well received by everyone. From our net zero aspirations to significant cross group capital investments, the direction is clear, onwards and upwards.

Born in Salford, made in Little Hulton

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

Doing our bit…

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.

Boom contract wins

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.