Borough Ltd has increased capacity as it welcomes the arrival of a further new ENGEL e-motion 300, injection moulding machine.
The investment is a result of increased demand for moulded parts in recent months.
The Engel machines, developed in Europe, use electrical low-clamping force and tie-bar-less technology to allow larger moulding tools to be used for the footprint of the machine.
Borough managing director, David Coombes, commented: “The performance of the global automotive industry, particularly the likes of Jaguar Land Rover, BMW and Toyota, puts pressure on the supply chain to perform and requires all of us to improve our service delivery.
“This latest investment recognises the need for us to deliver the same high quality chrome-plated plastic components on which our reputation is built, just faster and in greater numbers.
“Although demand has risen for both noble chrome and satin finishes, we see future growth in undertaking more of the moulding ourselves, given our experience of the quality expectations of the automotive industry.
“More machines not only increases our capacity, but helps improve our efficiency, which is key to meeting the rising demands of our clients.
“We continue to attract new business from major suppliers to the automotive industry which gives us the confidence to continue to make these substantial investments in our future.”
“Interestingly, after 30 years, we are having to change our mind-set from that of a chrome-plater that moulds, to a moulder that chrome-plates, which is significant.”
Plating plastic with chrome requires special consideration of how the component is designed and moulded, so Borough now moulds a high proportion of its own parts.
Sales director, David Brereton said of the new Engel machine: “Demand for a satin chrome finish has grown rapidly in recent years, particularly for interior parts, ensuring we have steadily increased our output. But we are currently witnessing increased demand for moulded components that do not require plating and that changes things.
“Many of these un-plated parts form part of larger assemblies, where only a single component may require chrome plating, but our ability to offer a more complete service is proving attractive to the automotive industry.
“A little shuffling of machines in our mould shop was required to add this latest addition and allow it to be served by our jib crane, but I’m confident our future success will be well worth the effort; and the makeover we gave the facility at Christmas.”
