Plastipack opens new test facility

Plastipack Ltd, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialist covering materials for swimming pools, has opened an exciting new test and research facility at its headquarters in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex.  The new capability was officially opened by Rt. Hon. Amber Rudd MP, Member of Parliament for Hastings and Rye, and Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

The unique test facility, a world first, comprises five outdoor 8m x 4m x 1.2m swimming pools located side by side.  This allows Plastipack to accurately measure and compare the performance of different types of cover materials, while monitoring real-time water temperature and environmental conditions.

Amber Rudd was delighted to formally open Plastipack’s new test facility, saying; “It’s encouraging that an interesting and innovative business such as Plastipack is growing so strongly on the world stage from their established base in Hastings.  It’s vital that they are able to continue to access the support within the UK and Europe that is so important for their growth prospects.”

Peter Adlington, managing director of Plastipack Ltd, explains how the test facility will benefit the company.  “Our new outdoor laboratory will be invaluable in the development, analysis and comparison of high performance cover materials for pools.  It increases our understanding of how products perform on real pools and will help Plastipack maintain market leadership through technical expertise.  It adds credibility to product claims with publishable results and greater environmental monitoring which sets us and our products apart from other manufacturers.  It also helps raise the importance and industry awareness of credible performance data,” he adds.

The test facility has been designed and developed in collaboration with the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) at the University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute and Department of Physics.  The project is co-funded by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK.

The test area represents an investment of £100k at Plastipack’s St Leonards site, which currently employs 34 core staff.  The company has invested over £3 million in its manufacturing and distribution capability since it was formed in 1999.  Plastipack currently exports to 34 countries throughout the world, with around 75% of its business in the EU.

Plastipack Ltd contact details: Tel +44 (0) 1424 851 659, www.plastipack.co.uk 

Plastipack Ltd’s new test facility was opened by Rt. Hon. Amber Rudd MP, Member of Parliament for Hastings and Rye, and Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

Amber Rudd and Peter Adlington.	Amber Rudd views the data produced by Plastipack’s test pools.

Editors’ Notes

Plastipack Ltd’s materials provide solar performance and evaporation control, significantly improving the carbon footprint of pools by reducing the energy and chemicals required to run them.

•    Plastipack produces enough material per year to cover an area twice the size of the City of London
•    This material saves enough energy per year to power 20,000 homes
•    This material saves enough water per year to fill nearly 2500 Olympic swimming pools
•    This material reduces chemical usage by around 2600 tonnes of chlorine per year

Innovate UK is the new name for the Technology Strategy Board – the UK’s innovation agency. Taking a new idea to market is a challenge. Innovate UK funds, supports and connects innovative businesses through a unique mix of people and programmes to accelerate sustainable economic growth. For further information visit https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk

KTP or Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (http://ktp.innovateuk.org) is Europe's leading programme helping businesses to improve their competitiveness by enabling companies to work with higher education or research and technology organisations to obtain knowledge, technology or skills which they consider to be of strategic competitive importance. The UK- wide programme is overseen by Innovate UK https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk the UK’s innovation agency, and supported by 16 other public sector funding organisations.

The University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute and Department of Physics is an interdisciplinary research centre dedicated to advancing next-generation electronic and photonic device technologies.
Their strategy is based on having selective and focussed programmes of research, each of critical mass, which embrace in their investigations the full spectrum of fundamental science through to applied engineering.  They are proud of their record of excellence, and proud of the practical benefits their work has brought to the wider world.  Their contribution to academia, industry and society as a whole places them as one of the leading research laboratories in advanced technologies in the world.

Plastipack Ltd contact details: Tel +44 (0) 1424 851 659, www.plastipack.co.uk