VarDAR Systems win 2022 Horners Award for Plastics Innovation and Design

After a high-calibre competition, VarDAR has been announced as the winner of the Horners Award for Plastics Innovation and Design.

VarDAR is the shortened name of the Variable Diameter Dual Directional Flow Air Ring, supplied by VarDAR Systems. Intended for blown film lines, the product can be retrofitted or fitted to new lines and improves cooling efficiency on many applications ranging from small tube lines up to large machines with web widths up to three meters. Productivity is increased by adding additional cooling above the frost line, improving the speed of production and reducing scrap levels and ‘blocking’ (caused when the inside surfaces stick together).

The winner of the British Plastics Federation Award is Plastribution’s 7 Branches of Sustainability, which aids fact-based material and design choices for plastics processors. With the term ‘sustainability’ meaning different things to different people, this simple system features seven categories intended to clarify the situation.

MacRebur by the Plastic Road Company was highly commended by the judges - a product made from waste plastics that enhances and extends the bitumen binder in asphalt during road construction, with a projected lifespan of 500 years.

The inaugural winner of the David Williams Award, presented to those who make an outstanding contribution to society through plastics, was also agreed by the judges. It went to design undergraduate Zara King of Teeside University. Zara designed EasyMode, a re-usable bedpan that has a replaceable pulp liner. The bedpan is designed with a wide base to improve ease of use and reduce spillages in healthcare settings.

Chairman of the Worshipful Company of Horners Awards Committee Professor Stefaan Simons states:

The entries demonstrated the breadth of inventiveness within the plastics industry once more. As always, judging this competition is difficult due to the strength and diversity of entries but we congratulate VarDAR Systems on a worthy win. We are confident their product has the potential to reduce waste and improve the efficiency of blown film lines everywhere. We also congratulate the other award winners and are delighted to have our first ever winner of the David Williams Award. We are sure that David, who made an outstanding contribution to the plastics industry himself, would have been delighted with the decision to present the award to Zara. Her bedpan will make a huge difference to both patients and staff alike when dealing with life on the hospital ward.

VarDAR Systems and Zara King will be formally presented with their awards at the upcoming Horners Annual Dinner. The Horners Award for Plastics Innovation and Design is one of the longest running plastics awards in the world. Both awards are  jointly run by the British Plastics Federation (BPF) and the Worshipful Company of Horners (a livery company).

Those interested in entering next year’s awards can find details on the BPF website.