The UK-based Omega Plastics Group, which was established in 2015 following the merger of Omega Plastics and Signal Plastics, installed a Vector 1300 injection moulding machine from Negri Bossi. The press, which features a clamping force of 1,300 tons and comes complete with robotic equipment, will run at the Omega factory in Washington, one of the three sites of the group, the others being those in Blyth and Hartlepool (all located in the UK).

The purchase of the 400,000-pound machine was partially financed by a 200,000-pound regional fund received by the company, which launched an investment programme of approximately 1,000,000 pounds aimed at expanding its production capacity in all of its three facilities. The introduction of the Vector 1300 press will enable the British converter to produce more and larger automotive parts, and also led to the hiring of three new machine operators.

“We decided to make this investment on the back of the increased demand from the automotive industry. It’s a significant development in the growth of the business but we’ll see the rewards not just in terms of the extended product offer but also in making our process more cost effective by improving our energy efficiency”, said Alan Franklin, managing director of Signal Plastics.