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News Release from: Polymer Cluster
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 18 December 2006
Organisation helps West Midlands
innovation
The Polymer Cluster for the West Midlands has already achieved several of its 2006/07 business targets just six months into its renewed mission.
The Polymer Cluster for the West Midlands has already achieved several of its 2006/07 business targets just six months into its renewed mission Polymer Cluster Champion, Paul Hackney, says that the half-yearly figures are a testament both to the underlying strength of West Midlands innovation and also reflect the determination of the Telford-based Cluster to help the West Midlands grow its plastics-based innovations and create and safeguard jobs in the sector
"We are now the key regional body for stimulating and enabling plastics and rubber manufacturing growth and we have a specific mission to see plastics innovation prosper in the West Midlands" says Hackney.
"All plastics and rubber companies should therefore make sure to talk to us sooner rather than later about their new product development and business plans since we currently have the means to help catalyse growth".
From April of this year the Polymer Cluster can now draw on GBP 1 million of funding from the European Regional Development Fund.
This will fund the Cluster project until its to formal ending in June 2008.
All kinds of small to medium-sized (SME) Midlands-based plastics businesses are therefore strongly urged to apply to the Cluster in order to explore avenues of possible funding.
Hackney notes that the economic climate is positive.
"Currently we see more market confidence in the area, compared to three years ago".
"We ourselves are also more experienced and have developed more network partners to help businesses on the ground".
"Our assistance is open-ended and enduring and we make sure that we stay with our clients throughout their development process in order to help ensure successful outcomes".
Hackney notes that the UK - rich in science, research, technology and intellectual property - has perhaps long had a reputation for failing to get new inventions and ideas fully developed, tested, and produced into the marketplace in volume.
"At the Polymer Cluster, we are in the business - via our renewed financial and technical resources - to remove log jams and barriers to growth, and to help make the West Midlands the plastics manufacturing powerhouse it should be".
Many of the Polymer Cluster projects are concerned with new product development or are helping Midlands manufacturers experiment with plastics materials for the first time.
The first few days of consultancy are often about feasibility studies for substituting plastics with alternative and existing materials such as metals, papers or cardboard".
"We are able to assist qualifying companies in any and all stages of their product development; from ideas, to prototype testing on the purpose built facilities at the University of Wolverhampton, to trialling and full testing and validation".
"Many of our manufacturing clients find themselves in a period of transition - and it very often helps them to have friendly expertise and resources that will take them forward to successful outcomes".
Project assists from the Polymer Cluster typically measured from ten to twenty five days of expert resources and project lead times vary from three to eighteen months.
Midlands client names in recent months include Sirane, Hymix Holdings, Washa, BU Group, Crown Plastic Mouldings, GSF, Teardrop Technologies, Eurofilm Extrusions, AceNu-look, Makmarine, and Moorland Group.
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