Renowned industry leader, Plastic Mouldings Northern Ltd, has announced the appointment of Geoff Hodgson as Managing Director at their Bishop Auckland site, signalling further investment into the future growth of the global manufacturer.
The appointment swiftly follows a period of staff expansion to their management team which saw Grace Collingwood (Internal Sales Co-ordinator) Lewis Rigg (CAD/CAM Engineer) and Matthew Whittle (Sales Manager) join business partners Freddy Bourdais and Mark Rigg who founded the business in 2002 on the senior management team.
Geoff joins the team following 13 years with Formula Plastics Ltd as Managing Director, alongside previous positions as Production Manager and Operations Director. Geoff brings to the role 33 years’ experience in the plastic industry, where he worked his way up from the ground, starting out in vacuum forming producing FMCG as a factory labourer sweeping floors and helping set machines. Fast forward 33 years and Geoff brings to the table a wealth of experience in production and operational logistics after executing several successful projects to improve capacity, through positive efficiency monitoring, waste and headcount management, machine commissioning and process and procedure introduction.
Geoff Hodgson, Managing Director, Plastic Mouldings Northern Ltd said:
“I have joined a company that has grown year on year for almost quarter of a century. So, it’s safe to say I’m starting on strong foundations with a well-established team. Fast moving sales with short lead times is something that excites me, and having colleagues around me that are embracing change has really helped me settle in.
I have only been with Plastic Mouldings Northern for a short period of time, but from day one I could see they care about staff, the business and the sector we are in, and that was right up my street as I do too.
From the onset it is evident that maintaining and growing long standing relationships is hugely important to everyone at Plastic Mouldings Northern and this has always been my own manufacturing ethos. It made joining Plastic Mouldings Northern an easy choice, at such an exciting time. Building and keeping relationship is what I have always tried to do. I don’t want to just win work, I want to win relationships and help take the drama off a customer’s desk.”
In the new role Geoff will oversee operational management of the two sites, manning machinery, materials, methods and challenge current process and procedures to drive efficiencies and reduce waste.
The main output at Plastic Mouldings Northern is the production of vacuum formed plastic parts, which sees them supply high quality and often very intricate moulded parts across a range of industries from automotive and aerospace, to the food industry. The brands they serve span globally and include The London Underground, Bentley, McLaren, BAE, the Ocado group and Bosch. As vacuum forming specialists, they have over 200 years combined experience in the field and the expertise within the company in this area continues to drive the company forward.
Alongside their vacuum forming operation they are one of the UKs leading suppliers of plastic packaging solutions, including Euro containers, across a wide range of industries. Storing over 100,000 products on an expansive site spanning 3 acres and 65,000 square feet of indoor storage.
Sustainability is a big talking point in the industry, and this is an area which will fall under the remit for the new role. Over the years Plastic Mouldings Northern have diverted an impressive 284,340 kilograms of material from landfill (June 2018 – July 2023), with recent recognition from Aim to Recycle, highlighting their significant contributions to environmental sustainability through recycling waste materials.
Geoff added:
“Our expertise and range of refurbished and recycled packaging is set up to aid companies hit sustainability targets through bespoke moulding and resourceful packaging procurement. We have our own net zero goal that I’m proud to be leading us into, premises extensions, solar energy and closed loop packaging and a new market strategy are at the forefront of our next phase.”
Freddy Bourdais, Sales Director, Plastic Mouldings Northern Limited said:
“The appointment of Geoff as Managing Director marks a very pivotal point for the company as we continue to maintain our significant footprint in the industry. Geoff’s background, substantial industry expertise and ethos is a perfect match for Plastic Mouldings Northern. We are looking to the future and Geoff’s appointment alongside our recent period of staff expansion in the senior management team will aid the further growth and direction of the company.
Alongside the investment in staff, we are in the process of further extending one of our sites to allow for additional office space and an onsite R&D facility. Our investment signals our continued commitment to the North East region, our confidence in the growth of the company, and our ambition to remain as industry leaders.”
