A Devon company specialising in the supply and installation of environmentally friendly hoarding/segregation systems is in the advanced stages of new product development as it looks to secure a project with a major UK airport.
Plasloc Ltd, a contract manufacturer based in Newton Abbot which supplies the commercial, retail and construction markets, has benefited from support from the South West Manufacturing Advisory Service (SWMAS) Ltd.
Through its Product Development Centre (PDC) project, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (2007-2013) Competitiveness Programme, SWMAS enabled Plasloc to carry out a carbon assessment of its products by linking the company up with the Environmental Technologies iNet led by the University of the West of England.
The carbon assessment has enabled Plasloc to provide a detailed carbon footprint comparison of the segregation systems currently used by the airport and those that it could provide through its new system. Plasloc is now in the advanced stages of developing its new product, which is set to be lighter, quicker to install and more carbon friendly, and hopes to go into production in the next four to six weeks.
Stephen Matthews, Managing Director, Plasloc Ltd, said: “Right from our initial consultation SWMAS have been very helpful. The advisors understand our business and what we are looking to achieve and it took just a couple of weeks for the project to commence following our first meeting. We will stay in touch with SMWAS and hope opportunities arise to collaborate on other projects in the future.”
Paul Gilbert, Innovation Advisor, SWMAS, commented: “Plasloc is a great example of an innovative company addressing and utilising the sustainability agenda as a business opportunity. By developing high quality carbon friendly products they have capitalised on new market opportunities and increased their competitiveness.”
SWMAS also provided Plasloc with funding to help support some bespoke extrusion tool design as the company sought to develop a new fire retardant plastic segregation system.
In addition to preventing heavy flumes of black smoke in the event of a fire, the proposed product will also tick the sustainability box given that it will be reusable up to 20 times.