Washington plastics firm invests in clean tech

A plastics company with operations across the North East is taking steps to minimise its environmental impact.

Washington-based Omega Plastics has invested in electric injection moulding machines from Japanese-German manufacturer Sumitomo (SHI) Demag.

Gary Powner, managing director at Omega Plastics, said the decision “makes perfect sense”.

He explained: “At the moment, there is a premium of about 20% to pay compared to that of a hydraulic machine, but when you then subsequently save between 40% and 70% on energy costs, it doesn’t take long to recoup the additional cost and start making further savings.”

Omega Plastics provides advanced prototype and production moulding and tooling services for the automotive, packaging, manufacturing, electronics, medical and pharmaceutical sectors.

The company has bought two all-electric machines from Sumitomo (SHI) Demag to date.

The latest will replace an older hydraulic machine at its factory in Blyth – one of Omega Plastics’ three North East facilities.

Speaking further, Gary said: “We bought our first Sumitomo Demag IntElect machine about three years ago and it’s never missed a beat. It is quick and easy to set up – the NC5 control system is very intuitive.

“It’s class leading and that’s why we are investing again. We have recently invested in clean tech, all electric machinery at our factory in Hartlepool, so this latest investment will go a long way towards bringing all of our facilities up to the same high standard.”

Ian Jobling, area sales manager at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, commented: “The new 160 Ton IntElect machine that we have supplied to Omega Plastics will ensure the company is prepared for the future.

“Omega are a great company to work with and it’s always a pleasure to see our customers achieving their goals by adopting a smart investment strategy.”