Plastipack has opened a new test and research facility at its headquarters in St Leonards-on-Sea.
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Amber Rudd and Peter Adlington
Plastipack, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialist covering materials for swimming pools, has opened a new test facility that comprises five outdoor 8m x 4m x 1.2m swimming pools located side by side.
The unique facility, which Plastipack says is a world first, allows it to accurately measure and compare the performance of different types of cover materials, while monitoring real-time water temperature and environmental conditions.
Peter Adlington, Managing Director of Plastipack, explained: “Our new outdoor laboratory will be invaluable in the development, analysis and comparison of high performance cover materials for pools. It increases our understanding of how products perform on real pools and will help Plastipack maintain market leadership through technical expertise.”
The new centre was officially opened by Rt. Hon. Amber Rudd MP, Member of Parliament for Hastings and Rye, and Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.
Amber Rudd said: “It’s encouraging that an interesting and innovative business such as Plastipack is growing so strongly on the world stage from their established base in Hastings. It’s vital that they are able to continue to access the support within the UK and Europe that is so important for their growth prospects.”
The test area represents an investment of £100k at Plastipack’s St Leonards site, which currently employs 34 core staff. Plastipack currently exports to 34 countries throughout the world, with around 75 percent of its business in the EU.
The test facility has been designed and developed in collaboration with the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) at the University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute and Department of Physics. The project is co-funded by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK.