…and PET moldmaker R&D officially opens new digs

On May 11, R&D Tool and Engineering Ltd.’s new U.K. facility in Sutton–in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire was officially opened. R&D moved to the purpose-built 27,000-sq-ft facility late last year from leased premises nearby. The new facility is 50% larger than the old site.

The move into larger premises last year was made on the back of growth and an expansion of the sales network. R&D’s Managing Director Alan Tolley, said, “Over the past few years we did feasibility studies about manufacturing in China and Central Europe but, given our skilled workforce, the road network, and airport facilities we enjoy in the area, the management team at R&D decided this was the place we would compete in a global market….The challenges we face in the coming years will be immense, but 80% of the tooling manufactured this year have been for export to markets in South Africa, Saudi Arabia, France, Spain, at the last count we have exported tooling to over 40 different countries.” R&D also has moldmaking facilities in the U.S. and Slovakia.—[email protected]