Mold maker and tooling specialist R&D/Leverage Europe unveiled its new $3.8 million product solutions laboratory (PSL) in the United Kingdom last week.
The new 1,400-square-meter facility, in Sutton in Ashfield, England, is equipped with the latest generation of ancillary equipment, including robotics, chillers, dryers and compressors.
R&D/Leverage said the PSL offered the industry “a total solution for its tooling needs”.
The plant also features six machines, including Nissei 12M and 70DPW blow molding machines.
Alan Tolley, R&D/Leverage U.K.'s managing director, said the PSL facility was bought with the aim of “providing a secure research and development working environment to confirm the feasibility for bottle/jar shape, market evaluations short-run production for line, filling, labelling and capping trials, as well as tooling qualification and process validation.”
Tolley went on: “Part of our strategic plan is to become partners with brand owners such as Unilever and L'Oréal, where we enter projects from the concept stage. By doing this we are able to give better support, ultimately offering a streamlined solution ensuring maximum efficiency and minimum time to market.”
He said the new facility and its equipment were key to giving customers what they required.
“As we grow we expect our exceptional workforce to continue growing,” he added.
“We have a young workforce, thanks to an active apprentice training program created 15 years ago, and our training program has been recognized with a National Training Award for the East Midlands.”
R&D/Leverage Europe is a subsidiary of R&D/Leverage of Lee's Summit, Mo.