HotSeat – Neil Ashurst, Interim General Manager at Coral Products (Mouldings)
Coral Products (Mouldings) Ltd, part of the Coral Products PLC Group, is a manufacturer of plastic injection, extruded and blow moulded products. Neil Ashurst, Interim General Manager, has been with the company since July 2015, and has been in manufacturing quality management roles for nearly 30 years. He is the next PlastikCity Partner to face the HotSeat…
What trends do you think will shape the future of UK plastics? How will Coral Products (Mouldings) Ltd respond?
As can be seen in the UK media in recent months there is a huge push on recycling, re-use and replacement of plastics, especially in single use such as food trays and cups etc. I expect this to broaden in the future to encompass all plastics. In the medium term there will be new types of economical bio-plastics developed both stand alone and in conjunction with enzymes to bio-degrade plastics from within over time. We make a special effort to keep abreast of new developments in these areas, with a view to adopting any relevant materials as soon as they are readily available.
In the meantime, we at Coral believe that we can support both use and re-use of plastics by light-weighting our current and future offerings where possible whilst keeping the integrity of the product, this is already happening across the business. In addition, where we supply products into the market, once the products have come to the end of their useful life they can be returned to Coral and reprocessed into new products thus closing the 360-degree loop, again this is currently happening.
How has Coral Products (Mouldings) Ltd developed during your tenure?
Over the last three years Coral is unrecognisable in terms of culture, leadership, staff welfare and wellbeing. The Management team focus on continuous improvement activities in terms of health & safety, manufacturing excellence, investment, staff training and development. There is no silo management at Coral. We all share a passion to ensure that the company is successful, and that business growth is sustainable.
What do you credit as the key to your success?
Having a robust strategy that is achievable and all the team understand their part in delivering the strategy
What has been the greatest challenge in your career?
Developing staff with limited skills into experts in their field – massive challenge, but the most rewarding.
What advice do you wish you’d had on entering the industry and does that differ from the advice you would give to an Apprentice joining now?
Have a willingness to learn all aspects of the business and enjoy every minute of it.
What hidden talents do you have?
Celebrity impersonator.
Coral Products (Mouldings) Ltd
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