On Tuesday November 1st Lord Digby Jones will open the Boddingtons £4.6m state-of-the-art injection moulding plant in Marden, Kent, with words of encouragement for British manufacturing.
Former Government Minister and CBI Director General, Lord Digby Jones was a noted pro-Brexit supporter, pre-referendum. Since June 23 he continues to promote a grass roots and self-determining approach to UK government, business, trade and industry.
‘It gives me great pleasure to help support this new, high-value manufacturing venture at Boddingtons,’ he says. ‘More than ever the time is right for a renewed belief in ourselves and our home-grown skills and talents – using these in the service of innovation, growth, sales and exports.
The fact that Boddingtons recently won the prestigious 2016 Plastics Processor of the Year on September 30th tells me that the company’s peers in the UK plastics industry believe the same.’
Lord Jones says that ‘I am also pleased to see that many Boddingtons customers and potential customers will be present at the new factory launch. I would urge all in UK business and manufacturing to find fresh impetus in buying British goods and services and, indeed, to back each other in the coming months ahead. By investing in each other we invest in our common wealth, and help each other ‘rise up on the tide’ together.
Lord Jones adds that ‘November 1st will be a special day:
Not only shall we celebrate the physical achievement of a new injection moulding shop that is the equal of anything in the world, we shall also exhort and encourage UK manufacturers to make the most of it – to network together and to the best of out each other. UK manufacturing now has great potential and renewed independence and freedom to fulfil our destiny on a truly global stage.’
Born and raised in Alvechurch near Birmingham, Lord Jones gained a degree in law and worked as a corporate lawyer before becoming Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in 2000 – 2006 – holding government to account on many occasions. He also campaigned on a range of issues including the move from traditional manufacturing of commodities to value-added, innovative products and services.
Lord Jones has a broad portfolio of Non-Executive Directorships and advisory roles with a range of UK businesses including the positions of Chairman of Triumph Motorcycles and Corporate Ambassador to Jaguar Land Rover.
Lord Jones held the post of Minister of State for UK Trade and Investment from 2007 to 2008 and is now a Cross Bench Peer in the House of Lords.
Boddingtons Managing Director Andy Tibbs says that ‘we are delighted that Lord Digby Jones is able to join us on our special day and help launch our new facility and our new business horizons; which now catering to the best companies in the world.’
Some 15% of the new Boddingtons floor space will initially be used as modular Class 7 cleanroom manufacturing and demand for these services is expected to be immediate.
The advanced moulding environment at Boddingtons now includes; expandable Class 7 cleanrooms, reducing bioburdens and particulates; white room(s) with less fibres and contiminants, disaster recovery safeguards and many other customer benefits.
The new facility has been built to the highest standards and will offer improved disabled access; new canteen and meeting facilities, customised computer, communications and server facilities, hardware and software, daylight lighting, ergonomic systems of building control and energy efficiency and many other features.A portion of the afternoon of November 1st at Boddingtons has been set aside for one-to-one tours and meetings with customers, designer and product specifiers. A few of these places are still available.
For full details please contact Lucy Bridge at the company – Lucy.Bridge@boddingtons.co.uk – Tel 01622 833 722
