Sierra 57 Consult Celebrates Six Finalist Places at Plastics Industry Awards 2026

Jess Clarke
22 September 2026, 10:17 BST
4 minutes read

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Sierra 57 Consult has secured six finalist places at the Plastics Industry Awards 2026, recognising its work in technical training, workforce development, and industry collaboration.

The company is shortlisted for Best Training and Development Programme of the Year through four separate partnerships with Flambeau Europe, Plasmotec, SGH Moulds, and WHS Plastics. It also features twice in Best Business Initiative of the Year: for the development and expansion of its specialist training business, and for a joint initiative with FANUC UK, Hi-Tech Automation, and PlastikCity.

Together, the six entries demonstrate the breadth of Sierra 57 Consult’s contribution to UK plastics manufacturing, from developing employees’ technical skills and supporting career progression to making specialist training more accessible.

Mark Lawson, Group CEO at Sierra 57 Consult, commented: “Being named a finalist six times is recognition of the work our trainers, customers, and industry partners have put into developing people across the plastics sector. Each partnership starts with understanding what a business and its employees need, then building training around those requirements. Seeing that translate into more confident technicians, stronger teams, and opportunities for people to progress is what makes this recognition particularly rewarding.”

The four training nominations reflect different approaches to developing manufacturing skills, each shaped around the needs of the participating business.

At WHS Plastics, a partnership beginning in October 2023 used individual Training Needs Analysis to identify technical skills gaps and create tailored development programmes. At the time of submission, 22 technicians and process engineers had undertaken a combined 1,520 hours of training. WHS reported improved equipment uptime, faster fault resolution, and greater confidence across the technician team, reducing its reliance on a small number of highly experienced engineers.

SGH Moulds’ Grow Our Own: Rebuilding Skills from Within programme reintroduced apprenticeships after an absence of approximately 30 years. Its first three apprentices were selected from the existing workforce, giving employees with established company knowledge a structured route into more highly skilled technical roles. Supported by Sierra 57 Consult, the programme combines polymer and injection moulding training with workplace mentoring and skills assessment. A planned next phase will introduce LEAN and SMED training to address production efficiency and changeover performance.

At Plasmotec, Sierra 57 Consult delivered 176 hours of specialist Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training in injection moulding and materials to six employees. This forms part of a wider programme combining internal learning, practical assessment, and external expertise to strengthen technical capability and standardise working practices. The programme also supports preparations for BRCGS Packaging Materials accreditation and the development of employees in a competitive local recruitment market.

Flambeau Europe and Sierra 57 Consult complete the company’s four joint finalist places in the training and development category.

Sierra 57 Consult’s individual Best Business Initiative nomination recognises the development of its Training Division, established in 2021 in response to demand for practical training delivered on customers’ own machinery, tooling, and materials.

Initially delivered by two trainers, the service has expanded into extrusion, blow moulding, and injection moulding maintenance, alongside its original injection moulding programmes. Polish-language training and regional Academy Sites have further widened access, addressing language barriers and providing practical learning environments for businesses whose requirements are better suited to an external training location.

At the time of submission, Sierra 57 Consult reported delivering 1,043 courses to 2,558 delegates since 2021, alongside 11,160 hours of CPD. Its training team had grown from two to 11 trainer consultants.

The second business initiative nomination recognises The Future of Precision Engineering event, delivered jointly with FANUC UK, Hi-Tech Automation, and PlastikCity. Held at FANUC’s Ansty Park headquarters from 27 to 29 January 2026, the event brought together 32 co-exhibitors, eight live manufacturing exhibits, and discussions on sustainability, artificial intelligence, connectivity, and skills.

The winners will be announced at the Plastics Industry Awards ceremony on Friday 20 November 2026.