HotSeat: Judson Smythe, Managing Director at MGS Technical Plastics

MGS Technical Plastics is a UK injection moulding company renowned for its expertise in volume manufacturing and its commitment to quality, sustainability, and community engagement across a diverse range of industries. 

In this PlastikMedia HotSeat, Managing Director Judson Smythe talks about the company investing in more machinery and automation in response to challenges coming from outside of UK manufacturing. Judson also credits his success to the support he’s received from the MGS team and highlights the importance of investing in people as much as machinery. 

What trends do you think will shape the future of UK plastics? How will MGS Technical Plastics respond?

The future of UK plastics is an advanced one. The industry will succeed where we combine technical capability, automation, and smart use of data with a highly skilled workforce.

Automotive has been a backbone of the UK plastics industry for a long time, and we can’t ignore the potential impact of the influx of Chinese vehicles on that ecosystem. If we lose too much automotive volume, there is a real risk of eroding the critical mass that keeps skills, tooling capability and supply chains here in the UK – it’s a threat.

That said, I don’t see the future as negative – I see it as a call to evolve. As an industry, we’re fantastic at adapting. We are close-knit, collaborative, and highly capable, which gives us a real advantage in responding quickly to change.

At MGS Technical Plastics, our response is to lean even further into advanced manufacturing. We’re investing in more sophisticated machinery and automation, developing our people, and focusing on higher-value, technically demanding work – the type of projects where proximity, engineering input and reliable partnerships really matter.

In short, we expect more change, more technology and more pressure – but we also see a lot of opportunity for UK plastics businesses that are prepared to be agile, invest, and work together.

How has MGS Technical Plastics developed during your tenure?

During my time at MGS Technical Plastics, we’ve effectively reimagined the business. We’ve completed a full replacement of our machine park in under ten years, continually bringing in more advanced equipment and technology. That investment has allowed us to improve consistency, increase efficiency and take on more complex, higher-specification work for our customers.

It isn’t just about new kit, though. We’ve diversified our customer base, strengthened our processes and pushed ourselves to stay ahead of the competition. We’ve worked hard to move from being seen purely as a moulding supplier to being a technical partner – involved earlier, adding more value, and thinking long-term with our customers.

I’m proud of how far we’ve come, but I’m equally clear that we still have a long way to go to reach where we want to be. That sense of unfinished business is a big part of what drives us forward.

What do you credit as the key to your success?

Without question, Team MGS.

We have great people at MGS. Their attitude, willingness to learn, and pride in what they produce is what allows us to invest, grow and take on challenging work with confidence.

You can buy machinery and technology, but you can’t buy culture. The way our people pull together, support each other and rally around customers when it really matters is what makes the difference. Any success I’ve had personally, or that MGS has had as a business, reflects the great work our team do every day. I can make promises because our team delivers.

What has been the greatest challenge in your career?

Looking back, the greatest challenge in my career was moving across the globe to a country I had never visited before, and having to prove myself all over again.

Professionally, it meant rebuilding my network from scratch, understanding a new business culture, and delivering results without the safety net of long-established relationships.
Personally, it meant starting a new life far from home.

What made that challenge manageable – and ultimately rewarding – was the support I found within the plastics industry. People were incredibly welcoming, generous with their time and willing to help. That spirit of support and community is one of the things I value most about this industry – so thank you to those who have had that impact.

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?

Looking back, I don’t think I fully understood the importance of learning through curiosity when I first entered the industry. I saw learning as something that happened in courses or classrooms, rather than something you do every day on the job.

Today, I’d say that having the right attitude and a positive approach to learning is fundamental for anyone in manufacturing – whether you’re an apprentice, a manager or a machine operator. Technology moves quickly, customers’ expectations keep rising, and the people who succeed are the ones who stay curious and keep improving.

My advice to an apprentice now would be:

• Ask questions – the only bad question is the one you don’t ask.
• Learn broadly – don’t just focus on your station; try to understand tooling, materials, quality, maintenance and the commercial side as well.
• Bring the right attitude – reliability, openness, and a willingness to get stuck in will take you a long way.

I genuinely believe the harder you work, the luckier you seem to get. Effort and attitude have a habit of creating their own opportunities

What hidden talents do you have?

I have a few, but this is a slightly unusual one: I play pool ambidextrously – I can comfortably cue with either hand. It’s a decent party trick, but I suspect it’s also the reason I’ve never actually got that good at pool… I’ve probably spent more time switching hands than progressing my game.

Read more news from MGS Technical Plastics here. 

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