KraussMaffei UK Recognised for Redefining Customer Partnerships at the 2025 Plastics Industry Awards

KraussMaffei UK has been named as a finalist for the ‘Best Business Initiative’ at the 2025 Plastics Industry Awards, recognising the company’s innovative, customer focused approach that helped a UK SME overcome significant financial and operational challenges to achieve long-term growth.

Supporting UK manufacturing through innovative collaboration

The nomination highlights KraussMaffei’s collaboration with Product Design and Development Ltd (PDD), a West Sussex-based product design and injection moulding manufacturer, founded by Piers Catton in 2021. With over 50 years of experience in plastics design and moulding, Catton recognised early that success in a competitive market depends on strong, long-term relationships between customers and suppliers.

When PDD began facing the combined pressures of rising energy costs, supply chain pressures, and increased competition in the manufacturing sector, Catton recognised that survival alone wasn’t enough – the business needed to adapt and invest to grow. With decades of hands-on experience, he understood that modern, energy-efficient machinery was essential to improve margins, enhance efficiency, and ensure competitiveness in the UK market.

PDD’s ageing hydraulic moulding machines, though reliable, consumed excessive power, making it harder to remain competitive and meet sustainability goals.

Like many SMEs, however, PDD encountered obstacles when exploring traditional routes to finance. While the business had a clear strategy and strong order book, rigid lending criteria and a risk-averse investment climate made it difficult to secure funding for new machinery. Recognising that the traditional approach wasn’t working, Catton sought a supplier willing to think differently and offer a practical, relationship-led solution.

PDD approached several machinery suppliers for assistance but found most were unwilling to look beyond conventional sales models. In contrast, KraussMaffei UK’s Sales Director, Richard Mumford, took a different approach, based on collaboration, flexibility, and trust.

Removing financial barriers to innovation

Rather than providing a standard quotation, Mumford took the time to sit down with Catton and discuss the company’s long-term objectives, operational needs, and growth plans. Through open dialogue and creative thinking, the two developed a bespoke proposal that would enable investment and growth that bypassed external lenders while enabling PDD to access state-of-the-art production technology.

KraussMaffei supplied its showroom with a PX 120 all-electric injection moulding machine, complete with an LRX robot, on preferential terms that removed the need for traditional financing and unnecessary legal fees. The agreement allowed PDD to modernise its manufacturing operations immediately, delivering lower running costs, higher precision, and greater automation without compromising financial stability. The PX machine’s all electric drive and automation features resulted in significant measurable gains in efficiency, performance, and energy usage.

By taking an unconventional but practical approach, the company helped PDD overcome the barriers that often prevent smaller manufacturers from investing in new technology. The PX 120 provides measurable cost savings and a significant improvement in energy efficiency.

Measurable results and proven performance

Since installation, the system has delivered outstanding results, reducing PDD’s electricity costs by over £1,500 per month. Power consumption tests show an average running cost of just £1.14 per hour for both the machine and robot combined. The machine has yet to produce a single reject part, reinforcing the company’s reputation for precision and reliability. The integrated LRX automation system has also removed the need for a full-time operator, further improving efficiency and lowering labour costs.

These tangible gains have allowed PDD to reinvest in its business and focus on product development, creating new revenue streams through its own range of innovative consumer products.

Enabling UK-made innovation

With improved profitability and capacity, PDD has launched several new products under its own brand, including the Pill Caddy, a reusable, high-quality pill management system designed and manufactured entirely in the UK. The Pill Caddy includes tactile markings for those with impaired vision and comes with a lifetime guarantee, an indication of the company’s commitment to accessible, sustainable design.

Building on this success, PDD has since developed additional products such as the Pill Picker Case, which allows users to safely and easily remove pills from blister packs, a collapsible hairbrush for travel, and the “S” Tee Pro, a patented golf tee designed for improved ball contact and reduced resistance.

These products represent a new chapter for PDD: moving from contract manufacturing towards branded, design-led innovation – an opportunity only made possible through KraussMaffei’s support and partnership.

A model for supplier–customer collaboration

Richard Mumford, Sales Director at KraussMaffei UK, commented: ”This project is a clear example of what can be achieved when both supplier and customer think differently. Traditional funding models often fail to reflect the realities of small manufacturers, so we looked for a practical way forward. By building a deal based on trust and long-term partnership, we were able to provide PDD with the technology they needed to grow sustainably.”

”It’s rewarding to see that the investment has not only reduced costs but also helped the customer launch their own UK-made products. That’s exactly the kind of success story KraussMaffei wants to help create.”

Commitment to UK manufacturing

KraussMaffei UK’s nomination reflects its broader commitment to supporting British manufacturers with tailored solutions that combine technical expertise, financial flexibility, and reliable local support. As KraussMaffei continues to work with businesses of all sizes to deliver advanced machinery solutions across injection moulding, extrusion, and reaction processing technologies, the company helps customers enhance efficiency and competitiveness in the global market.

The winners of the 2025 Plastics Industry Awards will be announced at a gala ceremony in London later this month.

Read more news from KraussMaffei here.

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