Doing more with less is also a given for Talisman’s marketing strategy: Since the company name change five years ago a doubling of turnover has resulted. The key to this has been a relentless 80/20 Pareto-based analysis of customers and markets than actually provide Talisman with value and volume. Over the past five years the consequence has been a fivefold reduction in unprofitable business. Today’s Talisman is now proactively focused on value-giving sectors such as automotive, fluid transfer and electricals as well nurturing a thriving proprietary product range in moulded food packaging.

"One phone call: That’s all I ever need or want to make if I want to explore all the possibilities in this system. I will typically call Adrian and ask - “Can the cell do this?” – to which he will typically reply “Yes” – or will research the issues and get back to me with options. And this relationship serves to further increase our creativity, efficiency and sales."

Avenue Mould Solutions Managing Director Felim McNeela stressed that Avenue will continue to serve its existing customers and offer mold-building for customers who wish to do their own injection molding. “GW Plastics does not wish to change Avenue’s successful history of supplying tooling to our injection molding and contract manufacturing customers,” said McNeela.

The acquisition follows expansions of GW Plastics’ facilities in San Antonio, TX; Tucson, AZ; and Dongguan, China, as well as its thermoplastics and silicones manufacturing and mold-building facilities in Royalton, VT, all within the last two years.

For Fellowes the advantage in single source supply includes the peace-of-mind and equipment synergy provided by one manufacturer. But more importantly, the move opens up opportunities in aftersales service and partnership.

Injection-moulder Talisman Plastics is reaping the benefit from its new MacroPower-based injection moulding production cell, designed and supplied from Wittmann (WIBA UK).

Mark Fellowes, Talisman operations director, said that "prior to purchase we did our due diligence and comparison - routine for all our investments - and Adrian Walters and the WIBA UK team came through with flying colours."

GW Plastics (Bethel, VT) announced today the purchase of Avenue Mould Solutions, a precision mold building, machining and injection molding company based in Sligo, Ireland. Noting growing demand for its services from medical device OEMs, GW Plastics said that the acquisition of Avenue Mould Solutions will bring into the fold “unparalleled global precision moldmaking and advanced manufacturing capability to support customers on three continents.”

"In common with our supplier partner WIBA UK we are also building growth through a one-stop- shop that includes products, services and strategy – not only for know-how, cost and convenience – but also for the new and emerging circular economy," mentioned Talisman sales director, Spencer Whale.

Talisman Plastics – previously known as LGG Charlesworth until five years ago – celebrated its one-hundred-year manufacturing pedigree last year. The company’s busy Malvern factory contains many production cells, with only limited space for the new machine.

Avenue Mould Solutions (Sligo, Ireland) brings to GW Plastics expertise in building ultra-high-cavitation tooling for the medical device, diagnostics and pharmaceutical markets.

One constant factor throughout the Talisman procurement decision was WIBA UK’s much heralded ‘one stop shop’ for injection moulders, which not only supplied the 450 tonne MacroPower machine but helped design and fit everything else involved; including 4.0 connectivity, B8 Unilog control, Robotics and Automation, Conveying, Dosing and Guard Control, Materials Drying and Dispensing and additional lighting – bringing the entire package in within the bounds of all security and health and safety requirements.

“Avenue Mould Solutions brings to GW Plastics an experienced and highly skilled advanced manufacturing workforce, an award-winning mold-building company and a growing medical device contract manufacturing business that has been successfully serving Ireland and other markets for 30 years,” said Brenan Riehl, GW Plastics President and CEO, in a prepared statement. “We are pleased that Avenue has decided to join GW Plastics and help us continue to expand our capabilities to better meet our customers’ needs on a global basis.”

"These are the actions that our customers want to see and which help us win new business. At the very least we need suppliers who can match these achievements and ambitions. All Wittmann equipment more than ticks the energy-saving box."

Left to right – Spencer Whale, Talisman sales director, Adrian Walter, WIBA UK area sales manager, Mark Fellowes, Talisman operations director

Adrian Walters, WIBA UK sales engineer said: "Helping create the Talisman MacroPower manufacturing cell has been a valuable and rewarding experience for WIBA UK. Hopefully the benefits will make this the first in many such joint projects as Talisman’s successful strategy bears fruit over the coming three years."

"Last year saw us gain the Environmental Standard, ISO 14001, we also invested £80k in Solar Power, and we also shaved 9% off our annual energy bill," added Fellowes.

"In this particular instance, size happened to be everything," noted Fellowes. Try as they might, competitors could not match the compact footprint design of the Wittmann MacroPower machine; some two metres shorter than the nearest competitor.

This acquisition will give GW Plastics precision mold-building facilities in North America, Asia and Europe, in addition to injection molding and contract manufacturing. Avenue Mould Solutions has particular expertise in building ultra-high-cavitation tooling for the medical device, diagnostics and pharmaceutical markets.