The local authority’s Business Support team has worked with Melton Plastics Ltd pre and post pandemic, providing advice, support and access to grant funding which has helped to enhance its output, reputation, and market reach.

Established as a sole trader in 1972, the company changed hands in 2016 following the retirement of its previous owner. Specialising in injection moulding of thermoplastics, it prides itself as being a ‘one-stop-shop’ of tooling, moulding, part design, and post moulding operations which includes complete mechanical assemblies ready for despatch to end customers.

Already a trusted name by a number of multinational companies operating in building and construction, defence, oil and gas, and electronics sectors, the business has recently diversified to serve clients in consumer products, healthcare, and sporting goods under the stewardship of current owner Azam Khan.

Access to a range of help from the council and its economic development partners came at just the right time, enabling Azam and his growing team to build on the company’s reputation while creating unique and exciting job opportunities in its hometown of Carluke.

Explained Azam: “I am very proud to be able to say that almost our entire team is from the South Lanarkshire area. Not only that but, in the last two years, we have been able to take on four young people from the Carluke area, two of whom are going through their modern apprenticeship in mechanical engineering at New College Lanarkshire (NCL).

“In fact, we were proud to have been named Employer of the Year for our Engineering apprenticeship at the inaugural NCL Apprenticeship awards in March.

“The Business Support team has helped me to navigate the wealth of advice and grant funding that is out there and to maximise its impact day-to-day, boosting our capacity, futureproofing our workforce, and allowing us to continue to trade UK-wide despite the undoubted challenges of the pandemic.

“The team in Carluke has more than doubled since 2017 when we first accessed council support. We are now more able than ever to establish new business-to-business relationships in an expanding and competitive market.”

Despite the unprecedented and unpredictable global circumstances of the last two years, Melton Plastics have traded throughout the pandemic, largely due to their contracts in the healthcare industry, and have come out the other side, stronger, more resilient and keener to expand.

This optimism has been underpinned by significant infrastructure improvements at Melton Plastics HQ in Carluke’s Castlehill Industrial Estate, much of which has been made possible again with support of the council team in accessing a business support grant.

The financial boost also helped the company to achieve ISO9001:2015 accreditation, further strengthening the brand and its appeal to new and existing clients.

Added Azam: “One of the elements that makes us stand out from our competitors is our willingness to offer comprehensive consultancy about design for manufacturing and material selection with no strings attached. This support is coupled with our service to supply prototypes for product testing before committing to the tooling investment.

“To enable us to do that, we need to invest and continually update and improve our infrastructure to keep us ahead of the field. With the support of the team, we have invested in new equipment to improve productivity, provided training for staff in CAD and CAM software, changed the factory layout to improve workflow and all of this has helped us grow our business and recruit more staff.

“It has been such a positive experience having access to a dedicated advisor who really helped us navigate the nuances of the funding process and making sure we provided everything that was needed for our application to be successful.”

Councillor Robert Brown, Chair of the Council’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee recently visited Melton Plastics to see for himself the difference that the Business Support team has made.

He said: “I’m privileged in this role to meet and visit the businesses that make South Lanarkshire work, and which fly the flag for what dedication and teamwork can achieve.

“Melton Plastics Ltd is an undoubted South Lanarkshire success story, starting from scratch 50 years ago, and not only going strong, but thriving, today in what is an entirely changed world.

“The recruitment and training of local young people in particular is a credit to Azam and the team.

“I am delighted to have been invited along to see Melton Plastics at work first-hand. I hope their example will encourage other businesses large and small across the authority to look to the opportunities for expansion which exist in South Lanarkshire – and not least to explore what trusted business support from the council can achieve.”

The council’s Business Support Team can offer a huge range of advice, support, and access to funding opportunities to businesses across South Lanarkshire. You can find out more at South Lanarkshire Means Business.