Business Editor Mike Hughes meets a fine example of how the manufacturing sector has changed.
A FEW weeks before England‘s World Cup final, a young football fan gave his ticket to his brother.
21-year-old Peter Hewitson let his head rule his heart and started work at KC Ellis instead of watching the match.
Perhaps that sort of loyalty was more common then, but it has certainly paid off for Peter, who has just retired after 45 years with the same company. Different names, but the same company.
KC Ellis, who had moved to the area from Leicester, was acquired by the British United Shoe Machinery Company and in 1967 Elta Plastics was born. The firm operated under several owners before being acquired by Japanese manufacturing giant Nifco in 1990.
“I had worked at ICI at Wilton before that,” said Peter, now relaxing at his home in Norton with wife Marise. “But I saw an advert and liked the sound of the job. I finished on Thursday at ICI and started on Friday with Ellis.”
That job was making the machines which make the moulds into which the plastic is injected - the first part of a cutting-edge process that revolutionised the industry’s production processes.
In those early days the work was varied but, because of the precision that was possible, included fine interlocking cogs inside gas meters. As the business developed, the automotive sector started to take priority with customers like Ford and Nissan - who made Nifco a preferred supplier and started a long-term relationship.
“The business went from 2D to 3D, in its equipment as well as the way it operated,” said Peter.
“There was a lot to look after and I found myself travelling all over the place, including China where I found a supply base we could use, and we worked in Portugal which was switching from glassworks to plastics. We did very good business there, making more than 300 mouldings for them.”
As the market changed so did his colleagues, and Peter smiles as he recalls people like John Sibson, Alan Bailey, Mick Pinder and, of course Mike Matthews (the current MD) who helped shape the company.
Mike said: “Peter has been a tremendous asset to the business throughout the 45 years he has been here, and is one of a number of long-serving members of the team, who have seen the company transform from a small plastics factory to a major international business.
“The timing of Peter’s retirement is quite poignant for Nifco UK. We’re on the verge of a move to a fantastic new multi-million pound premises and have some really exciting growth plans.
“It is great to think that some of the appointments we make over the coming months will introduce a new generation of Nifco employee to the company, and hopefully they will have the chance to see the same tremendous business growth and development that Peter has during their time with us.”
So what do you do with yourself after 45 years of hard graft?
As well as time with his family, Peter will be keeping his engineering brain in gear by working on his 1952 Ford Prefect, which he got just a few years after the missed World Cup, a 1961 BSA Golden Flash motorbike and the BMW K1200 bike that he and Marise use for their frequent rides to France.
This is obviously a man who values good solid engineering - and has the tools of the trade to make sure that tradition keeps going.