Big Bear Plastics has invested £2 million in new equipment and an ERP system, increasing its production capacity and operational control. The company has also implemented an Environmental Management System aligned with international standards to manage environmental impact, opening new opportunities with domestic and international clients.
It supplies components to off-highway, aerospace, and defense sectors and has begun supplying parts for energy generation/storage market. These developments align with the company’s target of reaching £10 million in annual revenue by 2027.
“Achieving ISO 14001 accreditation for the first time in our 27-year history is a major milestone in our sustainability journey,” explained Daniel Gherghe, quality manager at Big Bear Plastics.
“Gaining the standard is important for winning new business, but bigger than that is the good practice it instils in everyone that works here. Thanks to the comprehensive nature of the audit, we were able to directly identify a host of performance improvements, and this gave us the platform to formalize roles and responsibilities and, importantly, implement a more data-driven system for resource consumption.”
Gherghe continued: “Ethically, it’s the right thing to do – it provides a framework to systematically reduce our environmental impact. Strategically, it brings immense business value, enhancing operational consistency and resilience, ensuring environment compliance and mitigates risk.”
“It also strengthens our brand reputation as a responsible and forward-thinking manufacturing partner.”
Big Bear Plastics has moved beyond vacuum forming and trimming and now includes compression molding and waterjet cutting for lightweight interior trim products. The company handles design, development, tooling, and production for medium- to high-volume molded parts, with sizes up to 3.5m by 2.5m. It processes thermoplastic materials such as ABS, PMMA-ABS, HDPE, HIPS, PC, and PE in different colors, finishes and thicknesses.
“Modernizing our production floor through the installation of two new CNCs, a new robot and waterjet machine really accelerated our push towards the ISO 14001 accreditation,” added managing director Emma Hockley.
“The £2m investment in new equipment, combined with the ERP system and new LED lighting throughout the site, has made us more efficient. It has also given us real time data to make informed decisions that has reduced our environmental footprint even further.”
She said: “Encouragingly, the standard has allowed us to pitch for new work that we weren’t previously eligible for.”
Big Bear Plastics plans to use its ISO 14001 certification as a base for further changes, including exploring on-site renewable energy options. The company is also working toward ISO 45001 certification for health and safety, and will complete this by the end of 2026.
Source: Big Bear Plastics
About Big Bear Plastics
Big Bear Plastics designs, prototypes, and manufactures medium- and large-format thermoformed plastic components for industrial customers. The company provides vacuum and pressure forming, twin-sheet forming, tooling, CNC trimming, assembly, compression molding, and waterjet cutting services. It serves automotive, aerospace, construction, agriculture, and general industrial sectors. Big Bear Plastics was founded in 1998 by Gerald Bloom, who previously established tier 1 automotive supplier Midland Industrial Plastics. The company employs about 80 people at its facility in Droitwich and has completed its ISO 14001 audit. Operations cover the production cycle from design through manufacturing. The company processes a range of thermoplastic materials to produce interior and functional components in various sizes. It works with OEMs and industrial suppliers on custom plastic parts. Big Bear Plastics holds ISO 9001 certification, has completed its ISO 14001 environmental audit, and is progressing toward inclusion in the JOSCAR supplier register for aerospace, defense, and security sectors.