Within business, it is often said that out of adversity comes opportunity, and that was certainly the case for Worcestershire based moulding company, JSC Rotational. 

When one of their long-term customers, a supplier of equestrian jumps (‘PolyJumps’), went into Voluntary liquidation, the directors decided to acquire the brand and expand into this market themselves. 

“Despite having decades of experience within the rotational moulding industry, this took us outside of our comfort zone. Not only were we manufacturing a different set of products, but we also had to learn how to market ourselves to generate sales.” Karen Drinkwater, Company Director 

Company background 

Since its launch in 2003, JSC Rotational has established a strong reputation within the plastic moulding industry, often working on a contract basis to design and manufacture a whole range of different components. At their headquarters in Inkberrow, they had established a core team of skilled workers and have always been keen to invest in their production facilities. 

With their business now taking a different turn, Karen felt that the time was right to seek specialist advice. “We were looking to launch new products with the aim of stimulating sales growth. In addition, we were struggling to recruit new staff. We had identified a couple of new projects that would help us modernise our business but were unsure which one to choose. After speaking to the Elevate Growth team we felt that we would benefit from joining the programme. And we are so glad we did!” 

The process and support received

The consultants on the scheme were able to talk the directors through their options, helping them in their decision making, and guiding them through the grant application process. 

“We went through a very comprehensive process of Benchmarking and assessing our ‘Digital Readiness’ with the experts. The results were incredibly useful, and we realised that we were further down the digital journey than we had thought. It was a very collaborative process - we were given the tools and the confidence to reach our own conclusions. It was a very empowering experience.” 

Through working with the consultants, the business decided to prioritise the purchase of a Robotic Arm to automate its manufacturing process. Not commonly used within rotational moulding, this investment will help set them apart from their competitors and take their production to the next level.

Business benefits 

Since taking delivery of the new equipment in August 2022, they have already seen an impact on the business. The extra production capacity has allowed them to take on new contracts, and the technical ability of the machinery ensures that the products they are producing are of a consistently high quality. They are also able to innovate at a faster pace and have already launched a new ‘PolyJumps’ product. 

There have been other benefits too. The work is now less labour intensive, so staff morale has improved, their health and safety management practices have been improved and have also reduced waste, and improved energy efficiency.

Overall experience 

Karen is full of praise for the Elevate programme and would advise other businesses in a similar situation to apply. “We found that it was a refreshing, structured approach to business support. We kept an open mind throughout and found that we prioritised our projects after joint consideration with the consultants - rather than just trying to justify our expenditure and make it fit the funding criteria. I would definitely recommend it to any fellow Worcestershire businesses.”