It has been two and half years since Francis Ward, UK manufacturer
of rotationally moulded plastic drums, took over the established
intermediate bulk container manufacturer Bison IBC Systems Ltd. Just
like the UN approved containers Francis Ward now manufacture for
the hazardous market that require a two and half year test, the
company has reviewed how it is operating and made significant investments
for the future.
While last year was tough for the IBC market, Francis Ward emerged
buoyant and bullish. With the success of increased productivity,
the company has reinvested heavily in the business to sustain and
increase the growth. This month a new £150,000 Caccia RB3502B
Rotational Moulding Machine is being installed. Such investment
was necessary to maintain output capacity and in the future, once
up and running, reduce certain lead times for customers. Jason
Hinch - Operations Manager believes the new machine will allow
the business an ‘extra competitive edge in the market place’.
Further investment fuelled by increased sales can be found in
the sales team itself. The addition of Henry Bisson as the Marketing
Assistant in 2004, Nick Harris – Regional Business Manager
and Lisa Jackson – Sales Administrator earlier this year
has enabled Francis Ward to be more responsive to customer needs
and develop new markets.
Sales Manager David Horn stresses that the growth experienced
is through listening to customers and being able to give them want
they want. Such close working relationships with customers have
led to the development of innovative products that have been rolled
out in 2005. The Safety Air Feed, designed in conjunction with
Univar is being fitted to their fleet and other customer’s
fleets of pressure discharge bins. The testing and repair of IBCs,
referred to earlier, has been launched this year with customers
expressing a strong interest in having the original manufacturer
testing and servicing their units.
Looking forward, the company is in the process of expanding new
markets in Europe. With distributors already operating in Spain
Portugal and France, activities are underway to find long term
partners in a host of European countries, particularly Scandinavia,
Switzerland and Germany.
Francis Ward has also reorganised the branding of its containers
to bring them all under the Francis Ward name. This has removed confusion
for UK customers with other companies trading on the Bison name.
The company simply states that customers looking for what they know
as traditional Bison units should contact Francis Ward.
