Dale Brimelow is a Director of Manchester-headquartered packaging manufacturer and consultancy Duo, and its recycling division, Duclo Recycling in Leeds.
Q1: What do you see as the most significant trends currently shaping the manufacturing and engineering industries?
“Net zero strategies and the transition to a circular economy are influencing change throughout manufacturing and engineering, both at a strategic level and during day-to-day working practices.
“Businesses are looking at new technologies and processes to reduce their environmental impact and to enhance sustainability. Innovation, and Research and Development (R&D) are also increasingly prioritising eco-designs, with growing emphasis being placed on the end-to-end, life-cycle assessment of products. These trends are fundamentally changing how materials are manufactured and engineered.”
Q2: What are the biggest challenges your company is facing right now, and how are you addressing them?
“Managing operational costs is a big challenge. The cost of doing business is escalating, and each year there seems to be some form of major global event that causes volatility in supply chains and overheads, whether that’s the cost of raw materials, transportation or energy.
“We’ve invested a lot in streamlining processes and boosting efficiencies to remain competitively priced. We’re also focusing on where we can add value for customers to help generate savings throughout supply chains. For example, we have trained a customer’s staff about how to avoid non-target materials entering a polythene waste recycle stream. We collect and recycle the waste at Duclo Recycling, paying the customer for the volume of waste and offsetting the financial value of this against their packaging spend with Duo.
“Avoiding non-target material improves the overall value of the waste and helps boost efficiencies during recycling. There’s the added benefit for the customer’s business of closing the loop on waste and using this data as part of their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting.”
INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Q3: How is your company leveraging new technologies like automation, AI and IoT to stay competitive?
“Our focus is on finding a healthy balance between people and automated processes. Automation can provide numerous efficiencies when it comes to repetitive stages of manufacturing, but it may not always prove the most agile choice, and especially for an SME. If we set-up a fully automated packaging manufacturing line, it can prove time-intensive and costly to make changes in response to customer requirements. We manufacture several different packaging solutions and full automation may not always provide enough flexibility for us to quickly switch between different options.”
Q4: Can you share an example of a recent innovation at your company and its impact on your operations?
“We’ve recently invested £160,000 in brand new manufacturing capabilities at Duclo Recycling. This involves a new EREMA laser filter, which works as part an existing EREMA pelletiser, to further increase process efficiencies during the removal of any contaminants from recycled plastic material. The high-performance filtration system removes any present contaminants faster, meaning we can produce cleaner and higher-quality recycled plastic pellets, which will be used in the creation of new recycled plastic packaging products. This prevents more end-of-use material going to waste, keeping it within closed-loop recycling streams and reducing the reliance on virgin resources.”
SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Q5: What steps is your company taking to reduce its environmental footprint and improve sustainability?
“Part of our ongoing efforts to being more sustainable involves reviewing and replacing older equipment with newer, more efficient models that can help to reduce energy consumption. We are also working with customers to optimise the scheduling of deliveries to minimise vehicle usage and reduce supply chain mileage.
“Most importantly, we engage and involve our whole team in how we can take the company forward in a more sustainable way. This way we have over 150 people (across both our Manchester and Leeds sites) considering the choices they make as individuals and thinking about what else we can do to improve. It really helps us to practically reduce our environmental impact.”
Q6: How do you see sustainability influencing the future of manufacturing and engineering?
“Sustainability is already influencing change. There are advances in AI and real time data capture technology that are speeding-up the adoption of technology and new processes for reducing energy consumption, carbon footprints or waste streams. More accurate data is now readily available, which enables quicker and more informed decisions to be made about potential sustainability benefits. Suppliers to the manufacturing industry are ensuring that consideration is given upfront to sustainable performance and we’re seeing this increasingly influence innovation.
“From Duo’s perspective, we are always looking at ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the products we manufacture for our clients and see this as a priority for R&D.”
WORKFORCE DEVELOMENT AND SKILLS
Q7: What skills do you believe are most critical for the future workforce in manufacturing and engineering?
“There’s growing value in the ability to be able to repair equipment and products, reduce waste and enhance cost savings. We’re moving towards a circular economy and there’s likely to be even greater demand for skills that can enhance the lifecycle of goods.
“Communication skills and teamwork are also crucial. Companies need to be increasingly agile to be able to roll with changes and reap the benefits of new technologies sooner.”
GLOBALISATION AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Q8: How has globalisation affected your business, and how do you manage risks associated with global supply chains?
“Globalisation presents an opportunity for sharing best practice and promoting innovation. We collaborate with different industry bodies and businesses across the globe to share insights and find ways for creating products that meet customer goals. For example, through a partnership with Danish plastic recycler Plastix, Duo has created a collation shrink film containing Oceanix, a recycled plastic from maritime waste, such as fishing nets and ropes. Brands are proactively looking for more sustainable and resourceful packaging solutions. Our new collation shrink film meets this demand by offering a material that incorporates recycled plastic content, while also helping to tackle littering of waste fishing gear in oceans.”
Q9: What strategies are you employing to ensure resilience and flexibility in your supply chain?
“We work closely with suppliers on forecasting and modelling to mitigate – where possible – the impact of supply chain shocks on the availability and movement of raw materials and finished products.”
LEADERSHIP AND BUSINESS STRATEGY
Q10: How do you maintain a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within your organisation?
“Staff engagement and working closely with customers are important to driving innovation and improving what we do.
“We work with ambitious businesses in fast-paced, constantly evolving markets that are driven by mounting consumer expectations. Our customers’ customers will push for more and we focus on understanding the challenges and opportunities this presents. Embracing this knowledge enables us to think about what’s possible today from a packaging manufacturing and recycling point of view, and whether we can do something differently or better to get ahead of future possibilities and demands. Our team is at the heart of this approach and empowered to share their experiences and ideas. They are a rich source of day-to-day insights that can stimulate practical, effective change.”
Q11: What is your vision for the future of your company, and how do you plan to achieve it?
“Our long-term vision is to continue to uphold and advance the sustainable thinking that has defined Duo since we opened our doors in 1988. We’ve built long-standing customer relationships by working with businesses to use less packaging and have led the way in developing innovative packaging materials that are more sustainable and resourceful.
“In the nearer-term future, we’re investing in Duclo Recycling to increase plastic recycling capacity. Demand for high-quality recycled plastic pellets is outstripping supply in the UK and we’re keen to increase availability to support businesses reduce their reliance on virgin plastic materials.”