Rutland Plastics

What Rutland Plastics does

Rutland Plastics Limited is a UK-based, family-owned custom plastic injection moulder founded in 1956 and headquartered in Oakham, Rutland, operating from a single integrated site exceeding 6,130 square metres. The company provides end-to-end moulding services spanning design-for-manufacture advice, 3D printing and prototyping (using a Stratasys Fortus 380 carbon fibre system), in-house mould tool design and manufacture, injection moulding across 30+ machines ranging from 50t to 2,400t clamping force, and secondary operations including sonic welding, machining, gluing, and assembly. Its shot-weight capability spans 1g to 48kg with part sizes up to 1.5m² and thick-section mouldings above 100mm, supported by a patented electrofusion process for plastic pipe joining. The business also offers "extra capacity" outsourcing for customers facing machine breakdowns or sudden demand surges, and runs 24/7 since 2021.

The company serves a horizontally diversified customer base across motorsport and automotive (ITG), audio (Rega), environmental systems (Viridian Systems), consumer products (Schelle), geothermal energy (Geothermal International), and government healthcare (NHS and Nightingale Hospitals during COVID-19). Revenue is generated through project-based, quote-priced contracts rather than catalogue or subscription pricing, with multi-year customer engagements and dedicated project management from concept through production. The firm holds ISO9001, ISO13485, and ISO14001 certifications, operates a 250kW solar installation supplying up to 25% of electricity demand, and employs approximately 150 staff including 100 in the mouldshop. Ownership remains with the third generation of the founding families (Ron Smart and Don Ansell established the business), with Steve Ayre as Managing Director and no external institutional investors.

Name

Rutland Plastics

Legal name

Rutland Plastics Limited

Website

https://rutlandplastics.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Rutland Plastics is a UK-based, family-owned custom plastic injection moulder founded in 1956, offering end-to-end design, prototyping, tooling, and moulding services to diverse sectors including automotive, medical, energy, and consumer products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plastic Injection Moulding Services

NAICS

All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing (326199), Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261)

SIC

Plastics Products, Nec (3089), Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Injection Molding & Contract Manufacturing (Job Shops/CMs) (IMANAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial & Machinery Injection Molded Components (Gears, Wear Parts) (IMANAFAF)

Keywords

• Plastic injection moulding
• Custom mould manufacturing
• Injection mould tooling
• Plastic prototyping services
• Electrofusion pipe fittings

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Injection Moulding Services: Project-based custom injection moulding manufacturing. Services span from initial design consultation through tool making to full production runs. Additional revenue from machining, assembly, and value-added services.
2. Mould Tool Design & Manufacturing: Design and manufacture of injection mould tools for customers. Includes tooling modifications, routine maintenance, and refurbishment services.
3. Additional Manufacturing Services: Secondary operations including sonic welding, machining, gluing, multi-component assembly, and warehousing services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rutland Plastics provides custom plastic injection moulding services from concept through to finished, assembled products. The offering combines design-for-manufacture advice, 3D printing and prototyping, in-house mould tool design and manufacture, production moulding on 30+ machines (50t to 2,400t) producing parts from 1g to 48kg, a patented electrofusion process, and secondary operations such as sonic welding, machining, gluing and multi-component assembly. Customers receive dedicated project management across the full lifecycle.

Product overview

Rutland Plastics offers a comprehensive suite of plastic injection moulding services organized as an integrated manufacturing platform. The core offering centers on Injection Moulding services supported by Design for Plastic Injection Moulding (for design optimization), 3D Printing & Prototyping (for rapid prototyping), and Injection Mould Tool Manufacturing (for toolroom capabilities). Additional specialty services include Electrofusion (a patented plastic pipe joining process), Project Management (for end-to-end guidance), and Additional Services (secondary operations like sonic welding, machining, gluing, and multi-component assembly). Extra Capacity/Outsourcing services are available for customers needing temporary or additional manufacturing capability. The company operates over 30 injection moulding machines ranging from 50t to 2400t, enabling production of parts from 1g to 48kg, with a fully equipped on-site toolroom and automation capabilities including collaborative robots.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rutland Toys: Own-brand toys for children including the Katie range of domestic-themed toys, produced during the 1950s-1960s.

Products and services

• Design for Plastic Injection Moulding Design support and engineering services to optimise product designs for injection moulding manufacturing, including free advice and design verification with mouldflow analysis.
• 3D Printing and Prototyping Prototyping services using a Stratasys Fortus 380 carbon fibre 3D printer for rapid prototyping and functional testing of parts before production tooling, including end-of-arm tooling production.
• Injection Moulding Plastic injection moulding services using over 30 machines from 50t to 2,400t clamping force, producing parts from 1g to 48kg in weight and up to 1.5m² in size, on a 24/7 production basis since 2021.
• Injection Mould Tool Manufacturing Specification and manufacture of mould tools including low-volume pre-production tooling and high-speed multi-cavity stack tools, with on-site toolroom capabilities for design, modifications and routine maintenance.
• Project Management Dedicated project management to guide injection moulding projects from concept through to market delivery with clear planning and regular communication at every stage.
• Electrofusion Patented electrofusion process for joining plastic pipes using fittings with built-in electric heating elements, including custom developments for flanges and insulated pipe bonding systems.
• Additional Services (Secondary Operations) Secondary operations including sonic welding, machining, gluing, and multi-component assembly for finishing injection moulded parts.
• Extra Capacity / Outsourcing Capacity outsourcing services for customers requiring additional manufacturing capability due to machine breakdowns, sudden influx of tooling, or business growth needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7 million parts moulded per year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Made in BritaincoreOthers · 1 January 2022Joined Made in Britain in January 2022. Not-for-profit organization supporting British manufacturers under a single registered collective mark. Provides access to Green Growth Programme for sustainability support.
• Indywood MediaminorOthers · 1 January 2021Oakham-based media production company that created promotional video for Interplas trade show display.
• Oakham SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaborated during COVID-19 pandemic to produce face shields. School's Design and Technology Department used 3D printers to create initial headband designs. Rutland Plastics boosted production from handfuls per day to 8,000 per day by designing and injection moulding headbands. Produced 40,000 headbands. Partnership won DATA Excellence award for social impact.
• National ventilator consortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Part of national consortium geared up to increase manufacture of ventilators during COVID-19 pandemic. Received mould tool from Taiwan for ventilator front covers.
• British Plastics Federation (BPF)coreOthersMember of BPF directory. Participates in Industry and Parliament Trust visits hosted alongside BPF. Access to industry resources, networking, and representation within UK plastics sector.
• GTMA (Gantry Tooling Manufacturers Association)coreOthersMember of GTMA, the UK's premier trade association for tooling and manufacturing. Provides industry representation and networking opportunities.
• Make UKcoreOthersMember of Make UK (formerly EEF). The manufacturers' organization provides policy representation, networking, and support for UK manufacturing businesses.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Distrupol: UK and European plastics raw materials distributor serving UK plastics processors. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant serving many of the same UK plastics manufacturing customers, though operating in distribution rather than moulding services.
• Wittmann Battenfeld: Austrian manufacturer of injection moulding machines, robots, and auxiliaries. An existing supplier to Rutland, which purchased three Wittmann Battenfeld machines in 2021. Comparable as a key equipment partner in the moulding value chain rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Magna International: Global Tier-1 automotive supplier with substantial plastics and injection moulding operations. Comparable as a broad incumbent in plastics manufacturing, though far larger, more diversified, and primarily automotive-focused versus Rutland's cross-industry trade moulding.
• ARBURG: German machine manufacturer of injection moulding equipment that also operates customer centres providing moulding services. Comparable through its dual role as moulder and equipment supplier to the plastics industry, with overlap in target customer segments.
• ENGEL Holding: Austrian manufacturer of injection moulding machines including large-tonnage presses used in heavy industry. Comparable as a major equipment supplier serving custom moulders like Rutland (which recently purchased a 2,400t Engel machine) and as a moulding services operator in adjacent segments.
• Polytec Group: Austria-based large-scale plastics manufacturer serving automotive and industrial customers. Comparable as an established, broader plastics incumbent with injection moulding capability at significantly greater scale than Rutland, especially in automotive moulded parts.

Direct peers

• Plastic Mouldings Ltd: UK-based custom plastic injection moulder serving industrial, automotive, and consumer markets. Directly comparable as a UK trade moulder offering design-through-production services to similar mid-market customers.
• Pentagon Plastics: UK custom injection moulder providing mould design, toolmaking, and production services. Comparable in service scope, customer base, and mid-market positioning within the UK trade moulding segment.
• Broanmain Plastics: UK-based custom injection moulding company offering design, mould making, and production services. Directly comparable as a similarly sized UK trade moulder serving cross-industry customers with a similar integrated service model.
• Hi-Point Group: UK injection moulding group operating multiple sites with custom moulded components and assembly. Comparable as a domestic trade moulder with similar service depth and customer verticals spanning industrial, automotive, and consumer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RutlandPlastics
• Facebookfacebook.com/RutlandPlastics

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rutland Plastics