Silvergate
Silvergate Plastics is the UK's largest independent custom colour masterbatch manufacturer, engineering polymer-specific colour and additive concentrates for plastics processors serving personal care, pharmaceutical, food packaging, toys, and sustainable packaging markets from its Wrexham facility.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersWrexham, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Silvergate does
Silvergate Plastics (legal entity AWB Plastics Ltd) is a UK-based custom colour masterbatch manufacturer founded in 1985 and headquartered in Wrexham. Acquired via a 2009 management buyout led by Tony Bestall, the company has grown to claim the position of the UK's largest independent custom colour masterbatch producer (per AMI, 2015). Silvergate engineers polymer-specific colour masterbatch — concentrated pigment/additive blends dosed into raw polymer during processing — for plastics manufacturers serving personal care, pharmaceutical, food & beverage, toys, consumer electronics, and sustainable packaging markets. Its product range spans Colour, Medical, White (Simply White), Black, Sustainable, and Additives & Effects masterbatches, supplemented by the proprietary Optiblo® performance additive that reduces cycle times by up to 20% in blow moulding.
The business operates a single Wrexham manufacturing site equipped with twin-screw extrusion lines and computer-controlled weigh management systems, plus the Creations interactive colour match suite — described as the UK's first such facility — where customers collaborate directly with colourists using spectrophotometer technology covering 20M+ colour coordinates. Manufacturing is supported by a comprehensive regulatory stack (ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, REACH, RoHS, FDA 21 CFR 177/178, EU 1935/2005/EC and 10/2011/EC, EN71 Part 3, ISO 10993) that addresses food-contact, pharma, and toy-safety requirements.
Silvergate generates revenue through direct quote-based sales of custom masterbatch formulations with global delivery from Wrexham, supported by free samples and a Try Before You Buy programme. Go-to-market combines an inside sales team, an event presence at Interplas, K Show, PACE Forum and TCT Show, plus digital channels and an iPhone colour match app. Named customers include Trunki, Rega (via Rutland Plastics), Soft & Gentle (Godrej), Airfix (Hornby), M&H Plastics, Just Egg Ltd, and Tech Tube. On 17 October 2024, Silvergate was acquired by Prisma Colour Limited, creating the UK's largest independent thermoplastic masterbatch manufacturer under the Prisma Group.
Silvergate firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Silvergate
- Legal name
- AWB Plastics Limited
- Website
- https://silvergate.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Silvergate Plastics is the UK's largest independent custom colour masterbatch manufacturer, engineering polymer-specific colour and additive concentrates for plastics processors serving personal care, pharmaceutical, food packaging, toys, and sustainable packaging markets from its Wrexham facility.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Silvergate industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Colour Masterbatch Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Masterbatch Manufacturing (Color, Additive, White/Black) (IMANABAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Polymer Compounds & Masterbatches (Compounding, Color/Fill/Additive Concentrates) (IMAEANAJ), Bioplastics Compounding & Masterbatch (bio-based additives, colorants, fillers) (IMANANAB)
Keywords
Where Silvergate is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wrexham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Silvergate business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Masterbatch Product Sales: Silvergate generates revenue primarily through the sale of colour masterbatch, white masterbatch, black masterbatch, medical masterbatch, sustainable masterbatch, and additives & effects masterbatch. The company manufactures polymer-specific custom colour masterbatch delivered within record-breaking timescales. Products are sold to plastics processors across personal care, pharmaceutical, food and drink, consumer retail, and toy sectors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom masterbatch formulations priced per project |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard product range (Optiblo, Simply White, Colour Masterbatch) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Silvergate product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Silvergate manufactures and sells custom polymer-specific colour masterbatch, including colour, white, black, medical, and sustainable masterbatch ranges, plus specialty additives and effects for plastics processors worldwide. The company supplies products ranging from 1 kg to 500+ tonnes with global delivery, supported by the UK's first interactive colour match suite (Creations) and proprietary Optiblo® technology for process optimisation.
Product overview
Silvergate is the UK's largest independent custom colour masterbatch manufacturer, offering a comprehensive portfolio of polymer-specific masterbatch products and colour services. The core offering consists of Colour Masterbatch, Medical Masterbatch, White Masterbatch (Simply White), Black Masterbatch, and Sustainable Masterbatch. Add-on modules include Additives & Effects and the proprietary Optiblo technology for process optimization. The Creations interactive colour match suite provides customer-facing design collaboration. Silvergate also offers compounding services and specialty 3D printing masterbatch. All products are supported by manufacturing facilities in Wrexham with advanced quality control and global delivery capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 20% productivity increase when using Optiblo® masterbatch in blow moulding operations
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Silvergate
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Silvergate technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Silvergate partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.
- Prisma Colour Limited (Prisma Group)coreOn 17th October, Prisma Colour Limited acquired Silvergate Plastics, creating the UK's largest independent thermoplastic masterbatch manufacturers. Both businesses share a commitment to innovation, quality and customer service. The acquisition combines Silvergate's colour masterbatch expertise with Prisma's capabilities.
- Floreon-Transforming Packaging LimitedstrategicSilvergate Plastics joined forces with Floreon-Transforming Packaging Limited, the pioneers of an advanced and versatile bioplastic formulation. Silvergate manufactures the Floreon bioplastic as an alternative to HDPE in plastic production, made from Polylactic Acid (plant-based).
- Rutland PlasticsminorSilvergate partnered with Rutland Plastics to develop and supply masterbatch for the Rega Planar 6 turntable dust cover. Silvergate created bespoke polymer-specific masterbatch for smoky grey tint, optimizing distribution during production for best clarity and consistency.
- Just Egg LtdstrategicSilvergate partnered with Just Egg Ltd to develop bio-filler produced from crushed egg shells. Silvergate takes in crushed and cleaned egg shells from Just Egg Ltd and processes them into filler for masterbatch. The egg shells replace traditional filler and help reduce ground polymer used. Just Egg produces over 60 million eggs per year.
- Just Egg LtdminorPartnership with Leicester University facilitated through Just Egg Ltd. University helped identify egg shell calcium carbonate as bio-filler for plastics.
- Manchester University & Manchester Museum of Science & IndustryminorSilvergate worked closely with research teams at Manchester University and Manchester Museum of Science & Industry to investigate methods of enhancing mechanical properties of polymers using nano materials. Conducted trials at Silvergate's manufacturing facility.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Silvergate competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sukano: Swiss specialty masterbatch maker focused on polyester and bioplastic colour and additive masterbatches. Overlaps with Silvergate in custom colour for regulated, food-contact, and specialty polymer end uses.
- Lifocolor: German colour masterbatch specialist serving plastics converters with custom colour, additive, and combination masterbatches in regulated applications. Comparable in scale and in prioritising custom formulation over commodity volumes.
- Penn Color: US-headquartered specialty colour masterbatch and pigment dispersion supplier serving plastics, coatings, inks, and fibre. Highly comparable on custom colour-and-additive compounding for plastic processors.
- Gabriel-Chemie: Austrian family-owned masterbatch manufacturer producing colour, additive, and effect masterbatches for plastics across Europe. Closely aligned with Silvergate's polymer-specific, customer-collaborative approach.
- Tosaf: Israeli specialty masterbatch and additive producer for the plastics industry, with colour, white, black and functional additive masterbatches. Comparable specialisation in performance-enhancing masterbatch additives such as Optiblo®.
- Hubron: UK-based custom masterbatch manufacturer with comparable scale, range of colour, black, white, and additive masterbatches serving similar plastics processing end-markets. Most direct comparable on geography, product mix, and customer profile.
Broad incumbents
- Cabot Corporation: Global carbon black and specialty black masterbatch manufacturer; sets the benchmark in black masterbatch for plastics, an adjacent segment of Silvergate's product range.
- Ampacet: Largest independent global masterbatch producer with colour, black, white and additive masterbatches. Operates at vastly greater scale than Silvergate; overlap in custom colour for plastics converters but serves the segment from a global platform.
- Avient: Global specialty polymer materials company (formerly PolyOne) with a substantial colour and additives masterbatch business. Competes broadly with Silvergate in colour masterbatch for injection moulding and extrusion but as part of a far larger specialty materials portfolio.
Regional players
- Rutland Plastics: UK-based plastics injection moulder and compounder that has been a downstream partner of Silvergate (e.g., Rega Planar 6 dust cover). Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but operates in the same UK plastics-conversion ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Silvergate social profiles
Digital presenceSilvergate compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance12 records
Silvergate financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Silvergate leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Silvergate funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Silvergate M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Silvergate
What does Silvergate do?
Silvergate manufactures and sells custom polymer-specific colour masterbatch, including colour, white, black, medical, and sustainable masterbatch ranges, plus specialty additives and effects for plastics processors worldwide. The company supplies products ranging from 1 kg to 500+ tonnes with global delivery, supported by the UK's first interactive colour match suite (Creations) and proprietary Optiblo® technology for process optimisation.
Is Silvergate a public or private company?
Silvergate is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Silvergate founded?
Silvergate was founded in 1985. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Silvergate based?
Silvergate is headquartered in Wrexham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Silvergate make money?
One revenue line is on record: masterbatch Product Sales.
Who are Silvergate's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sukano, Lifocolor, Penn Color, Gabriel-Chemie, Tosaf and Hubron. Broad incumbents are Cabot Corporation, Ampacet and Avient. Rutland Plastics is listed as a regional player.
Does Silvergate have an API?
No public API is recorded for Silvergate.
What industry is Silvergate in?
Silvergate's product category is Colour Masterbatch Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMANABAD, Masterbatch Manufacturing (Color, Additive, White/Black), with a secondary code of IMAEANAJ, Polymer Compounds & Masterbatches (Compounding, Color/Fill/Additive Concentrates). Its NAICS code is 32513 and its SIC code is 3080.