Did you know Broadway manufactures additive masterbatches and custom compounds? Broadway recently appeared in PlastikMedia’s Materials and Additives feature.
The Suffolk-based plastic materials specialist has been manufacturing colours and effects for plastics for 25 years. Starting in 1997, Broadway initially focussed on producing masterbatches for the cosmetics and personal care sectors. Since then, the business has grown to occupy a 90,000 square foot site – manufacturing customised plastic compounds, rotational moulding powders, as well as custom and off-the-shelf colour masterbatches.
Whilst Broadway offers a range of 122 universal coloured masterbatches, its expertise in the manufacture of customised materials delivers the majority of its work and is seen as an area for future growth. Broadway’s improved R&D facilities have helped the company prove a valuable partner to customers with niche material requirements. One recent success was in developing a custom compound for the manufacture of a vital component used within a beverage dispensing system.
Broadway’s Sales Manager, Chris Bird, spoke about the rewards of seeing a lengthy testing and development project result in production orders:
“Although the moulding is not visible from the outside of the application, it plays a very important role in extending the system’s shelf life. The testing involved to achieve customer sign-off for this project spanned years. Extensive testing was carried out both by our customer and the OEM. It was hugely pleasing to see this go into production. We’ve since manufactured significant volumes of this material.
“The success is testament to the expertise of our team, our operational capability and the collaborative, patient approach we took to developing this compound with our customer.
Broadway’s customer described the project as ‘an absolute success’:
“We had to ensure a consistent dosage of materials to make our product function at a very tight tolerance. Broadway worked with us for several months to achieve the optimal results. This project was an absolute success for our business.
“Our experience with Broadway has always been positive; their biggest advantage is their great customer service and response time. This, combined with a very good lead time for non-standard colours, makes Broadway one of the best masterbatch and compound suppliers that we have worked with.”
Broadway recently increased production capacity in response to growing demands for custom compounds. A new Leistritz Twin Screw Extruder – ZSE 40 MAXX was installed late last year. Broadway’s Sales Director, Nick Barber, spoke about another complex compound, designed and manufactured by Broadway for rotational moulding:
“Our roto customers have described our powders as the best available. One product we’re particularly proud of is our ‘Supra-Linear’ powder. It’s designed for use in the manufacture of kayaks, dinghies and canoes. This compound is made from a blend of several different polymers and additives. It’s specially formulated to achieve durability and stiffness whilst remaining lightweight.
“Additives are included to improve weatherability and offer UV protection. The melt flow is engineered to allow the material to flow into intricate parts of the moulding and offer easy mould release whilst maintaining the intrinsic properties. This material is a great example of our capabilities in developing plastic compounds with a specific purpose in mind.”
The recent introduction of Broadway GmbH will provide a platform from which to expand European sales in the coming years. Broadway will celebrate its 25th anniversary in May.