Case Study

Icon Polymer Group

Icon Polymer Group: driving developments in polymer technology

Supplying a global customer base comprising some of the leading names in aerospace, transport, defence and industry, Icon Polymer Group is an innovative technology company embracing mechatronics within highly engineered polymer products. With an extensive and ever-growing portfolio of cutting-edge technologies and product, material and customer approvals, Icon Polymer has over the years developed long-term partnerships including Siemens, Cobham, Airbus, BAE Systems, Caterpillar and JCB.

The Group acquired the Retford-based Northern Rubber Company in 2001 and then acquired the Silvertown company in 2005, forming Silentbloc UK Ltd, providing vibration control solutions, from a facility in Burton-upon-Trent. Drawing on the Group's 150-year heritage the current management team has led a transformation of the business, demonstrating how UK manufacturing can succeed.

The company offers a complete service encompassing design, manufacture and supply chain management, enabling it to meet the diverse needs of its global customer base. Its supply chain ranges from companies within Retford and the county, to those as far afield as Asia and America. Products are manufactured in the UK using Icon Polymer's proprietary Icon Process Control (i-PC^TM) system which provides the precision control of manufacturing, testing and verification processes necessary to deliver high-performance and safety-critical components.
Icon Polymer's innovation continues apace, with more than 1.2 million invested in technology developments in the last two years alone. Indeed, more than 20 per cent of 2011 sales were for products introduced in the previous five years, while more than over 55 per cent were for export-generated demand.

Key to Icon's success is its commitment to understanding and responding to its customers' business objectives, wherever in the world they are located - from the design, life and performance of products through to the rapidly changing demands of the modern business environment.
Recent successes include:

• The supply of the Flexiflow^TM Air to Air Refuelling hose utilised on the new Airbus MRTT aircraft


• A major contract to supply inter-car inner barriers to be installed on rolling stock on the Jubilee, Central, and Waterloo and City lines of the London Underground, as part of a major refurbishment project


• A contract to supply aerodynamic seals to Spirit Aerospace for the Bombardier C series aircraft


• Manufacturing and supplying ball joints to Siemens for the refurbishment of suspension systems on the Siemens Class 444 rolling stock, widely used on the UK rail network

Speaking of the company's headquarters in Retford, Nottinghamshire, Icon Polymer Group CEO Tim Pryce said: "As a company that operates around the world, we are extremely proud of our heritage and of our dedicated team of employees, who are all highly talented and skilled individuals, with many from the local and surrounding areas.

"As a pioneer in polymer technology, we invest passion, enthusiasm and creativity into our daily operations, which is why we have enjoyed such great success in recent years. Today, Icon has a reputation as a world-leading manufacturer and supplier to those seeking technological solutions in polymer applications. Our future is extremely bright and we are driven by a continued desire to seek out innovative solutions and to invest in delivering them on behalf of our customers."

For further information on Icon Polymer Group visit www.iconpolymer.com

[back]|