What a year 2022 has been; just when we believed life was getting back to normal after COVID, we have one month of rest-bite before the whole world gets turned upside down due to the conflict in Ukraine, which had some considerable knock-on effects.

It’s safe to say that as a country, we rely a lot on the efforts of other countries; the shortage of raw materials needed to produce rubber has been challenging; add to this, the increase in energy costs it’s been a difficult juggling act. We are now battling record-breaking inflation and the prospect of a tough recession, all of which are hitting each of us, not just here in the UK but worldwide. The UK Government was in turmoil for most of the year, with in-house fighting, coos, resignations (some sooner than expected), scandal and more.

Difficult times bring on some of the most significant changes; as the end of the year approaches, VIP-Polymers are getting ready to celebrate its 100th year. When you look back in the history books, VIP-Polymers have been through many ups and downs with Wars, Recessions, The joining of the EU & BREXIT, Changes in Governments, Laws, New Monarchs, Pandemics the list is endless. However, we have come through all these changes as a company and are still here to tell our story.

It’s pretty evident that as a business VIP have to look outside the box during these difficult times, which is not a wrong move as it allows the company to look at new ways to become more efficient, reduce energy cost, and reduce waste all while making sure we keep and improve on our ongoing commitment to you our customers in terms of support, development of new products, guidance and so on.

You may have seen our recent update regarding the significant investment of 3 new Maplan Rapid+460 Injection moulding machines, and the benefits these will have. Of course, there is also the ongoing updating/improvement of our current production lines to become more efficient and increase production capabilities.

We are also continuing to reduce our overall carbon footprint. Out of the 9 Company cars currently on the books, over half of these are EV/Hybrid, with 3 being full EVs. The vehicles that are still Petrol/Diesel models are due to be changed alongside the Hybrid models. Still, global car manufacturing industry delays are being seen due to difficulties in obtaining components. By QTR4, at the latest, all colleagues will have access to their new EV cars, meaning that the entire EV fleet of company cars will help reduce the company’s Carbon footprint substantially.

We are also increasing our In-House design, testing & development to look at new product lines and development of current products for our existing and new & emerging markets.

We want to thank all our Customers, suppliers, colleagues, and their families for their continued support throughout 2022; we hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to celebrating our 100th year together in 2023.