Report - British Industrial Plastics - Oldbury - Jan 22

[Bikin Glynn]

British Ind Plastics

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Havent seen much of this place so thought Id post. Another one we did a age ago which Id neglected to do anything with it but it was a nice little mooch.

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British Industrial Plastics is the oldest polymer material manufacturer in the UK, still in operation today.

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The company was originally founded as British Cyanides in 1894 when two neighbouring companies both experimenting with the production of cyanide - Albright & Wilson and Oldbury Alkali Company - joined forces to build a factory on a piece of adjacent land. Their largest market was South Africa, where cyanide was used in the extraction of gold from low-grade ores. When the Boer War broke out in 1900, the market for cyanide (for use in the goldfields) crashed and left only two British suppliers left in business, one being this company. By 1913, the company was a small enterprise with just one factory making one product, converting sulphocyanide into sodium ferrocyanide. This was sold as yellow prussiates of soda (used as an anti-caking agent in salt) or red prussiate of potash (used in making blueprints).

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The fortunes of the company were changed in the mid-1920s with the development of a process for the condensation of thiourea with formaldehyde. The production of this new resin was to be a major breakthrough in the development of plastics. By the early 30’s, thiourea-formaldehayde was replaced by urea-formaldehyde which could be worked at much lower temperatures.

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By the end of the 1950s BIP was:

• the largest manufacturer of urea moulding powders in Europe
• the third largest UK manufacturer of polyester resins
• the second largest UK manufacturer of BMC (bulk moulding compound
• the largest UK manufacturer of amino textile and paper resins
• operating a number of overseas subsidiaries, with licensees in India, Japan, Spain, Italy, Australia and Yugoslavia
• the leading supplier of moulding powders in Mexico and leading supplier of urea resins in South Africa
• consolidating a 70% share of the UK market for compression presses and 90% share of hydraulic pelleters sold in the UK
• holding a 25% share of all UK-built injection moulding machines
• producing Filon, supplying 25% of all translucent roofing sheet (including PVC) sold in the UK
• commanding a leading position amongst Europe’s mould makers.

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The Oldbury site was expanded in 1973, with the construction of a second formalin plant on the Oldbury site and equipment to manufacture nylon 6 in 1974. Nylon 6 is used in a broad range of products requiring materials of high strength, in the motor industry for gears, fittings, and bearings, used as thread in bristles for toothbrushes, surgical sutures, strings for acoustic and classical musical instruments, as well as in the manufacture of a large variety of threads, ropes, filaments, nets, and tire cord.

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By 1995, however, much of BIP nationally was closed down or sold off; all that remained were the Oldbury factories, then occupying 87 hectares. With profits of only £3 million from an annual turnover of £87 million, the company was in need of investment. A management buy-out took place backed by venture capital. The company restructured and disposed of some production - first to go was polyester resins manufacture, followed by coating resins in 1999 and BMC (glass-fibre reinforced polyester bulk moulding compound) in 2001. In November 2004, BIP was acquired by Synthite Limited, the UK's leading manufacturer of formaldehyde.

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Surprisingly 3 or more years after prev reports at time of visit they Still appear to be clearing this place out!
Parts of it were all "a bit live".

Continued
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[Bikin Glynn]

As usual I have a load from here so will just get on with em

Finally just had time for a quick shower

If u have made it this far Thanks.
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[Bugsuperstar]

That’s a nice place!

 

[Speed]

I notice they had gone to town boarding it up recently.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

That’s a nice place!

Thanks dude

I notice they had gone to town boarding it up recently.

Have they that's interesting.
It was pretty open when we did it but did involve some sketchey climbing, everything u could see from road was well sealed.
Pretty sure it was lot easier back in day cos I know Jane did it who doesn't climb, surprised there is anything left but guess u can't do much with the place

 

[Speed]

Maybe it's just the road frontage they have done. They had done all the windows you can see when you drive passed eve the upstairs ones. When we did it originally it was basically just walk in off the street. Proper comedy place. It the office block ever closes it will be an epic explore. Really miss industry like that!

 

[Bikin Glynn]

Maybe it's just the road frontage they have done. They had done all the windows you can see when you drive passed eve the upstairs ones. When we did it originally it was basically just walk in off the street. Proper comedy place. It the office block ever closes it will be an epic explore. Really miss industry like that!

I'm.guessimg the office will close? But then as I say they seem in no rush to do anything with the rest of it

 

[Mikeymutt]

Looks a decent site still. Wished I had gone when Jane gave me the heads up.

 

[TheTimeChamber]

Looks great that!

 

[dansgas1000]

I really like the look of this, nice control panels too. Nice report mate.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

Looks a decent site still. Wished I had gone when Jane gave me the heads up.

Thanks dude, yeah wish I'd if gone sooner tbh was just one I had pinned & we thought we'd try one afternoon. Didn't have much hope of getting in tbh & wasn't that easy but we persisted

Looks great that!

Thanks dude, not a bad mooch

I really like the look of this, nice control panels too. Nice report mate.

Can't beat a bit of switch panels