The British Plastics Federation (BPF) and the Worshipful Company of Horners are pleased to announce that Thomas Coyne of IPL Plastics has won the 2021 Polymer Industries Apprentice of the Year Award.
Tom is currently a Lead Quality Assurance Technician at IPL Plastics who has recently completed a EAL Level 3 Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering course. Tom is responsible for a shift technician and leads a team in single-minute exchange of die (SMED) activities. However, it was Tom’s innovative ideas that resulted in a 38% reduction in tool change times (worth over £250k in additional capacity) that made him the standout candidate. Tom also impressed the judges with his technical ability as a certified machine operator and his designs for new products.