New agency partnership for Banbury in colour dosing for PET packaging
BANBURY Colour & Dosing Solutions has taken on a new agency – Kalay, a Brazilian-based manufacturer of high-quality colorants and additives for the plastics industry, at the same time parting ways with Holland Colours who Banbury has represented in SA for many years.
“We look forward to continuing our relationships with every single customer and know upfront that the changeover will be smooth and effortless,” says Rory Webber, newly appointed business development manager at Banbury.
“We have several endorsements from both end user markets as well as Movacolour, who have worked closely with the Kalay products for many years. We believe that our new partnership with Kalay will further enhance our customers’ product offering to their customers and that Kalay will not only meet but exceed our customers’ expectations going forward,” he adds.
Banbury will continue to work with all its customers in the PET colour segment throughout Africa and can now offer microbatch, microprill, KMB, and colour liquid including a full range of additives, AA reducers, UV, barrier, anti-yellow, matt frost, reheat and purge additives.
Celebrating 25 years
Banbury also celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Established in 1996 by Brian Sinclair, the ensuing years has seen this family-run business become an important agent for various colourant, masterbatch, additives and automated dosing machine equipment suppliers such as Kalay, Movacolor, Addcomp and Hubron Speciality.
“While the future at Banbury is exciting, with many things to look forward to, we must reflect on the past year’s achievements and progress. From our early beginnings the business has been blessed with both suppliers and customers that have supported us, turning most relationships into long-term friendships that we truly value,” says Brian’s daughter, Ursula Carlisle Webber, MD of Banbury Colour and Dosing Solutions.
Ursula says Banbury is built on principles and a simple philosophy – relationships matter. “This very simple statement drives everything that we do and keeps the organization focused,” she adds.
Brian Sinclair is still involved in the company and offers tremendous guidance. “His tenacious spirt continues to challenge us all in thinking differently,” she says.
And why ‘Banbury’?
“While the name ‘Banbury’ is not significant in any way, there is a good story behind the name. Brian, ready to go on his own, was having a drink with some friends at a pub named Banbury Cross … and let’s leave the story there,” explains Ursula.
Growth throughout Banbury
Ursula says that the company’s Gauteng, Cape Town and exports divisions are doing extremely well. Brian has relocated to KZN and services this region for the company.
“We have seen growth throughout our business, especially in our Movacolor dosing machines, and are proud to inform the industry that Banbury is once again the sole agent for Hubron Black Masterbatch. Black is back!” she adds.
One of the key changes for the company was the name change in 2019 from ‘Banbury Chemicals’ to ‘Banbury Colour & Dosing Solutions’.
“We took this decision because it accurately defines who we are and what we do. As our customer expectations have changed, Banbury Colour & Dosing Solutions has aligned our sales and technical support teams with what the market wants and needs,” Ursula explains.
“Banbury Colour and Dosing Solutions accurately reflects our brand values, and defines the definition of our expertise, namely, dosing equipment, colorants for PET, PVC, PE & PP, additives, black masterbatch and unique polymer solutions.”
“The company has been blessed with people who are positive go-getters, eager to service our growing customer base. I believe that the company will continue to be successful because each person gets on with doing what they need to do. I also see growth within the company as technology in our Movacolor dosing division expands. Customers want to become more efficient and in so doing reduce costs,” says Ursula.
“Today’s business world demands a customer-centric focus, which is what we believe will secure Banbury’s future growth. Our philosophy in business is that we care about people and service levels. If I look at how Banbury has grown, then our service levels are definitely aligned to market expectations.”
Markets & innovations
Like most markets in South Africa, the last three years has seen turmoil in the plastics industry. Many companies in the plastics market have closed their doors due to the strike two years ago.
“There is also the ongoing environmental impact of plastic that is causing major players to rethink their packaging requirements, including the major recycling drive which I see becoming a major part of future business. From our perspective, Banbury Colour & Dosing Solutions is perfectly positioned to assist customers with improving colouring costs and all general dosing requirements including re-grind materials,” says Ursula.
The Movacolor dosing units are designed for both injection moulding and extrusion machines. The Movacolor dosing machine has patented weighing technology that ensures the correct amount of ingredients for every recipe. This ultimately means customers can save up to 50% on additives and colours, with extremely accurate dosing.
Ursula says another major growth area for the company will be in the IT space.
Movacolor MC-SMART software is used for continuous data logging. This powerful tool helps companies with their quality control and ensures reduced costs. The software allows companies to monitor all their gravimetric dosing units simultaneously.
“Software that runs live on the machines, while manufacturing, gives customers the ability and control to manage material costs and quality issues, offers a reporting function as well as recipe management and provides consumption reports,” says Ursula.
