Discovering Sustainable and Practical Tool Hire and Plant Hire Opportunities

Repair and replace for long-term success

6 April 2022

Repair and replace for long-term success

The aim of the ESG (environmental, social and governance) policies that are being adopted by more and more organisations is to go beyond mere economic objectives and to achieve long-term benefits to the wider community as well as the environment. 

A good example of this is the approach taken by Oxford Plastics which makes fences, barriers, road plates, road cones, Chapter 8 signs and other products for construction, street works and event applications. 

“We build the concept of repairability into most of our products,” marketing manager Charlotte Whiteley tells me. “These include our multi-component items like our composite road plates, barriers and street works signs. 

“On a typical work site, equipment is inevitably going to be roughly handled and so we want to make sure that it isn’t just thrown away if its gets damaged. We design products so that individual components can be replaced to extend their overall life.

“Barriers and fences (pictured above), for example, have detachable feet. The composite road plates (below) have plastic end pieces that can be used to position them, which are also replaceable. The underside of the plate has drop pins that fit into the trench and these can also be renewed. As well as sustainability, this gives greater versatility than a standard steel plate,” says Charlotte. 

“We have produced guides to help customers repair the products in-house, which reduces their carbon footprint and they don’t need to return them to us.” 

The concept is proving popular with hirers. 

“People are becoming much more interested in sustainability. It’s moving from just being a conversational topic towards genuine action and doing things differently," says Charlotte. 

“Ultimately what we are trying to do is to be sustainable both environmentally and economically. We want to work with customers over the long term and they want products that do the best job and last longer.”  

Oxford Plastics was founded in 1985 and has always made products from recycled materials. The company is based in Chipping Norton where its factory employs 120 people, and it currently exports to 40 countries. 

Repair and replace for long-term success
Repair and replace for long-term success
Repair and replace for long-term success

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