Demand sees Fibrelite have market covered

Fibrelite has become so well known that the trade name is now used as a generic term within the industry – a clear sign of success. The company was formed in 1980 by Trevor Pardoe and Mike Jennings in Skipton, North Yorkshire. It has recently had a significant increase in enquiries from utilities, public and industrial sectors.

Mostly, this is as a result of the health and safety benefits of the reinforced glass composite material it uses in its products. Although plastic, there’s nothing cheap about it, and it’s highly durable and of a calibre similar to the technology used in Formula One racing cars.

Fibrelite also manufacture tank and dispenser sumps for petrol stations. The company was named Yorkshire exporter of the year by a business website, and had a 20 per cent hike in sales.

ExxonMobil is one of its largest customers. Managing director Ian Thompson said: “Like most British companies, we probably do much more business with Ireland than we do with Russia. Countries like Brazil are untapped markets for us and India holds huge potential.”

The company has 128 employees, 12 of whom have been recruited since January 12 in the UK and a further 26 new employees in the US. Of the employees, 24 have 10 or more years’ service.

An estimated 1.2m working days are lost through handling injuries resulting from trying to lift heavy manhole covers and pit covers, so Fibrelite clearly has a place in the market as an alternative to metal.

The company’s marketing director Jo Stott said over the last five years metal theft has been a big problem for the UK and United States. “I was taking to a colleague in Holland and he said they had vans driving round without bottoms,” she said. “They drive up and remove the manhole cover then move on to the next one.” Fibrelite works with utilities, such as water companies, who have been repeatedly targeted by metal thieves. The company has installed panels at Leeds Trinity recently and is to provide products during the refurbishment of Leeds Market. Their covers, however, are not suitable for roads. The marketing director said they offered a bespoke service as they use flexible tooling.

She said its important to realise that manufacturing companies in the UK are thriving. The lightbulb moment occurred when one of the founders watched someone trying to lift a heavy metal manhole cover. Recently, customers have spoken of “fitting a Fibrelite” using the company name to refer to manhole covers.

“As a company you know you are successful when people start using your name as a generic term,” she added.

The products are also used at airports and docks, where previously forklift trucks were required to lift the heavy metal covers.

The company has good staff retention and low turnover. Recently, it took on some graduates as part of their training programme as they continue to expand. Two of the graduates are currently working in the US.

More than 80 per cent of revenue comes from exports and they set up a manufacturing facility in Malaysia, tapping in to the south East Asia markets.

She admits that manhole covers “doesn’t sound very glamorous” while talking about her job at dinner parties. Yet, clearly she is passionate about the company.

What makes it unique is the strength to weight ratio, which makes it durable. As well as being a good employer with a record of customer service, there is little office politics.

“There is a culture of loyalty among the workforce,” she added. “We are a Yorkshire-based company and we love what we do.”