Precision plastic injection moulding firm Icon Plastics has been awarded a prestigious global-scale accreditation that enhance its ability to win contacts from major blue-chip companies in the automotive sector.
Icon, which employs 42 people, had to pass a rigorous inspection process to be awarded the ISO/TS16949 quality mark.
This is a global technical specification and quality management standard for the automotive industry, which benchmarks best practice when designing, developing, manufacturing, installing or servicing automotive products.
Bosses at Icon say it is unusual for a firm of its size to meet the exacting requirements to be awarded the high ranking endorsement.
Icon Managing Director Gareth Thomas, who runs the company alongside Operations Director Phil Walker, said: “This is a major achievement for a firm the size of Icon.
“To be ISO/TS16949-certified will open doors to new business streams with major players as it is a requirement for supplying into the mainstream automotive market.
“We are confident it will help increase our sales at home and abroad. The award also is testament to the excellence of our workforce, the standard of our processes and our meticulous quality control.”
While Icon’s current marketplace is predominantly the UK, it does export to Malaysia, Austria, and Eastern Europe.
Since it moved to Durham Lane Industrial Park Eaglescliffe in 2014, it has invested more than £1m in its new premises.
The company, which has 24 injection moulding machines, operates around the clock five days a week.
Icon Plastics currently manufactures and supplies complex plastic injection moulded parts and assemblies into the Automotive, Electronics and Defence industries.