Seymour Manufacturing International Ltd

Thermal insulation specialist Seymour Manufacturing International (SMI) is breaking records with its range of energy saving products.

The Telford-based company has seen record-breaking product turnover, exports and energy savings over the past year, and has some exciting new innovations on the horizon.

Chairman and managing director Brian Seymour said: “Exports are driving a 34% rise in turnover – overseas trade now accounts for more than 37% of our business, compared with less than 10% the year before.

“We are now selling our products to more than a dozen countries including South Africa, Iceland, the Ukraine and right across Europe, as well as making inroads into markets in the Middle East.”

Latest success stories include:

• The first sales of SMI’s pioneering Bus-Stop product into the Republic of Ireland, to Millbrook Foods.
• Warm praise from supermarket chain ASDA for SMI’s new Green-Door – a replacement for the unpopular and unwieldy ‘night door’.
• The launch of a new hi-tech ‘Test Cube’ at SMI’s Telford headquarters to develop and refine more pioneering new products.

SMI is the award-winning inventor of Tempro, the lightweight thermal insulation material which has been scientifically proven to cut energy loss by at least 25% in chillers, and 33% in freezers.

The Bus-Stop product is part of SMI’s Back-Stop family of insulated flexible barriers designed to reduce energy loss from the back of a chilled or frozen vehicle. Customers have already reported savings of up to 59%.

After years of painstaking research and nearly a decade of stringent tests at sites across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Green-Door is now opening the door to significant financial savings for major retailers.

It is a more lightweight and user-friendly replacement for the heavy sliding ‘night door’, with the potential to save a considerable amount of energy and physical effort for users.

Andrew Watson, store manager at ASDA Glasshoughton, Castleford, said: “The Green-Door has brought lots of benefits since installing it in place of the old night door.

“It is much lighter to use – reducing the risk of injury – much easier to clean, and saves us energy and money too. I would have no hesitation in recommending it, particularly in an area where there is a great deal of footfall.”

But SMI is now resting on its laurels, and has several other products at the research, development or testing stage.

The Test Cube investment gives the company SMI the ability to test modular doors, barriers, and its range of covers and liners for trolleys and moving dividers.

Mr Seymour said: “It takes us to a new and higher level of accuracy when testing customer prototypes and our own product development.

“We have purchased many thousands of pounds of testing equipment including Flir thermal imaging cameras, but this facility will take us further into the future.

“It will help us to choose with greater accuracy the materials and design to help our customers – and prove product performance in a range of temperatures, with much greater accuracy.”

Mr Seymour added: “We are all excited about what the next chapter holds for SMI. Brexit creates wonderful opportunities for British businesses to sell their products all over the world.

“And as our exports continue to grow, we intend to increase the proportion of our products which we assemble right here in the UK. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”