EMN is dedicated to strengthening the engineering and manufacturing community in North East England… and providing a support network for our members.
And for Gateshead-based B2B Injection Moulding Ltd and its Director Dawn Flynn, being part of EMN has been a hugely positive experience.
B2B Injection Moulding Ltd – sharing experiences and building relationships
Founded in 2019, B2B Injection Moulding Ltd manufactures customer specific thermo plastic injection moulded components and associated product assembly, which are supplied to companies across the UK and worldwide.
It is a part of PFC Holdings Group, which also includes vacuum forming specialist Apollo Plastics and street furniture supplier Plastic Furniture Company, and its leadership team and staff have vast experience in the plastics industry and manufacturing.
However, for all B2B Injection Moulding Ltd’s success, Director Dawn Flynn admits that running a business isn’t without its challenges.
And for Dawn, that’s where EMN steps in…
She has participated in a number of peer-to-peer sessions run by EMN, where professionals working across engineering and manufacturing companies come together to share experiences, challenges and ideas.
“The sessions are amazing for small businesses,” says Dawn. “You get like-minded people around a table, all from local businesses that just want to see other local businesses succeed. There’s no competition in it. It’s just everyone talking about their issues and coming up with solutions together.
“During the sessions, it was nice that I could help with some of the things other members had problems with, and then I was receiving help with some of my problems. It made me feel like part of a big community.
“The sessions highlighted that every business has similar struggles – you’re not the only one!”
EMN’s ability to help members solve problems also extends to signposting and making introductions.
“You’re not afraid to just pick up the phone to the EMN team, or send an email to them and say, ‘can anyone help?’, explains Dawn. “You know that someone in the EMN membership is going to be able to help you.
“The EMN team themselves are very proactive and always have time for you. They have been really helpful in spreading the news about a recent job vacancy at B2B Injection Moulding, for instance.”
B2B Injection Moulding has made some valuable connections through EMN – for instance the Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing (SAM) Project and marketing specialist and EMN affiliate Horizon Works. And new relationships forged through EMN have helped the company in areas such as product development and automation.
And it plans to tap into more expertise across the EMN community in the future too.
After exhibiting at the 2022 event, the company will also be returning to EMCON, held this year at Rainton Arena on September 14.
“EMCON 2022 was a great event for us,” comments Dawn. “It was the first time I’d ever been. Some industry expos can be a little bit stuffy, whereas EMCON was really friendly.
“We met so many people and did plenty of networking. And we discovered other suppliers who could help our business too – it wasn’t just about sales leads. We can’t wait to do EMCON again.”
Dawn concludes: “The EMN community is just so helpful. It’s really important for SMEs to see that, especially in our region.”
To join EMN and for more information on membership, visit https://emn.org.uk/membership/
EMCON takes place on September 14, 2023 at Rainton Arena, Houghton-le-Spring.
To exhibit at EMCON and for more information, visit https://emcon.show/exhibitor-packages/