COBA Plastics Group

COBA Plastics Group Awarded ‘Excellence in International Trade’ at the 2024 East Midlands Chamber Business Awards

COBA Plastics Group — 19/02/2025

Leicestershire, UK – COBA Plastics Group, a global leader in innovative solutions and international trade, has been honoured as the ‘Excellence in International Trade’ recipient at the 2024 Business Awards Leicestershire, sponsored by the East Midlands Chamber. The awards celebrate the achievements and resilience of businesses across the region.

East Midlands Chamber connects, supports and champions businesses and communities across Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. One way in which it does this is through its annual regional business awards, where businesses are nominated across 13 different categories.

The ‘Excellence in International Trade’ award recognises the strength of local businesses engaged in international trade. Entrants were required to demonstrate how their objectives and strategies for growth have generated significant and sustained increases in their global activities.

COBA Plastics Group was selected for this award for its innovative approach to handling export customs. By moving customs processes in-house—previously managed by the Chambers of Commerce—COBA streamlined operations and enhanced efficiency. Additionally, COBA’s dedication to building a strong international customer base has earned consistent praise. Even amidst the challenges of Brexit COBA Plastics Group has delivered goods with minimal issues to the international market.

Featured in the London Stock Exchange’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ in 2020, and a staple of Leicestershire’s Top 200 Companies, COBA Plastics Group is on track to becoming the first-choice supplier of extruded and moulded components across diverse sectors, driving sustainability through progressively environmentally friendly materials, and fostering purpose for our people and customers for another sixty years.

To discover more about COBA Plastics Group visit https://cobaplastics.com/.

COBA PRECISION COLLECT SUPPLIER EXCELLENCE AWARD

COBA Plastics Group — 07/10/2019

COBA Precision was awarded the Supplier Excellence Award, presented by Maxine Hayden, Commercial Manager of the PTG Group.

PTG is the Precision Technologies Group, of which we help to support two of their divisions, Holroyd Precision and Precision Components.

The award came from Holroyd Precision, who manufacture high precision rotor milling and grinding machines. We support Holroyd by providing them with a wide variety of components for these types of machines.

The nominees for this award were given a monthly scorecard based on a number of factors such as, quality, on-time delivery, supplier support and responsiveness. A score of at least 98% is needed to achieve the award.

This is also the first year that the Supplier Excellence Award has been presented, so we are honoured to be part of the award’s history by being its first-ever winners!

CONTACTLESS LASER MEASUREMENT SUPPORTS CONSISTENT QUALITY

COBA Plastics Group — 26/04/2019

COBA Automotive introduced its first in-line laser measurement machines more than six years ago, and since then they has become an integral part of our production operation.

Having this technology available for use in manufacturing means that extruded plastic profiles can be measured in real time, and with SPC (Statistical Process Control). And because laser machines provide a non-contact method of measuring the accuracy of parts, quality levels are maximised without affecting speed of production. Thousands of measurements are performed each hour on a running production line, which is something a manual process could never match.

We pride ourselves on the quality of what we make, and accurate measurement is vital to providing consistent product to our clients.

Poka-yoke is a Japanese term that means “inadvertent error prevention”, and we employ this via the 100% process control of our production lines to prevent non-conformances. By connecting these systems to the network, data can be stored indefinitely, for customer reporting, as well as assisting with the design and development on new products.

Get in touch with us today to discuss how in-line measurement could make your next project more successful.

Our top ten favourite automotive Christmas adverts

COBA Plastics Group — 04/12/2019

It’s that time of year again, when our televisions are chock-full of festive adverts from brands vying for our attention. Whilst some are more traditional, others go to extra lengths to capture our imagination, like an over excited dragon whose name escapes me. Here is a run-down of our top ten favourite automotive Christmas adverts:

1. Audi Presents: New Santa

In this advert from Audi, we see Santa go from the jolly overweight character we all know and love, to a leaner, sharper version of himself – much like the car.

The ad starts with Santa delivering presents to a couple’s home. Things get tense when the homeowners return and almost spot Santa admiring their shiny new Audi RS. Something seems to give Santa pause, when he catches himself in the mirror and pats his stomach.

We then enjoy a ‘Rocky-esque’ boxing sequence, with Santa getting fitter each day in the run-up to Christmas. We see Santa out of breath and struggling, but he doesn’t quit.

Mrs Clause suddenly realises what Santa really wants for Christmas, when she sees him asleep clutching a car magazine. And at the end of the ad, a new Santa is revealed, with shorter hair and a snappy red suit. The elves applause and, Santa’s new sleigh is revealed… a red Audi RS 5 Sportback.

"At nearly 4 minutes we’re almost in short film territory with this offering from Audi, but we loved its big-budget feel, and how we can all relate to trying to lose a few pounds before Christmas." Dan, COBA’s marketing team

2. Christmas Eve at BMW Group

This advert starts slowly, as we find the BMW manufacturing plant empty and still on Christmas eve. We follow a lone engineer as they switch off the equipment for the festive period.

He notices a corridor where the lights seem to have been left on, and so he investigates. The engineer discovers a room where two robots are putting the finishing touches to a Christmas tree and setting out presents. As the man’s face turns from surprise to delight, the camera moves to his two colleagues controlling the robots from behind.

"This advert makes you think about and appreciate the human element behind car production. And I loved the warm festive feels it leaves you with." Holly, COBA’s marketing team

3. Future Traditions: A Christmas film by Mercedes-Benz

A man talks through a ‘traditional’ family Christmas while reluctantly eating a mince pie. He seems bored by the routine of Christmas day and his predictable family. He’s shown having a family photo taken, where no one is ready and receiving ‘un-surprising’ Christmas gifts from his family.

The family is then visited by ‘Uncle Bob’, the man invites him in. He then takes a look outside the house. Across the road lives senior Lewis Hamilton the man then quotes is ‘still in shape’. The camera zooms out and we see a futuristic seen of a drone delivering a present, futuristic cars and a dog being walked by a drone. A snapshot is then shown of the family having their traditional family Christmas. We then see the words ‘A lot will change in the future, except Christmas’.

"At some point we’ve all had at least one of ‘those’ family Christmases. This is a nice take on that and how somethings never change, even as technology moves forward." Ruediger, COBA’s marketing team

4. Audi Holiday Campaign “Parking Lot”

In this second ad from Audi in our list, we see two men entering a car park at Christmas. As the barrier raises, they politely acknowledge each other before we see the parking space availability board count down to one. The race is on!

Both dads speed around the car park to bag the last remaining space. They face a number of challenges along the way, and in the last showdown they speed up to the car park roof.

We later find them both in a toy shop, staring down the last remaining toy. The battle begins again.

"We’ve all been there. You leave you Christmas shopping till the last minute and find yourself running around on Christmas Eve looking for this year’s ‘must-have’ toy." Tineyi, COBA’s marketing team

5. The Tiguan with Trailer Assist | Volkswagen

In this simple, paired back Christmas advert from VW, we see a fully illuminated sleigh, stacked full of presents, being reversed carefully into a garage by a shiny red Tiguan. ‘Easy reverse parking for your most precious possessions’ is the strapline.

"VW are renowned for their strong and simple advertising, and we loved the clarity of the creative here that doesn’t lose any festive cheer." Tanya, COBA’s marketing team

6. Merry Christmas powered by BMW Group

A family is shown preparing for Christmas, dressing the tree and the turkey is in the oven. All of a sudden there is a power cut. The family get the power back on by using a source in the garage from their electric car.

Neighbours affected by the power cut are invited to join them for Christmas.

"A poignant example of how reliant we are on electricity, and not-so-subtle nod to the EV movement. It’s also just a nice Christmas message of sharing with others." Kate, COBA’s marketing team

7. Mercedes Benz Christmas Ad 2016 Snow Date

A man looks out at a snow blizzard from his house. His son, who seems to be waiting for a lift somewhere looks on anxiously. The father appears reluctant due to the weather, but we later see them set off into the night in their Mercedes. The car drives swiftly through the snow, seemingly unhindered by the conditions.

They arrive at the cinema where we find the car park is empty, and inside only staff members can be seen. As the father and son turn around to leave, another car arrives. When the car stops a girl gets out – it’s the boy’s date.

"A heart felt story about a festive first-date, made possible by Mercedes." Rachel, COBA’s marketing team

8. Kia | Light Up The Holidays

Christmas music is played in time with a light show performed by the car head lights and lights on the building.

"Sound on, is a must with this one! It made us feel reminiscent about watching Home Alone." Simon, COBA’s marketing team

9. Land Rover Discovery – White Christmas

We see parents in the hot desert watch their daughter dress a cactus as you would a snow man. Over-night they leave their home in the car for a journey, it starts to snow. Their daughter was sleeping, she’s now woken up at a snowy cabin.

"We all wish for a ‘white Christmas’, especially as children – we see that come true for one child." Holly, COBA’s marketing team

10. Land Rover: Go Beyond This Christmas

A family wrap up with scarves and gloves then pile into their car. They’re shown driving down the motorway and country roads. As it gets dark, they arrive at a house, knock on the door and sing a Christmas carol.

"A nice Christmas message about going above and beyond, for people in remote locations." Marilyn, COBA’s marketing team

We hope you enjoyed our top ten and that you’re now in the Christmas spirit!

Introducing COBA Plastics Group!

COBA Plastics Group — 09/07/2024

We are thrilled to announce the rebranding of our plastics manufacturing and engineering divisions in an exciting move that signifies a new chapter for our company. This decision comes after the strategic demerger of COBA International Ltd earlier this year, which was a crucial step towards focusing on our core business areas and accelerating our growth and innovation.

The rebranding of our plastics manufacturing and engineering divisions is not just a cosmetic change – it reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality products and services that exceed our customers' expectations. We have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to enhance our capabilities, streamline our operations, and invest in new technologies to ensure that we remain at the forefront of the industry.

This rebranding is a significant milestone for us, as it marks the beginning of a new era for our company. We are more determined than ever to provide our customers with innovative solutions that meet their evolving needs and drive their success. By separating our plastics manufacturing and engineering divisions from COBA International Ltd, we are better positioned to focus on our core competencies and deliver exceptional value to our clients.

As we look ahead to the future, we are excited about the possibilities that this rebranding will bring. We are committed to expanding our product portfolio, exploring new markets, and forging strategic partnerships that will enable us to achieve our long-term goals. By repositioning ourselves in the market, we are laying the groundwork for sustainable growth and profitability that will benefit our customers, employees, and stakeholders.

In the upcoming weeks, we will be sharing more updates on our rebranded plastics manufacturing and engineering divisions. We have some exciting announcements and initiatives in the pipeline that we can't wait to unveil. From new product launches to enhanced services, there is a lot to look forward to as we embark on this new journey.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers for their continued support and trust in our brand. Your feedback and insights have been invaluable in shaping our rebranding strategy and helping us stay ahead of the competition. We are committed to earning your loyalty every day by delivering on our promises and exceeding your expectations.

In conclusion, the rebranding of our plastics manufacturing and engineering divisions is a bold and strategic move that sets the stage for our future growth and success. We are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and look forward to sharing more updates with you in the coming weeks. Thank you for being a part of this exciting journey with us! Stay tuned for more exciting news and developments from our rebranded divisions.

LinkedIn - COBA Plastics re-branding

Making Ourselves Heard in the Midlands

COBA Plastics Group — 31/05/2019

COBA Precision will be attending the now well-established 1-day exhibition, organised and hosted by Made in the Midlands, at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. 2019 also marks the tenth year for the event, which promises to be the largest so far.

As a Made in the Midlands Gold member, COBA Precision has benefited for several years from being part of this successful organisation, which brings together the best in manufacturers from the region.

They say ‘Join over 2,500 industry leaders attending from across the Midlands' engineering and manufacturing supply chain, including automotive, oil and gas, aerospace, retail, defence and medical. This is your chance to network and build relationships with the elite of Midlands industry.’

COBA Precision is part of the larger COBA Plastics Group. This group comprises of three divisions within the larger family-owned group of companies: COBA Automotive, COBA Precision and COBA Plastics Moulding. Each division has an important part to play in the manufacturing process, whether that’s producing finished parts for our customers, or working with our clients on their own manufacturing projects.

You can find us at this year’s event on stand G18, which is located centrally in the hall, to the right of the main Theatre, and adjacent to the Lounge.

COBA Precision the first choice for prototyping, design and engineering solutions. We support our customers in a number of sectors, including the automotive sector. With we have the skill, commitment and capacity to produce world-class components and even whole machines, we support our customers in a number of different sectors, including Automotive.

With the help of our additional COBA Plastics divisions, our business in the Midlands is even more diverse. Whether we are precision engineering replacement metal parts, injection moulding houseware components in plastic, or supplying JIT profiles to many of the automotive plants in the Midlands.

This year our focus is on an important and now perennial topic, ‘light-weighting’. With the attention on the environment growing to unprecedented levels in 2019, it is more important than ever to ensure our use of plastic and its lifespan is consciously designed and manufactured. By developing lighter plastic parts for cars and other products means potentially less material, less energy to transport, and lower emissions in the long term.

Hopefully, we can discuss this and other exciting topics when we see you at Made in the Midlands 2019 in a few weeks’ time.

COBA PRECISION'S LATEST INVESTMENT INTO NEW EQUIPMENT

COBA Plastics Group — 16/04/2019

Over the past year, COBA Precision has continued to expand its machine capabilities in order to advance in the marketplace. By continuing to grow both our capacity and technical know-how we are able to better serve existing customers, as well as find new precision engineering business in the East Midlands region and beyond.

Towards the end of 2018, we took delivery of a new model Haas CNC vertical machining centre, which brings our total Haas VMC collective to five machines.

The newest model, a Modular Mini Mill, is the third new machine we have acquired in the past year, the other two being replacements for older machines – a Harrison Alpha semi-CNC lathe and an XYZ SMX5000 bed mill, which has a larger capacity than our previous one.

The addition of the Mini Mill will increase our capability overall and free up the larger machines, enabling us to offer a quicker turn around on orders for larger components. The new additions will also help us to keep aiming to exceed and meet our customers’ needs and expectations.

This investment in new machinery is a testament to the hard work of all the COBA Precision team and demonstrates a firm commitment to grow the business year on year.

There will be many more success stories such as this at this year’s Made in the Midlands Exhibition, which takes place at the Ricoh Arena on June 20. To join the hundreds of members exhibiting simply register for tickets by clicking on the banner below and for more details, don’t forget to visit our new exhibition website - www.madeinthemidlandsexpo.co.uk

NEW POLISHED RESIN MEASUREMENT GAINS CUSTOMER APPROVAL

COBA Plastics Group — 02/10/2019

COBA’s Quality Assurance team has been working with a globally recognised automotive visibility systems brand to improve product reliability.

Less than 12 months ago, COBA Automotive invested in its first resin polisher machine, and since then, we have made huge steps forward in the accuracy and efficiency of some of our product quality processes.

We have been working in partnership with a leading European manufacturer of automotive window wipers, to ensure that the profiles we supply are within the extremely limited tolerances required for reliable production. The customer has been impressed that our internal quality assurance processes are in line with their own standards.

How We Utilise Our Resin Polisher Machine

In-line laser machines provide instant and highly accurate measurements of profiles in production, but they can only ever provide data on the external dimensions. When two materials are used in one product, it is important to be able to determine that they join according to the original technical drawing. This requires analysis of the part’s end profile, which the resin polisher machine now enables us to check with precision.

The process starts off with the plastic profile being set in resin, which prevents distortion of the part and allow the most accurate measurement possible. In the past, when smaller or particularly soft profiles were cut, they were more likely to distort from the pressure of being handled, providing potentially inaccurate feedback to our production team.

A number of different sanding surfaces are then used to file down the resin, revealing its true profile. The resin polisher machine carries out five separate grinding processes and three polishing processes, pre-programmed to reach a perfectly smooth surface when all are completed.

Once polished, the resin block is digitally scanned at a high magnification using our Optimax equipment. Then, using sophisticated software, we are able check each specific dimension against the original CAD drawing. Automation within the software means that this can be done in a short amount of time and with pin point accuracy.

More Precise Feedback to Production

By using a resin polisher and this process, we are now able know more reliably if there are any imperfections, that may either compromise the part’s performance or impact production efficiency.

Optical Comparators are still used frequently, and in most cases provide high levels of accuracy, but with smaller profiles, shadowing means that dimensions are potentially open to misreading. So, for profiles with tight tolerances, the new process is preferable.

To minimise the risk of errors further and ensure reliability, we repeat the same process five times during each test. We are able to quickly see any defects or measurement errors and make corrections if required. Accurate measurements are crucial for delivering a successful project to our clients.

Get in touch with us today to discuss how we could improve accuracy on your next project.

COBA PLASTICS GROUP CAPABILITIES INFOGRAPHIC

COBA Plastics Group — 02/10/2019

This infographic shows how our different divisions work together. Each division has an important part to play in delivering finished parts to our customers.

COBA Moves Facility to Optimise Thermoplastic Activities

COBA Plastics Group — 14/03/2022

COBA subsidiary, COBA Plastics Moulding Ltd, relocates its injection moulding operations from Whetstone to Company headquarters in Fleckney – improving efficiency of operations

As part of the COBA Group’s manufacturing strategy, COBA Plastics Moulding Ltd has been successfully relocated to a recently vacated facility at the company’s main manufacturing site in Fleckney, Leicestershire. With sister company COBA Europe moving to a larger site in Rugby, the opportunity arose to co-locate COBA Plastics Moulding with the related Automotive and Engineering divisions.

The move was completed in an impressive timeframe between December 2021 and January 2022 – with the entire workforce, plant and machinery making the transition to the dedicated building. This move brings together COBA’s extensive extrusion, injection moulding, toolmaking, and engineering activities onto one site allowing it to streamline operations for the benefit of its customers.

With investment in new crane gantries, cooling systems, pipework, and complete new electrical installation the building infrastructure is primed to support significant growth over the next decade. COBA has also invested heavily in its suite of equipment, with a total of 24 injection moulding machines, 15 of which are brand new Arburg models. Press sizes range from 50T up to 420T, all fitted with Robots to maximise operational efficiency, and 2K injection available. A range of value-added options are also offered including adhesive tapes, tampo printing, insert application, ultrasonic welding, surface bonding treatments and painting.

Here’s what Sales Director, Chris Richmond had to say: ‘This move further streamlines supply chains and facilitates the provision of extruded and injection moulded components from one site with full design and APQP support. By investing in extra capacity COBA is placed to better serve new business growth for our existing and new clients. Please contact our commercial team to discuss your potential applications.’

Find out more about COBA Plastics: https://www.cobaplasticsmoulding.co.uk/

FIRST ALL TPV MOVING EXTERIOR SUNROOF SEAL PACK IN EUROPE

COBA Plastics Group — 12/04/2019

COBA develops the first Exterior TPV Seal Pack in Europe for Moving Sunroof Applications

COBA Automotive (UK) Ltd is pleased to announce that we have achieved an industry first in Europe. We are proud to have developed the first exterior TPV seal pack in Europe for use on a moving sunroof application. The 11 component TPV seal packs are now in full production, and will feature on the new Toyota Corolla.

These type of sunroof seals have historically been made from EPDM rubber. By working closely with our Tier 1 automotive customer, COBA ran multiple FEA and CAD simulations and conducted material trials to create a functional seal pack, that was in turn accepted by the OEM.

There are benefits associated with using TPV as a material for such vehicle applications. The parts developed and supplied by COBA are instantly over 20% lighter by material SG. In the case of the sunroof seal pack, further weight saving benefits were also created as a result of redesigning the seal cross sections, made possible by using TPV. This supports the drive towards reducing vehicle CO² emissions, weight reduction and electrification.

By using less material and removing weight by design, COBA was also able to offer part cost savings on the seals.

As well as weight reduction and cost savings, the other benefits of TPV over EPDM include shorter production processes using less energy and manufacturing footprint.

“We are always proud to be a leader in our respective field and this project has been a really interesting one to be involved with. It is a good example of how our team at COBA Automotive can support the need and transition of alternative materials on the next generation of vehicles,” says Chris Richmond, Sales & Marketing Director, COBA Automotive (UK) Ltd.

Please get in touch to see how we can help with your next application area and learn more about how our team can assist in supporting your automotive project. Telephone: 0116 240 1000 or email crichmond@coba.com