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Jackie Petford, HR manager at APUK pictured centre above, with one of this year’s ‘Apprentices of the Year’ winners and NEPIC CEO, Joanne Fryett.

Alpek Polyester UK Ltd (APUK) is part of the Alpek Polyester Group, who are a global leader in the production of polyester products. Employing more than 3,800 employees, in nine different countries, at 18 manufacturing sites, the business portfolio covers the full polyester value chain from the raw material in Pure Terephthalic Acid (PTA) to Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Resin and Sheet, Thermoforming Packaging, Polyester Fibres and Filament.

Specifically, here on Teesside, Alpek Polyester UK Ltd is the only UK producer of PET Resin. Its product is used in a wide range of packaging from water bottles to food trays.

PET offers the lowest carbon footprint, exceptional value and provides many of today’s top brands the ability to easily package their goods, whilst taking advantage of the benefits that PET brings from being lightweight, transparent, resistant to breakage and infinitely recyclable.

APUK’s story in the region began in the days of ICI. It has seen many changes in business ownership since ICI sold the business to DuPont back in the late 90s, and today’s business looks significantly different to back then. Thankfully however with investment back in 2014 by the then owners, Lotte Chemical, a new state-of-the-art PET plant was built and commissioned and is the only PET supplier in the UK proudly serving around 70 per cent of the market.

Employing around 100 local people, APUK invests heavily in its people and strongly believes in growing its own. Speaking with Jackie Petford, HR manager she said:

“APUK are very proud of its highly skilled and experienced workforce, and we can tell a very good story about how growing our own has paid dividends for us.

“If our people show a desire to develop and progress, we’re on board to help them achieve that goal. There’s no ceiling here, in fact around 20 per cent of our current workforce, some of whom are now in senior roles, started out as an apprentice, or going further back, came through the old youth training schemes.

“For many years now APUK have actively championed and are proud to be investing in apprenticeships and currently have 12 apprentices all at different stages of their journey, from those just starting out, to existing employees that are doing degree apprenticeships.”

This dedication to the younger generation in the area extends much further than just their own organisation, they participate in the North East Apprenticeship Ambassador Network and are chair of the Science Industry Apprenticeship Consortium, part of which sees them working in collaboration with other process industries in the area and fellow NEPIC member Hartlepool College of Further Education. This collaborative approach has enabled the group to develop a bespoke programme with Hartlepool College for the wider chemical industry.

APUK also support the NEPIC Annual Industry Awards each year. For the last 14 years, they have sponsored NEPIC’s ‘Apprentices of the Year’ category, which showcases young apprentices from companies across the region and celebrates their outstanding achievements in the process sector.

Jackie commented: “People are our most important asset, and we want them to feel valued and invested in. We try to achieve this by focusing on creating a positive work culture where we allow people to grow and develop, which is evidenced in our low staff turnover.”

And it’s not just the workforce the business is committed to. There is also the sustainability agenda.  

Jackie said: “The global Alpek Polyester business is on a mission to educate on PET with a campaign aptly named “Positively PET”. There are many misconceptions about the product but it’s important to know that not all plastics are the same. PET is one of the most sustainable plastics out there.”

“PET is 100% recyclable, can be recycled at high rates and is the only plastic that can be remade back to its original purpose. In addition to all those positives its carbon footprint is 80 per cent less than that of glass or aluminium, which makes it the right choice for the environment.”

Driven to help the wider community understand the importance of recycling and improve the circular economy of PET, APUK work closely with initiatives such as the Centre for Industry Education Collaboration’s Children Challenging Industry programme, which aims to inspire the next generation to be more environmentally aware, coupled with opening them up to the vast career opportunities available within the industry.

Jackie concluded:

“It’s great that NEPIC provide a central point for organisations like us to connect, we often collaborate with other members on Wilton and throughout the Tees Valley on important subjects that cover a whole host of things, but specifically in areas such as apprenticeships and the skills agenda.

“Without an organisation like NEPIC, it would be much more difficult to collaborate with likeminded organisations who share similar challenges. It gives us the ability to learn from one another and work together on projects that lead to a better future for the region.”