User:Sue Benton/sandbox

Rayburn Plastics Ltd is a precision engineering firm based in Walsall, England. Founded in 1959, a family run company spanning three generations. Main sectors of design include the Aerospace and Automotive industry, machining a variety of materials including plastics and metals, composites, glass and foam. The company is also accredited with the most recent ISO 9001 standard.

Heritage
Rayburn was founded in the spring of 1959 by husband and wife John and Edna Griffiths. The company's first humble facility was a shed at the bottom of their garden, machining metal components for the automotive industry. In 1963 they moved Rayburn to a small 1,500 sq. ft factory in Whitehouse Street (Walsall), which was then extended in 1965, expanding not only the company's size but also its diversity. An assembly shop, CNC department and three flatbed routers were added to an ever growing workforce.

In 1966 two further family members joined the company, Vernon Ball, Edna's Father and Alan Griffiths, John and Edna's son. Vernon bought into the company the skills needed to produce industrial models while Alan concentrated on generating sales from a diverse range of industries.

In the mid 1970's, Alan Griffiths was appointed Managing Director, advancing Rayburn into a new era of CNC machining, ISO standard assembly and automated systems. He is also responsible for the strong business relationships that still stand in Rayburn today, and established the firm as a specialist subcontractor to such accredited companies as General Electric, Aston Martin, Jaguar, British Airways, Air France and Cathay Pacific.

In 1978, A second factory is purchased in Bloxwich, and a further third factory in Hay-on-Wye (Wales) in 1980.

In 1984 Vernon Ball passed away and then in 1989, just before Rayburn was awarded the prestigious BS5750 quality award, the award that John had worked so hard to achieve, he too sadly passed away.

In 1994, Alan Griffiths was asked to give a speech about business strategy and community at the Win With Walsall Conference held at Walsall Tec.

The early part of 2000 saw Rayburn continue to invest in the most up to date machinery. It was during this period that Rayburn customers began to ask for much more than machined parts, they required Rayburn to supply complicated sub-assemblies in both plastics and metals. To accommodate their demands a modern assembly area was built alongside its own stores and quality department.

In 2011 John Griffiths Jr (Alan Griffiths's youngest son) joined the company making him the fourth generation to work for the firm. In 2015 John was appointed Managing Directors by the board of directors.

Awards
⚫ In 1989, Rayburn is awarded the BSI Certification Registration, making it the first company of it's type in the West Midlands to be given a top award by the British Standards Institution

⚫ In 2002, Rayburn is awarded the Investors in People award

Modern-day
Rayburn Plastics Ltd has now passed its 60th year, is accredited with the latest ISO 9001 standard and continues to provide quality and reliability for its select customer base. A long way from the early days and the shed at the bottom of the garden.

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