As Wrekin Products Ltd. reflects on another year, the company is proud to have grown its geosynthetics division to deliver even more solutions to everyday problems in the civil engineering industry. Being at the center of ongoing expansion plans, its geosynthetics division is home to two of its best-selling products – the FasTrack 609 woven geotextile and the MultiTrack 1000 nonwoven geotextile.

Last year Wrekin Products also welcomed David Fisher, who took on the role of commercial and technical manager of the geosynthetics division. “It was a first-rate year for geosynehtics in 2022,” Fisher said. “While the construction industry has been facing challenges with supply and demand, wherever projects have been making progress it’s likely that geosynthetics had a hand in improving ground conditions for access and long-term use. Our range of products are used for a wide array of purposes, fit for all kinds of projects, on all kinds of ground. We understand that when construction is underway, time means money, and something like deceptive ground conditions can bring a project to a grinding halt if the right solution isn’t available fast enough. Our geosynthetics are designed with purpose to eliminate this worry.”

Wrekin’s geosynthetics have supported environmentally friendly projects across the country, such as the Longhill Burn and Sneddon Law wind farms, as well as helping the ongoing construction of the HS2 line between London and Birmingham. Its geosynthetics prevented almost 900 tonnes of CO2 emissions from being produced.

“At Wrekin, our ethos is to make every day better,” Fisher added. “Where this can be seen clearly is the environmental outcome of our products being used over the far less sustainable alternatives. On average, our geosynthetics can provide equivalent load-bearing capabilities to sub-bases twice as thick, providing aggregate savings of up to 50%. These savings are important to us, as well as to our customers, and we’re proud to be making a net positive impact on the environment with our products. With demand for geosynthetics set to increase in the coming year, we’ll continue to develop our products even further, to support the construction industry make even more monetary and carbon savings. Climate change isn’t going away, our geosynthetic solutions are perfectly placed to support, designers, specifiers, and contractors alike with solutions proven to reduce carbon emissions not only in the product itself but across the whole life of the project. With a tough economic outlook facing the construction sector, we can also help to reduce costs of critical infrastructure projects and our robust supply chain which has been tested and proven over the past couple of years should leave all confident that we are on hand to help.”

Wrekin has appointed Dave Sanders as new head of technical sales. Having joined the company in 2016 as a regional sales manager before returning in 2021 as senior national contracts manager, following a period away from the business, Sanders’ new position will see him working more closely with local authorities and water companies across the country.

“My new role is specific to our iron product offering and involves organizing a more comprehensive strategy towards forging relationships with new customers and strengthening ties with existing ones,” Sanders said. “The goal is to better understand our customers’ procurement processes so we can identify the pain points that we can help with. We’re already supplying customers with various offerings, but my new role reflects a doubled effort to optimize processes. Since December 2022, I’ve been assessing our work with local authorities and water utilities, understanding where in this space we’ve thrived and where there are more opportunities. Predominantly, the change is going to be about developing new ways to work with them and succeed with them. Whether those relationships are improved through product trials or framework appointments, we want our offering to be as flexible and bespoke as possible. The scope of this position covers a lot, and that’s what draws me to it. We’ve got a really experienced and creative team at Wrekin and we’re flexible to our clients’ needs. If they have a problem, we produce the solution to fix it. Strengthening relationships also puts us in a position to fix the problems our partners don’t know they have. It’s about streamlining and optimization on both sides so that we can work better together. Our company ethos and motto is ‘make every day better’, and this new direction is one example of its application.”

Wrekin has also appointed Ricky Hasprey as its new sales director, dedicated to supporting merchant partnerships and closer customer service collaboration. He will be responsible for the strategic management of UK sales to help sustain and grow new and existing opportunities for the manufacturer. With more than 15 years of experience in sales within the engineering sector, Hasprey is well-placed to lead the division and put his unique stamp on how the business engages with its partners.

“I am presented with a very exciting opportunity at Wrekin and join at a time of impressive growth and diversification of its product portfolio,” Hasprey said. “The iron, steel and geosynthetics offerings are all excelling and the business is investing heavily to help sustain and continue its growth journey, which I am looking forward to being part of. I will be working closely with merchant partners, who I already have long-established relationships with, and customers to ensure a smooth sales experience and to offer added value at every stage.”

Wrekin’s long history of work in the highways, housing and utilities sectors is complemented by ongoing commercial projects, which Ricky will be growing as a priority. “Our work is national and we want to remind our industry contacts all over the UK of our full sector offering,” Hasprey continued. “One of my aims is to build on brand awareness of the full scope of our solutions and use Wrekin’s extensive experience and varied case studies to demonstrate this to customers. We have the proven data to showcase what we can do, which is a great position to be in.”

“We’re pleased to have Hasprey join us and bring his proven track record with him, “ said Simon Turner, commercial director, Wrekin Products Ltd. “From the market-leading sales teams he has formed with key players in the industry, it’s clear that he has a passion for not only his profession but for the engineering industry. We all look forward to seeing what he achieves with us and how he can nurture the sales team at Wrekin.”