Experts announce new appointments

Thermal insulation specialist Seymour Manufacturing International (SMI) has announced a series of new appointments on the back of a record-breaking start to the year.

The Telford-based company, known for its award-winning Tempro®  thermal material, recorded its best combined January and February sales, with orders for thermal curtains, covers, liners and bespoke products from across the UK and overseas.

To build on the success, SMI has restructured its senior team as it prepares to launch a series of new products into the market during 2023.

Kirsty Murrell is now operations manager and health & safety officer, Ross Clarke has been appointed business development manager, and Chris Davies is now sales manager – with particular responsibility for leading on SMI business in Ireland.

Gemma Elsmore-Roberts’ accounts role has been expanded to include quality officer, due to the immense amount of work involved with ISO compliance, and Matt Weaver has been recognised as warehouse engineer.

SMI managing director Jill Seymour said: “This is going to be an important year for the company as we expand our range with innovative new products. My husband Brian, our chairman and founder, is constantly working on many R&D projects and is hopeful some will be launched before the end of the year.

“We have an incredibly loyal and hard-working team here who create the family atmosphere which we are proud to have always retained. I’m incredibly grateful to all of them for their support.”

She added: “The success that has been achieved in the past two years has enabled us to modernise and adapt our manufacturing facilities.

“We hope to be launching a new product for the agricultural sector which we believe has huge potential and cost savings, and are currently trialling a new Tempro® thermal cover for supermarket freezers which has so far been very well received.”

SMI has been saving energy and money for some of the world’s biggest and best well known businesses since the 1980s.

The company’s client list is a who's who of big-name brands, including retailers such as Waitrose, Morrisons, ASDA, Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer, Co-Op and Lidl. SMI have long relationships with the NHS, the Ministry of Defence, and has become a leading thermal insulation supplier for the protection of food, chemicals, agricultural and home delivery products.

It’s all thanks to Tempro®, SMI’s remarkable lightweight thermal insulation material which has been scientifically proven to cut energy loss by up to 60%, depending on the product and its working environment.

SMI’s Tempro® thermal insulation product, and best-selling Cold-Stop® curtains & Back-Stop® range for the logistics are in the running for the ‘Technological Breakthrough – Innovation of the Year’ prize for cold storage at the 2023 Cold Chain Sustainability Awards.

The awards recognise businesses and individuals who are ‘leading the way towards a more sustainable UK cold storage and temperature-controlled transport sector’. The winners will be announced later this month.

Last year SMI’s founder and chairman Brian Seymour was given a ‘lifetime achievement award’ in recognition of his contribution to the UK temperature control storage and distribution industry.

Pictured: Kirsty Murrell has been appointed operations manager at SMI’s Telford head office