One of his very first projects was working on the Lotus Elise and Vauxhall VX220 sports cars. These projects involved dashboards, boot floors, firewalls, and radiator housings.. all produced using polyurethane foam systems. Polyurethane had only just been introduced at Linecross at the time, so it was a steep learning curve.
“It was a lot of hard yards,” Andy recalls, “but it gave us the confidence to meet customer requirements for years to come.”
He credits Ross McFarlane of the SMMT as a key influence during those early years:
“His teaching of continuous improvement and problem-solving techniques has served me well throughout my career.”
Over the past 25 years Andy has seen processes evolve significantly. While the S-RIM polyurethane process has remained stable, Linecross has adapted machinery, tooling, and processes to introduce compression moulding of various thermoplastic composites. This versatility has enabled the company to support a wide variety of customer projects.
One project that stands out is the development of the Antler Atom (a superlight) suitcase range.
“I was involved from the very first conception right through to market launch,” he explains. “It was a brand-new material and process, and we created one of the world’s lightest suitcase ranges. It was a proud moment to see the cases for sale on the high street.”
As Linecross continues to expand, with a new third site in Corby soon to open, Andy is excited to be part of the next chapter.
The three words Andy chose to sum up his time with the business so far are:
Innovation. Collaboration. Dedication.
From everyone at Linecross, we’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to Andy for 25 years of commitment, expertise, and energy.
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