Polypipe welcomes royal visitor

Polypipe, one of Europe’s largest and most innovative manufacturers of piping solutions, underfloor heating and energy efficient ventilation, was given a royal seal of approval last week during a visit by HRH the Princess Royal.

The Princess was escorted on a guided tour of one of the FTSE 250-listed multinational’s manufacturing sites in Doncaster, Yorkshire, by Polypipe chief executive Martin Payne, chief operating officer Glen Sabin and Polypipe Building Products managing director Cameron McLellan on Friday, February 22.

Other dignitaries included Doncaster Central MP Dame Rosie Winterton and Andrew Coombe, Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire, who coordinated the event with Buckingham Palace to showcase the town’s business successes.

The 85-minute visit included seeing Polypipe’s market-leading training and moulding facilities in action, and a talk on the history of the business and its sustainability objectives.

Her Royal Highness also unveiled a plaque to commemorate her attendance before she was handed a bouquet of flowers by McLellan’s daughters, Charlotte, aged twelve, and eight-year-old Isabelle.

Payne said: “We are naturally delighted to have welcomed the Princess Royal to our site. She spent time chatting with our staff, learning about our training facilities and our use of cutting-edge technology.”

The visit was part of a whistle-stop tour of the town, which also included a trip to the National College for High Speed Rail, to, according to a spokesperson for the royal, experience Polypipe’s “advanced and integrated manufacturing process, including an interesting mix of local labour, robotics, manufacturing integration and excellence, and environmental consciousness (recycling waste plastic).”

Payne added that the visit further strengthens Doncaster’s reputation as a blossoming hub of enterprise.

“Doncaster has developed a thriving business community and we are incredibly proud to be a part of the town’s progress,” he said. “The princess’s visit is testament to hard work and success of the many flourishing companies we have here.”

It was the 31st time a royal has visited Doncaster since the turn of the century, including in 2007 when the Prince of Wales met victims and emergency services staff affected by the devastating flooding across South Yorkshire.

The Princess Royal is a regular visitor to Doncaster, having made an annual trip over the last four years.

Dame Rosie said: “I am delighted that Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal is visiting Polypipe, one of Doncaster’s most successful companies. I am especially pleased that she will be meeting not only staff but also learners and apprentices – the workforce of the future. Polypipe has played a key role in Doncaster’s economy and has a worldwide reputation as a leading manufacturing company.”

Polypipe develops sustainable, engineered water management and climate management solutions for the built environment. The company operates across 18 sites in the UK, Italy and the Middle East, employs over 3,000 staff with an annual turnover of more than £412million.