50 years ago a company called Chisholm Plastics started trading in Liverpool – today that business is called Centriforce and exports to more than 50 countries and generates £28m in annual sales. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool firm Centriforce Products which exports its products to more than 50 countries is celebrating 50 years in business.

It started life in 1976 as Chisholm Plastics, processing paper and plastic waste. Today it employs more than 80 people at its factory close to Liverpool’s north docks, exports to more than 50 countries across the world and generates £28m a year in sales.

Operating from a six-acre site on Derby Road, the company has become the UK’s market leader in recycled plastic protection products, supplying the utilities, construction, agriculture and engineering sectors.

Its core products, from Stokbord, a recycled plastic sheet to the most recently launched Protrac ground protection mat range, are made entirely from 100% recycled post-consumer and industrial plastic, principally packaging films, milk bottles and carrier bags that would otherwise end up in landfill.

Centriforce’s products are embedded in some of Britain’s most significant infrastructure projects. 

When the East Midlands Electricity Board first adopted Stokbord Cable Protection Tiles in 1982 replacing concrete, it marked the beginning of a relationship between Centriforce and the UK Utility Sector that now spans four decades. 

Today, Stokbord and Tapetile are specified by major power, gas and telecoms network operators to protect their buried infrastructure across the UK and the world.

In 2018, Centriforce also developed Stokbord®Utility Protection in a roll format, a safer and faster installation method, which has played a pivotal role in the delivery of major renewables infrastructure projects.

Beyond the utilities sector, Centriforce has built a broad portfolio of recycled plastic products serving industries as diverse as agriculture, construction, and civil engineering.

Its roots in alternative materials stretch back to its very first product – a pig board, developed to replace plywood in agricultural housing and provide a safer, more hygienic environment for livestock.

That founding principle, that recycled plastic could outperform traditional materials in demanding real-world conditions, remains as relevant today as it was in 1976.

From agricultural boarding and access covers to ground protection and construction site solutions, Centriforce continues to supply a wide range of sectors with products engineered for performance, longevity and sustainability.

Jonathan Pearce, chief executive of Centriforce, said: “This company was built on the idea that waste plastic could be something useful – something that protects lives, assets and infrastructure.

“We didn’t call it the circular economy in 1976; we just called it common sense. The future for the business looks incredibly bright, as we move into new geographical areas, develop new products and play our role in striving to achieve net zero for our planet.”

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The company is marking its 50th birthday with a programme of events and activities throughout the anniversary year, including a nationwide media campaign titled Force of 50. 

Three Centriforce team members are also running the Manchester Half Marathon on October 4 to raise funds for KIND, a Liverpool charity supporting children and families experiencing poverty and disadvantage.