After the retirement of long-serving managing director Colin Tirel, the management of the British subsidiary Arburg Ltd. in Warwick was taken over by Steve Thomson on 1 December 2025. He has been associated with Arburg since September 2024, when he became sales manager of Arburg Ltd. As the new managing director, he declares a focus on the needs of customers in the company's key markets of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Steve Thomson began his career in the plastics industry in 1991 as an apprentice plastics engineer at a household appliance manufacturer. After studying at Burton Technical College, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in polymer science from Coventry University. During his further professional career, he worked for companies in the automotive, medical and peripheral equipment sectors, and his duties also took him to various locations in Europe, including Baden-Baden and Munich. He now has 33 years of industry experience, 27 of which have been spent in the field of injection moulding and tooling technology.
Stability and expertise for the UK and Irish markets
The new managing director sees Arburg as a significant machine manufacturer and an important market player. He emphasises that the goal is to maintain a strong position in the rapidly changing markets of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Steve Thomson has a team of 26 employees at Arburg Ltd. at his disposal.
In his statements, he speaks highly of his predecessor. As he notes, "Colin Tirel is a titan of the British plastics industry who gave me his full support during the transition phase and from whom I was able to learn a great deal."
Describing the market situation, Steve Thomson points out that, as in many European countries, the UK and Irish markets are also facing unfavourable conditions. However, he stresses that "injection moulding manufacturers continue to value quality, durability and stable relationships, all things for which Arburg is known and appreciated." In his view, there is no doubt that long-standing customers intend to continue their cooperation with the company, while new customers are increasingly turning to the technical support and know-how of the machine supplier with decades of experience.
Prospects for the Allrounder Trend series and turnkey projects
Looking at the further development of activities in the British Isles, Steve Thomson expects the medical technology and packaging sectors to gain in importance. In his opinion, Arburg, as one of the world's leading machine manufacturers, is well prepared to serve these segments. He notes that Allrounder Trend machines have attracted considerable interest since their world premiere at the K 2025 trade fair. He believes that the UK and Irish markets will shift towards standard electric machines and that the company also has significant growth opportunities and good results in the area of complete turnkey projects.
As managing director, Steve Thomson wants to further increase Arburg's recognition and visibility in the United Kingdom and Ireland. He underlines that his aim is to build interest in the company's solutions and technologies, and together with the team in the UK he intends to consistently pursue these objectives.
Steve Thomson has been managing director of Arburg Ltd. in Warwick since 1 December 2025
