Our History
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1969 Parafix Ltd was founded by Mr John Shipley, in Sussex in the south of England. It quickly became 3M’s preferred distributor of Industrial Tapes and Adhesives products in that area. At that time, adhesive tape technology was in its infancy and the products were, generally, quite basic. 1972 As adhesive fixings started to become acceptable, Parafix Tapes and Conversions was formed to meet the growing demand for bespoke custom adhesive tape. Starting from a single unit in Meadow Road, Worthing, more and more machinery and space were soon needed and the modest premises soon became too small. Over the next few years, new units were taken on in the same area. 1973 Mike Thompson joined from 3M as a sales representative. During this year, Parafix was appointed as the 3M Preferred Distributor for Sussex. 1977 Colin Wills joined from 3M as the office manager. 1984 Parafix Tapes and Conversions outgrew the fragmented units in Worthing and moved to its current head office site in Lancing. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the new location was enlarged and improved. The capabilities, also, were rapidly upgraded as customers became more and more demanding. Adhesive technology had been expanded enormously by the manufacturers and the world started to realise that tape was a reliable medium. In fact it was stronger than mechanical fixings in certain applications. Quality also became a bigger issue and Parafix became accredited to ISO 9001. 1985 Parafix passes £1 million turnover in the year for the first time. 1989 A QA Engineer is appointed, underlining the importance Parafix places on quality assurance. Parafix is appointed as a Rogers (Poron tm) Approved Converter. Turnover passes £5 million for the first time. 1991 BS5750 accreditation was achieved, the predecessor of ISO9001. The second phase of building improvements was completed, giving extra space both for production and administration. 1996 Parafix's second site was acquired through the purchase of Scapa Select Distributor 'Adhesive Tapes and Conversions Ltd'.As well as giving Parafix access to a greater range of products, this almost doubled the size of the manufacturing facility and provided a rapid disaster recovery route.As a result of further mergers and acquisitions with leading tape and substrate manufacturers, Parafix is able to offer a substantial range of products, processes and applications. 1997Turnover passes £8 million for the first time. 2001 Parafix expands outside the U.K. 2002 2002 was also the year in which John Shipley, the founder of Parafix, vacated the Managing Director's desk and became Chairman. Michael Punter joined as the new M.D. bringing with him a wealth of experience in the Self-Adhesive Tape industry. 2002 Saw the acquisition of Thames Adhesives and Tapes Ltd, a major slitter/converter of the 3M Electrical range of products. This afforded Parafix further penetration into a specialist market and expanded the range available to existing and new customers. 2005 In January 2005, John Shipley retired from the company which became the subject of a management buy out by Michael Punter and Colin Wills. This allowed the company to carry on with the same ethos as previously, giving continuity to staff and business partners. 2006 An ongoing training programme to NVQ level in Business Improvement Techniques was initiated for all staff. Over the years, this has enabled Parafix to stay competitive by realising savings in all areas of the business. Currently, nearly 30 staff are now qualified at NVQ levels 2 or 3 and two people are still working towards level 4. 2008 2008 saw Parafix announce that it had become an official converter and distributor of Laird Technologies' EMI and Thermal product range. This partnership allows customers to leverage the technology and products of Laird Technologies with the specialist supply solutions of Parafix. 2009 Parafix extended its range of capabilities by installing Accuplace Apac pick and place machinery. This offers customers the extra facility of having self-adhesive die cuts accurately applied to their components, saving them assembly time. 2010 Parafix was awarded the title of Manufacturer of the Year at the Worthing Business awards. This was a reflection of its performance during the recession of 2009 where training and investment saw Parafix emerge as a stronger company. 2011 Sussex and Southern Business Awards. A double success for Parafix at the awards ceremonies in 2011 saw the company recognised in the Manufacturer of the Year category at the Southern Business Awards followed by winning the Company of the Year trophy at the Sussex Business Awards. SC21 In 2011 Parafix registered its intention to work towards an SC21 (Supply Chain for the 21st Century) accreditation. This presents a set of improvement and relationship principles that have been developed and adopted by a rapidly growing number of businesses in the UK Aerospace and Defence industry. It provides a framework for improving the effectiveness of supply chains, and recognises that they need to change, depending on the industry or programme requirements. Parafix looks forward to being able to offer solutions to a wider range of companies as a result of participation in this initiative.
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