Member Profile

From his teenage years fixing things on the family farm and organising bus trips for school friends, Michael Currell has always ploughed an entrepreneurial furrow.

He left the farm behind to do an engineering apprenticeship – and to sell double glazing and be a milkman – then worked for a plastics company.

In 1989 he and his business partner opened Bay Plastics in Whitley Bay, having spotted a niche market for off-cuts of plastic sheets, rods and tubes.

As demand grew, so did the product range and customer base, prompting several moves until Michael bought out his partner and moved Bay Plastics to a 32,500sq ft unit at the Tyne Tunnel in 2001.

Driven by squeezed margins and growth ambitions, he invested £1m in a fabrication division that now accounts for a third of the company’s £4.2m turnover.

As it seeks to build its exports from six per cent to 20 per cent, Michael is hoping to tap into the Forum’s pool of knowledge.

“We’re at the stage where the business is ready to take another step forward; we’re entering new territory with regard to upscaling and export. I’m keen to learn from others about the best routes to market, the best countries to target, employing a linguist, credit insurance and so on.” 

What we do

Distribution  and fabrication of semi-finished plastic products sheets, rods, tubes, stock shapes Full CAD CAM services Solidworks, AutoCad, Powershape PowerMill, ArtCam Fabrication and Manufacture of plastics parts by, Thermoforming, Line Bending, Polishing, Machining, CNC Routing & Trimming, Thermoplastic Welding, Cutting etc

Company Vision

To generate wealth by being the best plastics distributor and fabricator with the best products, best staff, and best web sites and to promote our products and services, locally, nationally and internationally.

Expertise to offer

Having built a business from scratch I can help with the should ask questions which often get missed - eg is there a market for my product, if so where, how do I get to it, how much will it cost, what margin will I make, will I get paid, how much do I need to finance it and where can I get it, where can I get help etc, etc

I Wish to Learn

What is the next step and how to take it? How to best market and trade Internationally? Web site translation? Legal issues of trading internationally? Exit strategy and pursuing new opportunities?