AUTOMATIC PLASTICSTO EXPANDTEAM

SOUTH WICKLOW plastic injection moulding manufacturer Automatic Plastics has undergone significant changes in recent months and is expanding its expert team.

The Tinahely plant which has been in operation since 1972 has been growing steadily over the past two years and its investment in facilities, machinery and people is paying dividends.

Automatic Plastics has secured new international clients and has been successfully accreditied for manufacturing of medical devices and had achieved the highest grade possible for food packaging.

‘When my father, Al Lawless Senior, started the business in 1972 there were undoubtedly challenges,’ said Al Lawless, Managing Director of Automatic Plastics, ‘now we still face challenges, but they are different ones, and what is crucial for any company is to innovate and continuously improve, so as to stay competitive.

‘For example in the past 30 months we have been successfully accredited to ISO13485 (for manufacture of medical devices), and achieved a Grade A in BRC-IOP (the highest grade possible for food packaging), we have invested in our facility and machines and acquired a number of significant new clients to grow the business. The most important element of success for us, however, is our loyal, committed staff.’

According to Al, much of the company’s success can be attributed to its workforce.

Approximately 100 people are employed at the Tinahely plant, which is providing, in some cases, generations of families with local, sustainable employment.

With traffic build-up and ever lengthening commute times causing daily stress for many, the opportunity offered by a local SME is an attractive one, sometimes cutting hours off the commute time.

‘Every member of the team at Automatic Plastics has the client at the centre of everything we do; this is the key to our success. So when we recruit new team members, as we are at the moment, with three new positions to be filled, we know that whilst experience is extremely valuable, it is the commitment and loyalty that has helped us work through the tough years and onto continued success,’ concluded Al.

The current positions offered are Production Floor Manager, Quality Manager and Automation/Maintenance Engineer. WICKLOW Brewery have released a new stout which was originally introduced as a rotational beer over Easter but proved hugely popular.

As it was a one-off beer, it had no name, leading to a competition whereby beer connoisseurs were asked to come up with a suitable moniker for the coffee and vanilla infused oatmeal Irish stout.

Brewed by Head Brewer Jason Carroll, it is a medium to full bodied stout infused with a blend of vanilla & coffee, which is met with a subtle bitterness that tails off into a sweet finish.

The coffee used is locally sourced from McCabe’s family artisan coffee roasters located in Newtownmountkennedy.

Wicklow Brewery, based in Redcross, was recently crowned ‘Wicklow’s Brightest Start-up’ by Wicklow Enterprise Park’s as part of its 21st anniversary celebrations.

That prize included an advertising package with local radio station East Coast FM and the idea to let the public ‘Name that Stout’ stemmed from this. They ran a three-week extensive campaign with tastings around Wicklow’s pubs and hotels.

From over 800 suggestions, a short list of six names were decided upon and the public voted. The final six names were Blackcross, Lug Dub, Wickocino, Black Sally, Black 16 and Stouty MacStoutface. SELF-EMPLOYED people have, for many years, been entitled to an annual Wear & Tear Allowance of 12.5% of the cost of their car used in the business, subject to a ceiling of €24,000. You cannot claim an immediate 100% deduction against business profits as the car has a life expectancy of maybe eight years so an annual deduction of 12.5% is more appropriate.

Usually a proportion of the Wear & Tear is disallowed on the basis that it relates to private use of the car. Private use would be use not related to the business, e.g. shopping, going to football match or going on holidays.

Self-employed people can also claim a large proportion of the running costs – fuel, road tax, repairs and insurance as a business deduction. Like the Wear & Tear Allowance a proportion is disallowed to reflect private use of the car.

If you are not self-employed you may work for a company which has provided you with a car as part of your remuneration. If your business mileage is under 15,000 miles per annum you will be treated as getting additional pay equal to 30% of the cost of the car each year. This is a very severe penalty for having a ‘free’ car. If your mileage is greater than the 30% then the annual charge falls away on a tapered basis to only 6% where mileage is over 30,000 miles per annum.

If doing typical mileage and faced with Benefit in Kind at 30% of the cost of the car, then many people prefer to own their car and charge the company a mileage rate.

The current Public Service mileage rate works

The winner, announced live on East Coast FM from the brewery, was Sean Gilmartin from Bray with his name ‘Black 16’.

The stout is currently available on draught in Wicklow pubs. out at about 65 cents a miles for 10,000 miles (16,090 Km) so the private sector tends to use this at their basic rate. More expensive cars may attract a rate of up to 80 cents per mile. I have seen the Revenue challenge a rate of €1 a mile as excessive.

If you own the company which is paying you a travel rate then you need to ensure that you have records or a log book of what travel you did and the dates of the travel and the business customers or contacts involved. The system is open to abuse when the recipient is in charge of the payer.

Many staff drive company vans and are allowed to bring them home and then use them for private travel.

The BIK on a van is taken at 5% of the cost of the van which is very favourable compared to the 30% charge for a car.

Readers who are worried that they may owe Income Tax for BIK on a company car or van need not worry. It is the duty of the company to operate PAYE, PRSI and USC on the benefit provided and Revenue will look to the company for any underpayments.

Since 2009, a new method of giving a business deduction for cars and assessing people to BIK in relation to company cars has been on the statute books. However, it has not so far been implemented. The basis of the new rules related to the CO2 emissions form the car – so the greater the emissions the greater the tax. With the Volkswagen scandal the new regime may be further postponed. |