Rehau says it has ‘redoubled’ its commitment to sustainable operations with the appointment of Ceri Davies as general manager of PVCR, within the larger Rehau Group.
Ceri is said to have a comprehensive background managing operations within various prestigious companies. This includes 15 years at the Duracell Group, two-and-a-half years as a production manager at Procter & Gamble, and almost a decade as operations manufacturer at Widex, the hearing aid solution manufacturer. Before joining PVCR, he had been providing operations consultancy in various industrial sectors.
Based in Runcorn, PVCR is reported to be the largest UPVC recycler in the North West, processing over 13,200 tonnes of postconsumer polymer windows and doors every year. The company says it moved to its new purpose-built site in 2020 as part of continued heavy investment into upgrading its PVC recycling capability and improving overall sustainability.
Rehau says that its work at PVCR is part of its wider efforts to boosting the company’s recycling capacities throughout Europe for its window production operations. Its long-term efforts in this field, alongside other initiatives, has seen the company selected to join the 50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders initiative, which is led by Bloomberg in co-operation with the United Nations.
As part of this ongoing strategy, PVCR is looking to refine its processes, and says it is confident Ceri can utilise his ‘extensive skillset in operations management’ to help further develop new and existing methods.
Gary Simmonds, operations director at Rehau Windows, commented: “As a company, Rehau is extremely conscious of its impact on the environment. In everything we do, from moving to new premises to overhauling our recycling capability, to employing the best possible people, we are constantly looking for ways to make our recycling processes more efficient.
“Ceri’s expertise in operations management will therefore be key to further refining our processes at PVCR and ensuring we can continue to make recycling accessible to all. We are extremely confident he will hit the ground running and make a big impact in his new role.”
Ceri holds a degree in product design with mechanical engineering from Loughborough University, and is a Black Belt in DMAIC (6 Sigma) methodology. He is also trained in Lean transformation programs and project leadership – skills he will bring to bear in his new role.
“Though the fenestration industry has experienced massive disruption due to the coronavirus, sustainability continues to be a pressing concern for the sector,” said Ceri. “In fact, it is more important than ever that we prioritise green-conscious solutions such as recycling as the industry recovers from this unprecedented shock. With that in mind, I am hugely looking forward to playing a part in growing Rehau’s already formidable waste management and recycling capacity by optimising processes across the new Runcorn site.”
