The Tinmasters
Meet the Tinmasters
Tinmasters have been working with metal for more than a century. In 1880 our original site in Caldicot was home to a Tinplate Works, producing tinplate for the canning industry. During the early 1900s, in the Edwardian age of elegance, the factory focus shifted from the practical to the beautiful – and our history as metal decorators began.
Metal packaging and applying creative work onto a metal canvas is in our blood, and has been for generations. We have not just learned our skills, we have inherited them. Through our own hard work and collective experience we have built a respected business and south Wales skills base that goes beyond industry expertise. We are masters of our craft.
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Julian Davies
Managing Director
Julian Davies
Managing Director
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Joe Rainsbury
Commercial Director
Joe Rainsbury
Commercial Director
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Paul Evans
Finance Director
Paul Evans
Finance Director
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Amanda Morris
Production Manager
Amanda Morris
Production Manager
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Neil Brown
Technical Manager
Neil Brown
Technical Manager
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Rob Davies
Quality Technician
Rob Davies
Quality Technician
Our Story
1862
Starting out
Henry Hughes of Tintern opens a wireworks factory next to the railway at Caldicot Pill. It soon becomes the village’s main employer.
1879
Producing tinplate
Now known as Tinplate Works, the company begins producing ‘tinplate’ – thin steel sheets coated in tin.
1909
Moving to printing
In the ‘Edwardian age of elegance’ our focus shifts from the practical to the beautiful, manufacturing tins and coating and printing on metal.
1978
Earning trust
Our consistent focus on quality, safety and compliance earns us the trust of infant formula manufacturers.
1996
Leading the field
We invested in a 4 colour printing line (the first in the UK) and a regenerative thermal oxidiser to keep our air emissions clean.
2000
Doubling up
We installed two high speed printing presses and began manufacturing components
2003-2015
Gaining accreditations
Our accreditations now include ISO 90001:2008 (Quality Management), ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management), ISO 22000:2005 (Food Safety Management), OHSAS 18001:2007 (Occupational Health & Safety Management) and ISO 22301:2012 (Business Continuity Management).
2008
Investing in aluminium and UV
We upgraded our 2 colour thermal print line to work with aluminium. We also invested in a new UV coating line.
2014
Increasing output
We install a third component press to meet the increasing demand.
2015
Raising standards
We achieve the ‘4 pillar compliance’ with the ethical business regulations set by the Sedex Members Ethical Trade Association.
2016
Upgrading and innovating
We upgrade both our UV print lines by installing dryers to make them more energy efficient. To raise our quality control standards to 100% perfect we develop a ‘print defect classification system’, Auto-vis®.
2018
Rising to the challenge
We install the new high-speed, highly automated and state-of-the-art Metalstar 3, the world’s fastest metal printing press.
2019
Growing the business
We acquire Afon Tinplate and integrate it into Tinmasters