The centre, the firm's first base in Northern Ireland, was officially opened on 9 September by the Lord Mayor of Belfast Nichola Mallon, who also unveiled a commemorative plaque.
The open day was attended by 16 different suppliers and close to 40 customers. Suppliers at the event included Mactac, 3A Composites, 3M, Rochling, Bostik Adhesives, Madreperla, Reddilight, Twinplast, Kernow Coatings, Nova Aluminium, Brett Martin and Jain Industries.
“Many Amari staff and customers travelled long distances to attend and were rewarded with suppliers willing to impart knowledge and practical support,” said Amari Plastics managing director Andy Carroll.
“The number of customers coming to the event showed that the market in Northern Ireland for plastic products is hungry for knowledge and has a great desire to take on new products and ideas.”
Mactac, Amari’s supplier of digital media and marking films, held practical demonstrations on the day covering topics including vehicle wrapping, applying optically clear window films, wall graphics and floor graphics.
Nova Aluminium showed its new Novaflex system and demonstrated how to put together Novatrim frames while Madreperla displayed its Greencast cast acrylic sheets and its new frosted variety, Greencast Satinglas.
3A Composites showed how to rout and fold Dibond aluminium composite sheets while 3M, in conjunction with the Amari owned business Self Adhesive Supplies, showed customers how to use VHB tapes to create virtually indestructible bonds.
Jim Black, managing director of Belfast business Sign Services, said: “The open day has given me some new ideas and hopefully will see us all grow our business together.
“The commitment that Amari Plastics has shown to the Northern Ireland market, with a fantastic range of stock, gives me the confidence to be able to supply any sign programmes and know we can get the right material at the right time.”
Amari Plastics Northern Ireland has already started planning for future open days, which it hopes to run at least once a year, and is also considering holding training and support ‘masterclass’ days with Mactac.
Manager of the Belfast premises Paul Williams, who is new to Amari having previously worked for Paperlinx for nearly 28 years, said: “With Amari having such a high presence strategically throughout the rest of the UK, it made sense to have a base in Northern Ireland. It's quite a large marketplace for both plastics and signage materials.
“Amari stocks a lot of branded products that either aren't in, or had disappeared from, the Northern Irish market and this is an opportunity to bring these back to the area.”
The Northern Ireland facility currently has five staff and is looking to take on additional people in the near future.
