«1956 1957 1960 »

A pilot line for the application of polymer film coating to zinc coated steel strip is installed in the Coatings One Department.

Products such as Formica and coloured and patterned pvc sheeting are now widely used for laminating wood and other substrates and several American companies have been producing pvc laminated steel since the mid 1950s.

Shotton’s laminated product, Stelvetite offers strength and ductility, corrosion resistance and colour. A national advertising campaign brings 6,000 enquiries within the first month with manufacturers asking to experiment with it for everything from backing hairbrushes to lining tunnels. Early large volume uses were building cladding, automotive components and consumer products.

Later developments in liquid plastic coatings will lead to the installation of paint coating lines at Bryngwyn and Tafarnaubach in South Wales as well as at Shotton.