image: Roben tested various materials made from recycled plastic.
Credit: Vent-Axia
Leading ventilation manufacturer, Vent-Axia, is delighted that the valuable work University of Bath student Roben Els undertook during an industry placement at the company contributed to it winning two environmental industry awards.
Roben Els, who is now in his final year studying a BSc in Natural Sciences (Chemistry/Physics), at the University of Bath, undertook the placement last year as part of his degree.
The project Roben worked on at Vent-Axia was helping set up and run the company’s new materials testing database on recycled plastic. This groundbreaking work was recently recognised by the industry with Vent-Axia winning the H&V News Awards 'Low Carbon Impact' award, and the BEAMA ‘Net-Zero Collaboration Award’, entering the latter with electricals retailer AO.
Roben joined Vent-Axia on an industry placement in the third year of his four-year degree. He arrived at Vent-Axia at an exciting time with the company undergoing a manufacturing transformation, moving from using virgin plastic to recycled plastic. As the first ventilation company to set such high ambitions regarding using recycled plastic in its manufacturing, it initially faced a challenge since test houses would not certify products made from recycled material due to recycled plastic content variations and the absence of materials data. To overcome this, Vent-Axia took a proactive approach and tasked Roben with helping test recycled plastic and collect the data that was needed.
Initially, during the first few months, Roben familiarised himself with the new testing equipment Vent-Axia had invested in, as well as the relevant industry standards. Once familiar, following guidance, Roben began batch-testing the materials. The next step was to create a database of evidence to ensure all recycled plastics were tested and the results were traceable. Finally, Roben compiled weekly graphs on recycling rates for use in the business. The creation of a new database was unchartered territory and it paved the way for the ventilation sector. By batch-testing recycled plastics in Vent-Axia’s own labs and creating a materials database to share with test houses, Roben’s work has helped enable product certification and third-party accreditation.
“It is really exciting to see everything I have worked on at the company being recognised with the two award wins, especially since people don’t generally see the time and resources that goes into making such changes. I was pleased to be able to work on a project that was useful to Vent-Axia and to have left something for the company that could be built on,” said Roben. “My year’s placement at Vent-Axia was really enjoyable and dynamic. I liked all the practical work, I could be in the mould shop, product testing, or at my desk so it was quite varied. I learned about industry standards and how a business runs. I also witnessed how important sustainability is to Vent-Axia and how it innovates to ensure it never compromises on quality.”
The placement has also had a big influence on Roben’s career path. Before the placement, Roben was majoring in chemistry but he has now changed to majoring in physics since he enjoyed the physics involved in the placement. Meanwhile, if he were to work in a science-based job in the future rather than working in research, he would now like to work in analysis. The placement has also given Roben confidence while preparing him for his career after university.
Dr Simon Freakley, Senior Lecturer and Placement Tutor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Bath said: "It's wonderful to see our placement students applying their chemistry skills to tackle global challenges, such as finding new uses for waste plastics. We're thrilled that Roben's contributions have been recognised, and we look forward to hearing about many more real-world impacts from our students' work in the future."
“We are delighted that the project Roben was working on has been recognised by the industry,” said Alexis Roberts, Channel Marketing Manager at Vent-Axia. “At Vent-Axia we are committed to investing in people and we’re pleased to be able to offer students a placement so they can experience working in industry and to guide them on their career path. We are so pleased Roben was able to be part of our sustainability journey.”
Vent-Axia won the ‘Low Carbon Impact Award: Commercial or Industrial’ at the prestigious H&V News Awards. Vent-Axia received the accolade for its ground-breaking manufacturing transformation, transitioning from virgin to recycled plastic, including the work Roben undertook on creating the pioneering materials database.
Vent-Axia, and electricals retailer AO, won the prestigious BEAMA Net Zero Collaboration Award. Recognising outstanding partnerships that contribute to advancing Net Zero, sustainability, and circularity within the electrical industry, the companies scooped the accolade for their pioneering initiative transforming AO’s recycled fridge plastic into high-quality Vent-Axia ventilation products. This innovative partnership represents a significant step in sustainable UK manufacturing.
Vent-Axia aims to be Net Zero by 2040, a decade ahead of the Government’s target. By the end of FY2025, the company targets 70% of its sales revenue to be from low-carbon products and 90% of the plastic used in its own manufacturing to be from recycled sources. This manufacturing transformation involves transitioning from virgin to recycled plastic. Meanwhile, Vent-Axia is dedicated to designing innovative low-carbon products to help its customers decarbonise with heat recovery ventilation at the forefront of further growth.
Vent-Axia has now welcomed a new University of Bath student, Luke Tucker, for this year’s placement. While Roben focused on injection moulding, Luke is tasked with focussing on extrusion and PVC.