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TED JONES-FENLEIGH F.P.R.I., F.Inst.M.FOUNDER OF INVICTA PLASTICS
While most people would be unable to name a product by Invicta Plastics Limited off hand, millions have enjoyed its products. albeit sometimes indirectly. The company has manufactured the Comic Relief Red Noses for four consecutive Red Nose Days. including in 1995 the famed thermochromatic (colour changing) Red Noses; introduced the world famous game Mastermind® , makes the plastic, scaled down range of dinosaurs sold in museums and shops world-wide; and is the UK leader in the design and manufacture of plastic incentives. point-of-sale and promotional products. Invicta was established in 1946 by the late Mr Edward James Jones-Fenleigh. with an RAF war gratuity of just £100. After starting with the production of plastic pearls and shoe heels. he became one of the founding fathers of the plastics industry With Jones-Fenleigh's entrepreneurial and engineering skills. and flair as an inventor. the company grew rapidly. pushing forward the frontiers of plastics technology. Invicta's revolutionary product designs playing a major part in the early development of the industry.
By 1955, the company had outgrown its premises and Invicta moved its operations to its purpose-built factory site in Oadby, Leicestershire. Since then, it has repeatedly extended its office and manufacturing facilities to accommodate the growth of the company. Today Invicta enjoys a unique reputation for high quality, innovative products combined with state of the art technology. In recent years it has invested over £4 million, completely re-equipping its design and prototype studio and manufacturing plant with the most advanced computerised technology. The company's superb in-house design studio offers a complete service from concept design through to product development, manufacturing to a strict brief or producing innovative ideas. With the benefit of high-tech moulding decoration facilities, Invicta's designers can tailor its services to the needs of the client. As one of Europe's leading plastics moulding plants, Invicta's in-house production facility covers the complete manufacturing process including tool design and malting, together with an unrivalled range of techniques for high quality graphic reproduction. Invicta is the premier supplier to primary schools internationally and has worked with leading education consultants to develop a wide range of products, some of which form part of the UK national curriculum. Due to its long-standing experience in this field, the company can supply products for a diverse range of educational needs, thereby exporting to many countries world-wide, with international business accounting for over 40% of its total sales.
Continued investment in plant and machinery has made Invicta so cost competitive, that the company is now winning business which would formerly have gone to low cost producers in the Far East, and the recent EEC imposition of quotas on toy imports from China will also boost the company's business. Additionally, due to its convenient location, the company can deliver direct to the client with its own fleet of vehicles, saving time and cutting down dramatically transport costs, facilitating lead times at minimum cost. In 1994, Invicta became the first British company to receive the prestigious Loss Control Safety Award from Chubb Insurance Company of Europe, which has only ever been awarded to three companies from outside the USA. In 1978, it received the Queens Award to Industry for export for the success of its internationally acclaimed Mastermind ®. Invicta is also registered by SGS-Yarsley International Certification Services Limited, against the Quality Management System Standard BS5750 Part 1. This standard, which is also an International Standard (ISO 9001) and a European Standard (EN 29001), is a Quality Management Systems Specification covering design / development and installation of injection moulded products. Despite its multi-million pound turnover, Invicta is still privately owned by the Jones-Fenleigh family. In fact, two of Mr Jones-Fenleigh's three daughters are actively itivolved in the business; Shelley as Marketing Director and Leigh as a Director, with Dr George Kellie as Chairman and Chief Executive.
The company celebrating its Golden Jubilee, is launching several exciting new products in 1996. Set to be a world beater is Playscreen ®, an innovative new creative play and arts centre from Invicta Toys and Games, which is a boon for budding young artists and conservationists, with emphasis on fun and play value. And the Face & Trace ® Activity Centre has been designed for young people interested in make-up, clothes and hair design. Appealing set of elephants, hippos, lions, monkeys and parrots are featured in 'Measuring Animals' ®, a totally new fun-with-learning concept from Invicta. It gives children an insight into measurement, relative size and numbers. The five different characters can also be used for simple sorting exercises or even language development and story-telling activities. |
