ISO 14001:2015 – Environmental Management

We’re proud to be certified to ISO 14001:2015, the internationally recognised standard for environmental management systems. Our certification, awarded by BSI in July 2026, covers the supply of perforated metal and plastics, along with associated presswork and other finishing. It confirms that we have robust processes in place to identify, manage and reduce the environmental impact of our operations, and reflects our ongoing commitment to operating sustainably and responsibly.

Historic Award - Best Factory Awards 2011

“A special process – perforating – and a special company, Robert Bion, make for a worthy, highly commended entry in this year’s Judges’ Special Award”

At Reading-based Robert Bion & Co, perforating is a way of life. Indeed, the products passing through its factory are everywhere: light fittings, audio panels, baking trays, cooker grilles, microwave doors, exhaust tubes, and electronics enclosures, to name but a few.

And while making holes in metal or plastic sounds easy enough, many complex factors work together to keep barriers to entry for potential competitors high. With a staff of 28, investment levels run at around £150,000 per employee, for example. Furthermore, all products are bespoke, a mix of repeaters and unique specifications, while the varying sectors served all require different product characteristics.

At bion, there are 3 perforating lines across a range of tonnages, and further operations can include notching, levelling, shearing, forming, and degreasing. Levelling is a particular skill set cloaked in secrecy. It’s notoriously difficult to predict how material will react to perforation without contravening flatness tolerances.

But by using bion’s expertise together with specialist levelling equipment costing around £300,000, it’s possible to anticipate and prevent unwanted effects such as curvature. Other contributing factors include the alignment methodology for special tooling.

In this market, business responsiveness is vital. Accordingly, bion provides quotes within 24 hours (KPI-measured) and can switch capacity on and off quickly – a third (night) shift can be activated with seven days’ notice, for example. Visibility is short, typically around two or three weeks, demanding a flexible manufacturing facility capable of absorbing extreme variation in throughput.

For instance, Bion perforates 60 billion holes in 4,000 tonnes of material per annum on a make-to-order basis, but May this year saw twice the invoiced sales of April without any lengthening of lead times.

Responsiveness is part of the privately owned company’s 3R customer satisfaction strategy, with Reliability and (low) Risk as the other two. Price is also important, and although bion aims to have the lowest costs in the market, it sets itself apart with added value, production engineering, and quality leadership. All of this bolsters the company’s rising UK market share.

Other market differentiators include in-house tooling design and manufacture, allowing bion to react quickly to convert a tool from 0.6mm thick mild steel to 2.0mm aluminium, for instance. What’s more, skills such as these sometimes allow bion to find ways to produce high-quality products from cheaper and/or more readily available materials, providing further competitive advantage.

Other systems deployed include TPM, process planning, OEE, SMED, SPC, and an energy-use reduction programme, making this an engineering plant of distinction.