A total of 120 jobs have gone after a well-established Kent firm tumbled into administration.

Administrators were called in to take over Boddingtons Plastics, based on the Wheelbarrow Estate, in Pattenden Lane, Marden, on July 1.

A message posted on the 73-year-old firm’s website says: “Boddingtons Plastics Limited was placed into Administration on 1 July 2024 and Ian Corfield and David Hudson of FRP Advisory Trading Limited were appointed as Joint Administrators.

“Please contact boddingtonsplastics-creditors@frpadvisory.com should you wish to contact the administrators.”

The company specialised in plastic injection moulding largely for the health and technical sectors.

The company last filed its accounts with Companies House for the year ending December 31, 2022, when it recorded an operating profit of £402,907 on a turnover of £19m.

It is believed to have employed 120 staff who, competitor Andel Plastics describes, as “a good bunch of people”.

“Very sad to see the news of the closure of Boddington Plastics.

“We are a much smaller version of them but our aspirations were always the same,” the Birmingham-based firm said in a statement.

“Good bunch of people to have lost their jobs too.

“Government needs to step up now and assist the manufacturing sector before the list gets longer.

“It has grown so much this year already. If we can assist anyone with projects that were at Boddingtons, please do get in touch.”

The Kent firm was first established as W.H.Boddingtons in the nearby village of Horsmonden in 1951.

When it moved to expanded premises in Marden, it changed its name first to Boddington Technical Plastics and then to Boddingstons Plastics. in 2011.

It was as recent as 2016 that the company opened a brand new purpose-built manufacturing facility costing £4.6m at the rear of the site.

The joint administrators from FRP Advisory said that after an initial review of the business, they had deemed that trading the business in administration was not viable and so the company ceased trading on July 4.

The administrators have retained a small team of core staff at the site to assist in fulfilling orders for customers where possible and winding down the company’s affairs.

They said: “The remaining employees will be supported with making claims through the statutory redundancy scheme.”