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The traditional milk bottle is the ultimate in practical glass packaging. The height-to-diameter ratio and gently curving shape mean the bottle is light, cost effective to produce and can withstand being reused 20-30 times. The bottles reach customers unadorned except for the name of the dairy embossed into the glass.
David Workman, director general at trade body British Glass, explains that the embossed logos were introduced as a practical measure, to ensure the bottles were returned to the correct dairy. A label would have washed off when the bottles were reused.
Embossing is now used for branding rather than functional purposes. Stamping a brand’s name into the fabric of the packaging sends out strong quality cues to the consumer as well as reassuring them of the product’s authenticity. Once the moulds have been made, the branded bottles or jars can be produced in their millions at the same speed and cost as a plain version. Embossing reduces the need for secondary processes such as labelling, which can add cost and time as well as another material to sort during recycling. However, the actual process of embossing is more complex than simply deciding to put a pattern into the glass. Certain areas of a container need to be avoided, the embossing will need to line up with any labels and the complexity of the design to be embossed needs to be taken into consideration.
The recent trend towards lightweighting has proved a boon for embossing. O-I innovation project manager Steffi Lenz explains that because there is less molten glass to push into the mould of a lightweighted bottle it is easier to achieve finer details. The narrow neck press and blow method is much more precise for embossing than previous blow-blow technology, she says. Vacuum bores can also be added to the mould, which suck against the molten glass to sharpen embossed details.
Embossed areas are normally raised 0.3-0.5mm. Fine details become more difficult to achieve as moulds get older. A mould wears out the more you use it. If you are embossing very small details, the mould won’t last as long and the embossing won’t be as clear towards the end of the mould’s life, says Beatson Clark marketing manager Charlotte Taylor.
The same is true of debossing – where the details are sunk into the glass rather than standing out from it. The mould is the reverse of the finished product and so it has raised surfaces to create debossing. These surfaces wear down faster than the engraved details used to create embossing. Taylor says each mould will generally produce 13 million units, depending on the design. However, it can be as many as 18 million. We clean and maintain the moulds for customers to get as much life out of them as we can, she adds.
Drawing the line
Moulds open like a book on one side. This creates a parting line, or seam, down one side of the bottle. If the parting line runs through an embossed area it can wipe the detail off as the mould is opened, as well as looking unsightly. You need to think about where to put the parting line so it won’t go over the embossing. If you have a square-shaped bottle or an unusual shape like Gordon’s gin it can be difficult to work out where to put the parting line, says Lenz. She adds that square and asymmetric shapes can also make it more difficult to open the mould, so careful planning is required to ensure it opens without catching on the bottle.
The parting line can also cause challenges for labelling. Lenz explains that if a clear film label is applied over the parting line, air bubbles can form behind the label.
Of course, if you’ve gone to the effort of embossing a container, you want to be sure the label won’t cover it up. If you have a square jar with embossing on the sides and want a label on the front and back you need a machine that can spot the sides that are embossed. If you haven’t got a machine, you would have to turn the jars to face the right direction by hand, says Taylor.
There are two mechanical methods of ensuring the bottle or jar is facing the correct direction for labelling. A spotter bar uses a notch at the bottom of the bottle. A metal bar is inserted into the notch, mechanically turning the bottle to face the right way. Alternatively, a row of dots can be embossed near the base of the bottle. An optical reader spins the bottle so the label is placed in the correct spot relative to the dots. The method used will be determined by the equipment of the company doing the filling and labelling. Taylor adds that some brands will choose to emboss all the way round, to avoid the need to align the label to the embossing.
When bottles are on a filling line they rattle along at impressive speeds, one pressed up against the next. Quinn Glass sales manager Gillian Walters says most bottles are designed to have two points, one upper and one lower, that will be in contact with the bottles on either side. These will be the widest points and need to be tough. On reusable bottles, such as glass Coca-Cola bottles in some countries, a scuffed ring will be visible at the contact points.
On the Carlsberg beer bottle the contact points are at the shoulder and the heel. The middle is slightly recessed, so this doesn’t touch anything, which makes it a secure spot for embossing, explains Walters. If a bottle were embossed over the contact points, the embossing would be at risk of chipping or cracking as it is bashed into the bottle next to it. The two contact points also need to be the same width, otherwise the bottles might tip over on the conveyor belt.
Adding value
Making a custom mould is expensive. But there are other options. Tim Croxson, operations manager at glass packaging supplier Croxsons, says bespoke runs of as few as 40,000 units are possible. Using a blank mould from an existing design coupled with a new finish mould allows brands to dream up a new bottle for a lower cost than making a full custom mould.
He adds that embossing is not confined to the glass – caps and closures can be embossed, while other effects such as photo-quality digital printing are also available for caps. Many clients use closures as a different method of adding value and shelf presence, he says.
To ensure that customers are pleased with the results after splashing out on a custom mould, Ardagh Glass has invested in technology to provide a mock-up of the final product. We use Perspex blocks, which are cut and engraved on a lathe. Then we create a mould. When you take off the mould, you have a model of what the embossed bottle will look like, says head of marketing Sharon Crayton. She says the Perspex trial helps to get the embossing right. Sometimes designs will be too intricate to emboss clearly and customers will be disappointed with sharpness or clarity. Crayton says that working with customers on the design of their embossing and making samples ensures the finished product is something the brand can be proud of.
Embossing was once the preserve of premium spirits and perfumes. Now, growing numbers of beers and FMCG products are using it to add panache. The flexibility of glass to create unusual shapes and intricately embossed designs is one of its selling points as a packaging material. However, is there a danger that embossing will lose its impact as it becomes more ubiquitous? Design Bridge head of 3D structural branding and packaging Nick Verebelyi says not. Every bit of embossing is different. Everyone wears clothes, but you still notice different fashions. |
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SAUCE OF INSPIRATION
One jar of tomato pasta sauce can look much like another. Unilever was using the same ‘egg’ shaped jar for many of its sauce ranges across Europe – which was cost effective but meant the different brands lacked identity. Unilever wanted to raise the profile and quality perceptions of its Knorr Ragu sauce.
Design Bridge decided to focus its structural design around the tomato. The London-based design consultancy created a trademarked shaped jar that helps Knorr Ragu stand out on shelf and communicates that the sauce is packed with tomatoes. Head of 3D structural branding and packaging Nick Verebelyi says that Design Bridge considered plastic and glass for the jar, but decided to stick with glass because of its superior potential to create a unique shape and its quality cues.
However, he says there can be resistance to creating such a challenging shape for a high volume item. With high volume FMCG price is key. With a shape like the Ragu jar it is going to be more expensive; you do need to use more material, he says.
Verebelyi adds that there can be other constraints. You need to put a label on the jar, which means it can only curve in one direction. You can’t put a label on a ball. For this reason, the ‘tomato’ in the middle of the Ragu jar is not spherical.
The bottom of the jar is also embellished with embossed tomatoes. Sales and brand recognition increased significantly after the redesign.
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O-I returns to baby bottle production
Simeon Goldstein, packagingnews.co.uk, 26 November 2008
Glass packaging firm O-I has started manufacturing baby's bottles in the US for the first time in 20 years.
O-I said that concerns over the impact of Bisphenol A (BPA) in some plastic bottles had led to increased demand for glass bottles in North America and that a similar trend was being seen in Europe.
The sector has been keen to promote glass as packaging that makes food "taste the way nature intended" and O-I said the trend towards organic and natural foods had led some manufacturers to turn back to glass.
Dominique Tombeur, O-I Europe vice president for marketing and communication, said: "While we support breastfeeding as undoubtedly the best option, many mothers are not able to feed their baby in this way. Glass has been trusted by generations of mothers and can be safe for generations to come."
UK childcare retailer Mothercare told Packaging News that glass baby bottle sales were low – about 1% of sales – but that it had taken the view to offer choice enabling customers to make informed decisions.
Mothercare said that all its polycarbonate-based bottles comply with the current UK and European legislation on BPA levels, and it also sells polypropylene bottles that were free from BPA.
Next year, it is set to launch a wide-neck bottle made from PP, while Tommee Tippee and Avent are also due to introduce BPA-free bottles.
Mothercare has published information about baby's feeding bottles to address parents' concerns surrounding BPA via its website and a leaflet. |
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O-I eyes best in class title for beer bottle
Packaging News, 27 February 2007
O-I Glass is waiting for confirmation that bottles it has designed for Adnams brewery, the first in the UK to use narrow-neck press and blow technology, will be the new best in class for 500ml beer bottles.
At 299g, the amber glass bottles are 40g lighter than the current UK best in class, the 500ml Guinness bottle, but maintain the brand’s recognisable bullet-shaped profile.
Adnams has been using the new bottles since January, and expects that reducing the weight will cut the amount of glass going into the waste stream by 500 tonnes a year.
O-I Glass is starting to talk to other companies interested in the technology and hopes this line, which is one-third lighter than the line it replaces, will become a benchmark for glass bottles.
Sales manager Paul McLavin said: “Given the supermarkets’ well-publicised commitment to reduce packaging waste, Adnams’ initiative could act as a significant step change in the industry.”
Nicola Jenkin of the Waste and Resources Action Programme’s retail innovation team said: “Alongside reducing weight, brands also need to preserve their identity. ‘Right-weighting’ of glass products addresses both of these concerns.” |
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Allied Glass makes five-sided bottle for Scottish gin
Ben Bold, packagingnews.co.uk, 08 December 2009
International Beverage UK (Inver House Distillers) has commissioned Allied Glass to manufacture the Celtic-design-influenced bottle for its new premium gin brand, Caorunn.
The flint glass bottle, originally conceived by branding agency Navyblue, has drawn inspiration from the Scottish art nouveau movement, which itself was heavily influenced by Celtic knots.
The five-sided, pentagonal bottle represents each of the gin's Celtic botanical ingredients, while a red five-pointed asterisk – a stylised rowan berry base – appears in the centre of the bottle's body.
The Celtic word for 'established' is printed on a label on the bottle's neck to signify the distillery's heritage, while a wooden closure also carries an etched version of the asterisk, with each point of the star pointing to the name of the five ingredients.
The five ingredients in Caorunn gin are rowan berry, heather, coul blush apple, dandelion and bog myrtle.
Small batches of Caorunn are produced at Inver House's malt whisky Distillery in Balmenach in Scotland's Speyside region.
Iby Bakos, International Beverage UK brand manager, said: "The perfectly balanced recipe of 11 hand-picked botanicals ensures a naturally balanced flavour that works well in cocktails.
"We are confident that it will attract the attention of bartenders and mixologists alike." |
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Beatson Clark moves into water market with 330ml glass bottle
Simeon Goldstein, packagingnews.co.uk, 30 June 2009
Beatson Clark is targeting the bottled-water market after investing in moulds for a 330ml lightweight flint bottle.
The bottle has a standard MCA neck finish and complements the company's 750ml container that is part of Beatson's general sale line.
Marketing manager Charlotte Taylor said the range was very flexible and could be embossed. "Embossing is a smart way to add branding at a much smaller cost than having a completely bespoke product made."
Demand for more environmentally friendly products and lightweight packaging was behind the decision to expand the range, and the inert quality of glass makes it ideal for packaging water, Taylor said.
"When you add in the environmental benefits of glass, coupled with the advantage of these new lightweighted products, it is not surprising we are seeing an increase in interest for these drinks bottles," she said.
Rotherham-based Beatson Clark produces a wide range of flint and amber glass products for the pharmaceutical, food and drinks markets. It produces some 76,800 tonnes of products a year, generating some £40m turnover. |
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Pepsi Bottling Group reduces waste
Liz Wells, packagingnews.co.uk, 07 October 2008
The Pepsi Bottling Group claims to have saved 16,000 tonnes of plastic in 2007 through new bottle designs and manufacturing processes.
In its first corporate responsibility report - Act! Our Commitment to Making a Difference, which was published yesterday (6 October), it said it also saves 300 million gallons of water each year as a result of new technology and process improvements.
The report, which focused on its US operations, added that an estimated 83% of its waste is recycled.
Eric Foss, PBG president and chief executive, said: "PBG has a strong track record of incorporating sustainable business practices into our operations, employee programs and community outreach strategy.
"The purpose of this report is to more broadly discuss our progress and strategy with our customers, consumers, recruits and shareholders so they better understand PBG's commitment to measurable and sustainable progress."
PBG followed the structure of the Global Reporting Initiative, the world's most widely used sustainability reporting framework, for describing economic, environmental and social performance.
The report is available here.
The Pepsi Bottling Group, the largest manufacturer, seller and distributor of Pepsi-Cola beverages, has annual sales of nearly $14bn (£7.6bn).
It has operations in the US, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Turkey and Greece. |
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BASF PS-I bottle trial in progress
Packaging News, 01 April 2008
BASF is testing a bottle made from impact-resistant polystyrene (PS-I) for milk and yoghurt drinks with a view to launching the product this year.
The firm developed the container with plastic bottle producer Alpla and originally showed it at plastics exhibition K2007 in Germany last October. It said it was too early to say where the bottle would be available.
BASF’s type BX 3580 polystyrene has been specially made for the bottles and can be processed by injection blow moulding and injection stretch blow moulding.
The firm said the bottles could be processed on machines used for PET.
BASF said PS-I was 25% lighter then PET, did not have to be pre-dried and used less compressed air.
However, there could be disadvantages with its disposal, since the PS-I bottles have to be disposed of in the general packaging waste collection system. |
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Mixed plastics kerbside collections introduced in Swindon
Jill Park, packagingnews.co.uk, 24 June 2009
Swindon Borough Council has introduced mixed plastics recycling to move the council closer to meeting its target to recycle 50% of all household waste by 2010.
The council will collect mixed plastic packaging in all colours, except black which can't be separated from other colours by the optical separation equipment used by the reprocessors.
"What we're saying to residents, as a simple guide, is that if it's plastic and it's been used to contain food or household cleaning products, and it isn't black, we can recycle it," said a council spokesman.
Mixed plastics collections will commence from 1 July in Swindon, on the same day as the plastic bottle and green waste collections.
The council also offers weekly kerbside recycling for cans, aerosols, foil, mixed glass, paper, cardboard and textiles.
Since Swindon Borough Council introduced kerbside recycling collections two years ago, the amount of household waste recycled has increased from 19% to 44%.
It is hoped the new collection will help the council reach its target to recycle 50% of all household waste by 2010. |
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Pack shot: All bottled up
Packaging News, 06 November 2008
There are many things you can do with old plastic bottles: recycle them, use them again or, like Patrick Virgo, create a tree house from them.
AOver five months the 35-year-old built a tree house using two-litre bottles filled with tap water that absorbs heat during the day and radiates it at night. In an interview with Croydon Today, Virgo revealed his next step was to introduce colour to the bottled water. “I strongly believe this is the future of green architecture,” he said. |
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Closed Loop to open Welsh plastic recycling plant
Liz Wells, packagingnews.co.uk, 15 September 2008
Closed Loop Recycling has revealed that its second mixed plastics recycling plant will be in Flintshire in Wales.
The company told The Guardian that its plastic bottle recycling capacity will rise by 50% when the new £12m plant starts operating in October 2009.
The project is being funded with cash from the private equity firm Foresight Group, a bank loan from Allied Irish Bank and about £1m in public-sector funding from the Welsh Assembly.
Chris Dow, managing director of Closed Loop, said: "This is a sector that people want to invest in because it is growing. The consumer is asking the retailer, 'Are you using recycled material in that?' and the rising price of oil is a good thing for the recycling industry."
Waste recovery firm Veolia Environmental Services will provide 50,000 tonnes of plastic bottles sourced from dozens of local authorities in Wales and the north-west of England.
The company is already working on plans for a third plant, which could be up and running by the end of 2010. It wants up to five facilities in the next five years.
Closed Loop said it has got buyers for more than 60% of the plastic it will produce from the Welsh plant including Coca-Cola, Britvic and the milk bottle manufacturers Nampak and Logoplaste.
Closed Loop opened its first plant in Dagenham, East LOndon, in June. |
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Howard Plastics doubles capacity
Liz Wells, packagingnews.co.uk, 30 September 2008
Trade blow-moulder Howard Plastics has doubled its capacity following its recent move to a new purpose-built factory in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.
The company has invested a six-figure sum in the 3,400sq m facility, which it said will ensure the company is equipped for future demand and new projects.
Managing director David Howard said: "The move to brand new premises signifies a new chapter for our company. We are very excited about the opportunities this offers both us and our customers."
Howard Plastics, established in 1983, moulds a range of stock retail, industrial and sports bottles together with customer specific containers. |
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Riverside picks up bottle order
Packaging News, 01 October 2006
South Wales-based bottle firm Riverside Plastics has created 250ml and 500ml bottles for a new range of anti-bacterial handwashes being produced by Yorkshire-based soap manufacturer John Drury & Co.
The 250ml bottle is from Riverside’s standard range, while the 500ml bottle is a new shape and design for the firm. Both bottles have been extrusion blow-moulded in natural high-density polyethylene (HDPE), using pumps supplied by Bespak for the 250ml and Seaquist for the 500ml. Labels come from SA Labels of Keighley, Bradford.
John Drury will supply the handwashes to be sold as own-branded goods by Morrisons and Booker under the Happy Shopper label.
Linpac to sell Viscount Plastics
Jane Ellis, packagingnews.co.uk, 08 April 2008
Linpac Group has put Viscount Plastics, its Australian and New Zealand business, up for sale to focus on its business in the Americas, Asia and Europe.
The sale will be managed by Deutsche Bank. It is thought that rival packaging groups such as Amcor, Visy and NCI and local private equity firms could be interested in Viscount, which accounts for 7% of Linpac Group's £1.1bn turnover. The transaction is expected to take about three months.
Linpac's owner, London-based Montagu Private Equity, paid £860m for the group in 2003. Linpac bought 51% of Viscount Plastics in 2001 after acquiring a 49% interest in the company in March 1999.
Viscount employs 600 people in Australia and New Zealand.
The firm makes blow-moulded containers and industrial packaging, as well as water tanks, plastic garden furniture, crates, buckets and plastic bottles.
Key markets include food retail and supply chain, water conservation, and specialist coating and adhesive packaging for the chemical sector. |
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Ball Corporation to shut Ontario plastic packaging plant
Liz Wells, packagingnews.co.uk, 27 June 2008
Ball Corporation, the US packaging manufacturer, is to close its plastic packaging plant in Brampton, Ontario by the end of the third quarter of 2008.
The closed operations will be consolidated into the company's other plastic packaging manufacturing facilities in North America.
Brampton's 90 employees will be provided with severance and outplacement services. The closure is expected to cost the firm around $5m (£2.5m), of which approximately $2m will be recorded in the second quarter of 2008.
Ball acquired the facility in 2006 when it snapped up certain North American plastic bottle container assets of Alcan Packaging.
In April Ball Corporation reported a 1% increase in first quarter net earnings to $153.4m (£120.5m). |
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Vetroplas supplies packs for ethical skincare products
packagingnews.co.uk, 09 January 2009
Cosmetics packaging importer Vetroplas Packaging has won an account to supply packs to ethical and alcohol-free skincare producer Saaf Pure Skincare.
The Norwich-based firm is supplying the Laura clear glass bottle with a gold metallised pump and a black overcap for Saaf’s Organic Ultimate Moisture Face Serum.
None of Saaf's products contain alcohol or animal products, making them halal-approved. They are sold across Europe and the Middle East.
Vetroplas managing director John Anderton, who founded the firm with his wife Amanda in 2006, said he was thrilled to have won the contract to supply packs to Saaf. |
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Genus first to take Rieke dispensing system
Jane Ellis, packagingnews.co.uk, 31 August 2007
Genus Pharmaceuticals, the supplier of medical products to the NHS and pharmacists, has become the first user of a new dispensing system from Rieke Packaging Systems.
The Newbury firm has relaunched Cetraben, an emollient cream for skin conditions, in a 500g polypropylene container with Rieke's Airless High Viscosity Dispensing System (HVDS), which dispenses at least 98% of the product, significantly reducing waste.
The Airless HVDS, which was developed over two years specifically for the pharmaceutical sector, uses a combination of airless and piston-up technology to push the cream from the bottom of the container. It also has a tamper-evident feature and special suck-back system to pull a small amount of cream back into the pump, leaving a clean spout every time.
Cetraben manager Tony Griffiths said the pack was a "revolution" and provided the best solution to prevent product wastage of any technology available.
"We previously used a soap bottle with a 1g pump, which was small and unreliable and did not dispense all the product," he said. "As well as its superior evacuation, other benefits [of the Airless HVDS] include a robust 4g pump and a content indicator that reveals how much product is left."
Genus Pharmaceuticals has also used Rieke's Airless Dispensers for 50g and 150g handy size packs of Cetraben. |
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World Design: Coop Jamada mousse soap
Packaging News, 04 June 2008
From Switzerland comes a well-thought-out hand wash.
Coop has released Jamadu mousse soap in an oval-shaped, injection-stretch-blow-moulded PET bottle, with a lockable pump dispenser, injection-moulded in PP.
The front label is screen-printed on clear, self-adhesive PP, while the back label has a tropical backdrop printed on the reverse and is printed litho on the front with product information.
To make the pack appealing to children, a plastic model of an animal is wrapped around the pump pack dip tube and shows up inside the bottle.
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Graham Packaging makes PET containers for swine flu gels
Simeon Goldstein, packagingnews.co.uk, 21 January 2010
Graham Packaging is targeting anti-bacterial product manufacturers in the UK with a new PET bottle mould for gels and sprays.
The government's 'Catch it, Bin it' campaign has led to an increased use of antibacterial products, both for personal use and at the entrances to public buildings.
US firm Graham's UK facility in Chalgrove, Oxfordshire, has produced a standard mould to help pharmaceutical firms bring products to market with no investment in bottle production.
Graham sales manager Neil Karrod said: "Companies, schools, hospitals and any location at which people congregate is a potential source of infection.
"We can now supply the market with a range of appropriate containers quickly and at minimum cost."
The flat-sided, 95ml oval PET container can be fitted with a flip-top or a pump spray dispenser.
Graham also manufactures a 500ml handwash bottle at the Chalgrove site that can be fitted with pump dispenser. |
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Milk men make UK's 'biggest ever' dairy spend
Jill Park, Packaging News, 04 February 2009
With its dairies running at full capacity, Robert Wiseman pumped £80m into a new site.
Who Robert Wiseman Dairies
Aim To have room to grow
Spend £80m
What Bridgwater dairy
When December 2007
Target Major retailers and company own-brand milk
Challenge
Robert Wiseman Dairies’ Manchester and Droitwich dairies were being stretched, and the company wanted a bit of breathing space with room to grow. Our existing dairies were running at capacity and beyond, explains Mark McDiarmid, communications executive at the company.
Robert Wiseman invested £80m in building and equipping a new dairy in Bridgwater, Somerset. The new addition brings the total number of Robert Wiseman dairies to seven. It also runs 15 depots.
Strategy
The company invested £80m in building the facility and bringing it to a capacity of 250m litres of milk a year. A total of £45m was invested in the new 325,000m² plant and a further £35m was spent on kit.
In addition to Robert Wiseman’s investment, plastic bottle specialist Alpla UK set up an inplant blow-moulding facility within the Bridgwater site that runs four blow-moulding lines to serve three Stork filling lines. Each bottle has a unique code that can be traced back to the farm and the date and time of manufacture.
The Bridgwater site uses a range of equipment brands, including Stork fillers, Isoma conveyors and roll-container packers, APV processing equipment, PDC sleevers, cap delivery from Asmech and Meypack shrinkwrappers.
Robert Wiseman produces its own-brand dairy products in addition to serving customers such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Iceland. Following the opening of the Bridgwater site, the company was able to pick up a significant bit of business from the Co-op, serving its South East stores. It’s the single biggest investment in the UK dairy industry ever, says McDiarmid.
Plans are also in place for capacity to be expanded to 500m litres a year and an additional £20m has been earmarked for this purpose.
Implementation
Land was broken at the 21-acre Bridgwater site in September 2006 and production started at the end of 2007. Inflation cost the firm a little more than expected, which led Robert Wiseman himself to comment at the official launch in June last year that he wouldn’t want to try to build this facility today.
McDiarmid explains that some of the key personnel made the move to the facility from other Wiseman sites, making up the 350 employees at the Bridgwater site. Recruitment started before the dairy became operational so engineers were able to get an understanding of how the equipment worked from those installing it. Having that point of contact with engineers when it was installed was hugely beneficial, he says. The approach was very similar to that taken at the Droitwich site.
Robert Wiseman already had a relationship with bottle manufacturer Alpla at its Droitwich site, where the volumes the dairy is dealing with are very similar.
Results
Robert Wiseman entered the FTSE 250 Index in December 2008, 14 years after the company was first floated. Plans have already been announced to increase capacity of the Bridgwater facility from 250m litres of milk a year to 350m litres. Preparatory work has started on the fourth production line, but it will be a number of months before this is fully operational, says McDiarmid.
The ultimate goal is to run at a capacity of 500m litres a year by increasing the number of filling lines to five. Staffing numbers are expected to rise to approximately 500 when the plant is running at full capacity. It’s a case of improving efficiencies and focusing on continuous improvement, explains McDiarmid.
Alpla’s sales and marketing director of PET business Peter Kohler agrees. He told Packaging News at the site’s launch in September that it was Alpla’s intention to grow with Robert Wiseman Dairies. He said: If they need more bottles, if they process more milk, we are able to increase equipment.
Next on the agenda is a distribution site in Amesbury in Wiltshire that will serve the Bridgwater site, taking milk to customers in the South East. The company has purchased a nine-acre site at a cost of £4.5m and is working to finalise construction costs. Robert Wiseman plans for the site to be operational by next year. |
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Challenge
In terms of packaging, Potts sees itself as the new kid on the block. The printer of bespoke packaging work had until five years or so ago operated predominantly in the commercial print sector. Now 25% of the company’s business is in the short-run bespoke packaging market and it is looking to expand its presence in the sector with the installation of a new B1-format Manroland press.
The investment follows the company’s renewal of two public sector commercial contracts with the NHS and local government, which has guaranteed work for the next five years. In light of this it was in a position to invest and expand its growing presence in the packaging sector, too. We also wanted to offer further flexibility and capacity overall to our growing client base, says Potts business development director John Conway.
Strategy
In February this year, the company began to think about purchasing a new press and in May it ordered a five-colour B1 Roland 705 with coater, which runs IPA-free and benefits from a faster change over than its previous machine.
The investment followed the installation of a brand new six-colour B1 from Manroland in 2006, which meant Potts already had experience of its machinery and service. We went for the five-colour this time as we already have two six-colour B1 and B2 presses on site, says Conway. We are also developing specialist coatings with our ink and varnish suppliers, which this new press and our other machines can support.
Potts already had three Heidelberg presses and considered KBA’s offering. We considered their options, but the Roland just ticked all the boxes and it complemented the six-colour that we already had, says Conway. He points out that in the recession many are not in the position to invest, adding: It’s nice that we are bucking the trend. It’s testament to our people.
Implementation
Manroland installed the press at the Cramlington, Northumberland-based factory in September this year. As Conway explains, the company had already planned its press hall to accommodate additional presses when it completed its move to the facility in 2006. As scheduled, production commenced on the machine at the beginning of November.
The company has been running its six-colour B1 press for six years, and the new machine will be used for both sheetfed commercial and packaging printing, which Conway says just opens up a lot of capacity, letting Potts chop and change between jobs and offer clients greater flexibility.
Results
In packaging not many people have heard of us, we are almost like the new kids on the block, says Conway. Now the press is installed, the firm says its goal is to target small runs in the packaging sector, which it views this as a growth market.
Conway believes the fact the company has complementary facilities, such as die-cutting and CAD, will help it achieve this aim. Our press investments complement our supply to the sheetfed paper-based markets in the public and private sectors, and bespoke packaging with private label and the major retail clients in the healthcare, cosmetic and luxury gift packaging sectors, says Conway.
All of which will help the company in achieving its ‘10 at 10’ target, to move from a turnover of £9m this year to a turnover of £10m in 2010. Now we’ve got the investment down, we’ve got to make it sweat, says Conway, who does not rule out further investment. Next year there may be a need for it, but we will wait and see, he says. Digital, for one, is under review. |
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