M&H to double flexible tube capacity

Jane Ellis, packagingnews.co.uk, 06 August 2008

M&H Plastics is investing a "significant seven-figure sum" on doubling its flexible tube manufacturing capacity at its plant in Suffolk after experiencing unprecedented growth of 30-40% in the last year.

The Beccles firm is to install a complete production line that will offer multi-layer tubes, decoration and printing, capping, labelling, as well as tamper-evident features.

M&H sales and marketing director Simon Chidgey said the line will include new technology to enable the firm to "add more special effects, including soft-touch, metallic and matt and gloss, more decoration, more choice and more shapes".

"We'll be able to marry our tube shapes with bottle shapes, such as supply a square tube to go with a square bottle," he said.

Chidgey added that the additional line would enable the firm to target the DIY and food supplements markets by providing tamper-evidence in the form of an inline-applied aluminium seal that is peeled off.

M&H will start construction of the line in the fourth quarter of 2008 and expects it to be operational in early summer 2009.

The firm, which has 530 staff, supplies plastic bottles, jars and flexible tubes to the toiletries, healthcare, food and DIY sectors.

It also offers a complete decoration service that includes offset printing, silkscreen printing, labelling and hot foil blocking.