UK – Greiner Packaging UK & Ireland has announced US$11.32 million (£10 million) investment program and set a target of US$113.15 million (£100m) turnover, as it celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The company said the investment will be used for the installation of bespoke machinery, commissioning of a new manufacturing hall, and the expansion of the warehouse from 3,000 to 11,000 spaces.
Jarek Zasadzinski, Director of Operations at Greiner Packaging International, said: “For 50 years, we have produced some of the world’s most sustainable packaging for food and non-food applications at our factory in Dungannon.
“As we celebrate this important anniversary, we are proud to announce these new investments which follow the more than US$39.60 million (£35m) we have invested since acquiring Wilsanco in 2006. Sixteen years ago, the site was turning over US$16.97 million (£15m) and today we are achieving US$67.89million (£60m). Our goal is to grow this site to US$113.15 million (£100m) over the next 3-4 years.”
The investments were partly funded by Invest NI, the UK government, and EU regional development funds.
Julie Eller, Greiner Packaging UK & Ireland Sales Director, said the company had invested in sustainability projects such as Northern Ireland’s first high-bay warehouse, made from sustainable materials, the introduction of energy consumption reducing wind power, and using solely renewable energy.
“Plans are in place to become carbon neutral by 2030, in line with the Greiner AG Blue Plan for the entire Greiner Group.”
Zasadzinski added: “We are proud to announce that the European Food Safety Authority has now approved the process we use to recycle post‐consumer PET into food contact materials, representing another significant and hugely important step in our journey to use increasing amounts of recycled material in our food grade packaging.”
Rachel Sheldon, Sustainability and Innovation Manager, commented: “We are already working closely with Plastic Pact and other industry bodies, and we recently joined RECOUP, the official RecyClass auditor for rigid plastic packaging in the UK.
“At an international level we are members of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, and in 2018, we signed the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment launched by the UK-based Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
“Plastic has an important role to play, particularly for food packaging where it can help to extend shelf-life and therefore reduce food waste.
“People all over the UK and Ireland will soon see our ‘We love sustainable packaging’ message, as a fleet of newly liveried trailers heads out onto the nations’ roads from our factory in Dungannon,” concluded Sheldon.
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