- Rigid Containers

Rigid News Spring 2015_Document 1 26/03/2015 16:00 Page 2
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RIGID CONTAINERS SPRING UPDATE FOR CUSTOMERS AND STAFF
IRISH ACQUISITION
|
EFIA GOLD
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
|
ISO 14001
|
CPI SURVEY
|
VOL 34 APRIL 2015
PRODUCTION RECORDS
RIGID SET TO ACQUIRE ICS EUROPAKS
Expansion of geographic
LARS MAYNARD
GROUP FINANCIAL
DIRECTOR
footprint into Irish market
We are delighted to confirm that we are in the final stages of acquiring 100 per
cent of the shares in ICS Europaks, based on the Galvone Industrial Estate in
Limerick, Ireland. The agreement is subject to certain conditions customary to
this type of transaction, but once the deal has been formalised, ICS Europaks
Being one of the newer members of the
will be run as a stand alone unit within the Rigid Containers Group. The details
management team, I have plenty of good things
of the deal are not being disclosed.
to reflect on over the last three years. Having
joined Rigid Containers in January 2012, I have
Liam Mackessy, Chief Executive, will continue in the role, following the acquisition.
There will be no redundancies and all staff rights will transfer to the new owners.
been delighted to see how the business has
“We are really excited about bringing ICS Europaks into the Rigid Containers Group,”
grown in terms of production and turnover.
stated Richard Coward, Rigid Group Managing Director. “ICS has a well-established
During the last three years, we have grown our
customer base that we very much look forward to working with alongside Rigid’s
volume by some 19 per cent, from 190 million sqm
existing customers in Ireland. For our customers in Ireland, this deal expands our
to 226 million sqm. In 2014 alone, we grew the
geographic manufacturing footprint outside of the UK for the first time. Prior to this
business by 14 per cent and I am happy to confirm
acquisition, any customer that we serviced in Ireland had to factor in slightly longer lead
that 2015 has started off strongly.
times than those being serviced in the UK. Now, with the manufacturing site on the
To achieve these impressive levels of growth, we
have invested heavily in our equipment and our
Galvone Industrial Estate, we can reduce lead times for all supplies into the Irish
market.”
people. Just in terms of capital outlay on new
Leading up to the acquisition, Rigid
machinery, we have invested in excess of £16 million;
Containers has been providing in the region of
upgrades to the corrugator at Desborough, new
€3 million of packaging to the Irish market,
casemakers at Selby and Desborough, as well as
serviced from the company’s three UK manufacturing sites. “This deal shows our
starting up the brand new sheet plant at Wellington in
commitment to customers in Ireland and we have some exciting plans for investment in
the South West of England to help expand our
the company’s infrastructure to ensure continued growth,” continues Coward. “For
geographic footprint.
existing customers in Ireland, day to day points of contact will remain exactly the same.
But it doesn’t stop there! We are delighted to
report that we are in the process of completing the
acquisition of ICS Europaks in Limerick, Ireland. This
site, with corrugator and converting capabilities, will
allow us to strengthen our service to existing and new
customers in Ireland – you can read more details
elsewhere in this issue.
It has been a wonderful experience for me over the
last three years and the main thing I have worked out is
that behind the success of any great business is one
thing – its people. We have a great team here, all of
whom are keen to excel in their area of expertise. A
great team to work with and a great team to work for.
You will be dealing with the same people for all sales and technical enquiries.”
Rigid News Spring 2015_Document 1 26/03/2015 15:54 Page 3
IRISH ACQUISITION
|
EFIA GOLD | ISO 14001
|
CPI SURVEY
|
PRODUCTION RECORDS
HIGH QUALITY POST PRINT RECOGNITION
EFIA shortlist – this time it’s GOLD!
At the time of going to press, we are sitting here full of elation, following the results
of the 2015 European Flexographic Industry Association (EFIA) awards!
We were delighted to be shortlisted in the category ‘High Quality Post Print (Coated)’ and
up against some stiff competition, we headed to the Awards dinner held on Thursday 19th
March. We were delighted to win the category, picking up the Gold
award for this beautifully printed box for Samuel Smith’s. The box in
question is for the company’s famous ‘India Ale’ and it is certainly
testament to
the quality of
work
being
© Paul Brown Imaging 2015
produced on
our
Göpfert
high
quality
flexo post print machine! Well done
to all the crews at Selby on this
monumental achievement.
ISO 14001 FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT TO BE ROLLED OUT
Sustainability for Rigid Containers
ISO 14001 sets out the criteria for an environmental management
system and helps map out a framework for an organisation to
follow, allowing
the organisation to set up an effective
management system. Using ISO 14001 can provide assurance to
company management and employees, as well as external
stakeholders, that environmental impact is being measured and
reviewed. Some benefits include:
— Reduced cost of waste management;
— Savings in consumption of energy and raw materials;
— Lower distribution costs;
— Improved corporate image among regulators, customers and the
general public.
Rigid Containers Ltd is working towards having a fully embedded
management system in place for its manufacturing facilities in
Desborough, Selby and Wellington. Using the expertise of an external
consultancy – Ecosmart – we will implement the system into
Desborough first, and then mirror the system into our other sites at
Selby and Wellington. within our production areas and upgrading our corrugator.
■ Reducing our raw material usage by reducing customer waste and
utilising performance papers.
■ Reducing the number of vehicles transferring sheet board and
finished product by installing a new corrugator at Wellington.
■ Installing charging points at all our sites for the integration of electric
and hybrid cars.
■ Changing the way we handle our waste by installing a waste
container system where items will be collected and recycled.
In addition to this we will be introducing ‘Green Teams’ to police and
As part of the process, we have identified numerous initiatives and
raise awareness of the standard throughout the company. The teams
best practices to reduce our impact to the environment and these
will be made up of members of staff from all departments who will
include such items as:
meet on a quarterly basis to discuss any issues that may arise, new
■ Reducing our electricity usage by fitting LED and activated lighting
initiatives and the review of the targets and objectives set. Rigid News Spring 2015_Document 1 26/03/2015 15:27 Page 4
IRISH ACQUISITION
|
EFIA GOLD | ISO 14001
|
CPI SURVEY
|
PRODUCTION RECORDS
CORRUGATED PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE!
Survey reveals benefits for food and drink
Corrugated packaging is maintaining its popularity in the UK food
Adopting vibrant, innovative packaging will sway the purchase decisions
industry as the preferred choice for protecting and promoting
that many shoppers make, which is why the UK Corrugated Industry is
goods, according to a recent survey commissioned by the
making significant investment – almost £500million in new technology
Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI).
and plant over the last two years – to help brand owners boost sales.
The research involved contacting 1,000 senior decision makers in
These findings, and the willingness of the industry to invest in its
multiple retailers and food and beverage companies in the UK, seeking
product, bear out that corrugated cardboard is still offering the
their views of corrugated and its role in the packaging industry.
complete solution for transit and point of sale packaging, making it the
The majority of those who responded recognised corrugated’s
strong environmental credentials, with 80% either strongly agreeing or
agreeing that corrugated is a sustainable, functional and effective
ideal and most sustainable material for fulfilling logistics expectations
throughout the food and drinks supply chain.
CPI Director of Packaging Affairs, Andy Barnetson, said: “This latest
CPI survey demonstrates that businesses see the key advantages for
packaging solution.
Companies also acknowledged the importance of corrugated
using corrugated packaging. However, to remain at the forefront of the
packaging in the battle against food waste – nearly three-quarters
packaging industry we must continue to listen to our customers and
thought that effective use of corrugated protects food items – while
meet their expectations for innovative products.
less than five per cent disagreed with the statement that the material is
“The corrugated packaging sector in the UK is pioneering packaging
solutions that bring both improved efficiency and increased
important to the future of their business.
This latest survey confirms corrugated packaging’s continuing
sustainability to the supply chain. Recent indicators suggest that the
importance in supply chains following research by Smithers Pira, which
industry appears to be getting the balance right between functionality
says that demand for the material worldwide is expected to increase by
and product presentation.”
an average of more than four per cent annually over the next five years,
In addition to its high quality presentational characteristics and the
protection corrugated offers for goods in transit, the industry is proud
partially driven by innovative designs.
It also follows a nationwide poll by YouGov for CPI last year, which
revealed that over half of the UK’s consumers visiting their local
supermarket or food retailer would prefer their groceries and fresh
to use and promote a sustainable and renewable material, more than
80% of which is recycled.
For more information on the Confederation of Paper Industries and
the way they represent our industry, please visit www.paper.org.uk
produce packaged in paper-based material.
BOXES FOR CHARITY
Working with Wood Green,
the Animal Charity
Wood Green is a leading animal welfare
who handles this charitable account, recently
charity, which takes in and rehomes
received a note from Wood Green volunteer
thousands of dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens
Jill Harvey. “Just a quick note to say a huge
and other small animals every year.
thanks
We have been supplying them with some
supplying us with the wonderful boxes. You
of our archive boxes and lids for the last
have no idea what a difference they make!
few years, as a charitable gift. These
A frustrating day – and we have a few – is
handy boxes are used for storage and
made so much easier when you don't have to
transportation of animal blankets and
beg for a box from somewhere. The boxes you
food; they are also used at the charity’s
supply us are just right for us to handle and
five shops.
store many different items. Thank you so
Carole Brede, the Customer Service Agent
much.”
to
you
and
the
company
for
Rigid News Spring 2015_Document 1 26/03/2015 15:27 Page 1
IRISH ACQUISITION
GOLD || ISO
RECORDS
INAUGURATION
BBP14001
DAYS | PEOPLE
NEWS
| EFIARECORD
| CPI SURVEY
| PRODUCTION
| WORLD
| CERTIFICATION
| GOLF
PRODUCTION RECORDS TUMBLE IN 2014
A great year for all sites in the Group
Richard Coward, Group Managing Director, was keen to send out
To add to these wonderful production milestones, Selby broke their
a huge ‘thank you’ to the entire team at the end of last year. “We
daily despatch record with over 724,000 sqm in one day. Desborough
broke some amazing records in 2014!” he comments. “We beat
had an amazing year on the corrugator, producing 129 million sqm,
our production target for the year, topping 225 million sqm,
10.6 million sqm of which were fed as sheet board to Wellington.
having just failed to reach the magic 200 million sqm the year
before.
Andrew Jarman, Planning Controller at Desborough adds, “During
the second week of December, a daily record of 1,739 pallets were
despatched from Desborough and all orders were manufactured on
time and in full. Considering the fact that the week before, we had
broken the weekly record number of pallets sent out, this made it an
even bigger achievement. Elsewhere in the group, Charta increased
their sales volume by some 16% in 2014.
Wellington
Selby
Selby hit a record 110 million sqm and Desborough, having joined the
‘super plant’ ranks, broke the 100 million sqm with ease.”
Coward continues, “Wellington started to make their contribution
last year too, with a record week recorded in December of 500,000 sqm
of conversion.”
Coward concludes, “What a finish to the year, with our
despatches for December up 31% on the same period last year,
Desborough
taking our annual sales for Rigid Containers up some 15% on 2013.
Well done everyone!”
ABOUT US
Who we are
Rigid Containers is part of VPK Packaging Group – one of the fastest growing independent European
manufacturers of recycled paper and corrugated cases with an annual turnover of some €800 million. Apart
from the UK, it has a network of operating plants in Belgium, Holland, France, Germany, Poland and Romania.
In recent years the Group, (which is listed on the Belgium stock exchange), has evolved from a productfocused organisation to a service organisation, concentrating on customers’ specific needs in terms of
tailored packaging solutions, supply chain optimisation and just-in-time deliveries.
Part of VPK since 2000, Rigid Containers has been an industry pioneer in meeting the demands of the
modern supply chain in the UK by introducing innovative, integrated manufacturing and logistics facilities
with large warehousing capabilities for an unrivalled outstanding ex-stock service.
Rigid Containers Ltd
Head Office:
Stoke Albany Road, DESBOROUGH, Kettering, Northants NN14 2SR
Facility Addresses:
Denison Road, SELBY, North Yorkshire YO8 8AN
Ham Road, Chelston Business Park, WELLINGTON, Somerset TA21 9JG
For all sales enquiries, contact:
Tel: 01536 760266 Fax: 01536 762714
Email: [email protected] • Website: www.rigid.co.uk