Packaging 2003 - Company News Summary

API Group has sold Learoyd Packaging, the Burnley-based food packaging manufacturer, to a management buy-out, as part of a strategy to focus on coatings.
23-Dec-2003

British Polythene Industries is to relocate a packaging materials manufacturing operation from Witney to Heanor in Derbyshire, where 30 new jobs will be created.
23-Dec-2003

British Gypsum has sold its industrial paper sack manufacturing operations in Aberdeen and Bangor to Frantschach Industrial Packaging and Clondalkin respectively for undisclosed terms.
19-Dec-2003

Purico of Nottingham is to build a £23m paper mill in China to manufacture cigarette filters, in partnership with Minfeng.
19-Dec-2003

Iggesund has announced plans to invest £12m in the expansion of its paperboard factory in Workington, securing the future of 470 jobs.
12-Dec-2003

Polestar is planning to build a new gravure printing facility, as part of a £100m investment programme, and sites are being considered in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Stoke and mainland Europe.
12-Dec-2003

Perivan White Dove, the Essex-based catalogue printer, has been bought out of administration by former staff for undisclosed terms, securing the future of 30 jobs.
12-Dec-2003

Johnson Service has acquired Alex Reid, the distributor of packaging and consumables to the clothes care market, for £4.3m.
11-Dec-2003

Gilbertson & Page has sold Wear Valley Aerosols, the Bishop Auckland-based manufacturer of environmentally-friendly spray cans, to a management buy-out.
11-Dec-2003

Brady Corporation of the US has acquired BIG, the Ipswich-based online business card provider with annual sales of £5m, for undisclosed terms.
25-Nov-2003

Midven is to provide venture capital support to a new stationery wholesaling business being set up in Tamworth under the name of The Stationery Channel, and 20 jobs will be created by the end of next year.
24-Nov-2003

International Greetings has acquired Hoomark Gift-Wrap Partners, the Dutch gift wrap manufacturer, for an initial £1m.
21-Nov-2003

Centurfax has acquired Marlowe Graphic Services, which will involve the closure of an office in Ampthill.
18-Nov-2003

The East Midlands Development Agency is assisting Maul-Belser, the Bertelsmann subsidiary, with proposals to build a new printing plant near Derby, at a cost of up to £100m.
11-Nov-2003

Polestar has acquired the Milton Keynes-based e-commerce division of Httprint, while Httprint's print management service has been sold to management.
11-Nov-2003

Nicholl Food Packaging is to set up a new £5m distribution centre in Cannock next autumn, with the relocation of up to 100 staff from its existing site in Aldridge.
06-Nov-2003

Dataform has acquired CCS, the Cardiff-based print services company, from Thomas Potts.
06-Nov-2003

Sawley Packaging, the Derby-based manufacturer of transit containers, is being sold by Rolls Royce to Daher of France.
05-Nov-2003

Bunzl has acquired MultiLine, the Danish distributor of consumables to the hotel and catering industries, for undisclosed terms.
03-Nov-2003

Rexam is to acquire Latasa, the Brazilian producer of aluminium beverage cans for £272m, and is now seeking acquisitions in China.
03-Nov-2003

Edward Pryor & Son has acquired Absolute Vision, the Warwickshire-based supplier of code-reading machines, for undisclosed terms.
29-Oct-2003

Premier Print, the Bilborough-based printing company with 36 staff, has undergone a management buy-out backed by Sterling Corporate Finance.
28-Oct-2003

McCorquodale is to close its printing office in Wolverton and relocate to a new site elsewhere in Milton Keynes over the next two years, which will affect 115 staff.
28-Oct-2003

TripleArc is to acquire Access Plus, the print management company, for £40m.
27-Oct-2003

Macfarlane is to sell its corrugated packaging operations in Dundee, Govan and North Shields to DS Smith for £0.9m, which will involve the transfer of 108 staff.
27-Oct-2003

Alcan is planning to sell its Fibrenyle plastic packaging division, which includes sites in Norwich, Beccles, Thetford and the Midlands, to Polimoon.
23-Oct-2003

St Ives is planning to invest more then £30m on equipment for its printing operations over the next 12 months.
21-Oct-2003

ISIS Equity Partners has supported a £19m management buy-out of The Art Group, the producer of prints, posters and cards.
20-Oct-2003

Rexam has acquired Tritello, the Swedish manufacturer of thermoformed packaging, as well as the thermoforming assets and business of Superfos Packaging of Ystad, Sweden.
14-Oct-2003

MAN Roland GB, the manufacturer of printing systems, is to relocate its Dover House headquarters in Mitcham to a new site across the road.
07-Oct-2003

Roberts Mart, the flexible packaging and printing company, is to relocate its headquarters to a new 80,000 sq ft site in Leeds by June 2004.
07-Oct-2003

Harlands, the Hull-based labels manufacturer with 57 staff, has undergone a £4m management buy-out.
07-Oct-2003

Macfarlane has sold its plastics business to Tyco for £48m, as part of a strategy to focus on packaging and distribution, and has also announced plans to dispose of at least half of its 40 branches.
03-Oct-2003

Box Design & Contract Packing is planning to expand its display stands factory in Lincoln from 49,000 sq ft to 107,000 sq ft, with the creation of 150 jobs.
03-Oct-2003

Frank Peters is considering plans to relocate its printing business from Cumbria to Dewsbury, with the loss of up to 58 jobs.
29-Sep-2003

Polestar is to recruit up to 100 apprentices over the next three years, with 38 starting immediately across its five UK sites.
23-Sep-2003

Bunzl has agreed to acquire Baumgartner Fibertec, the Swiss manufacturer of cigarette filters and capillary reservoirs.
15-Sep-2003

Print Design & Graphics is investing £1.5m at its packaging factory in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which currently employs 151 staff.
12-Sep-2003

Bemis has announced a £10m investment at its shrink wrapping plant in Swansea, with the creation of 40 jobs.
11-Sep-2003

British Vita is looking to spend up to £40m on acquisitions to expand its foam and plastics business.
02-Sep-2003

Quinn Glass has confirmed plans to set up a £120m glass packaging and distribution plant at Ellesmere Port by 2005, with the creation of 370 jobs.
28-Aug-2003

Rexam is to sell its medical flexible packaging division to Amcor of Australia for £135m, which will involve the transfer of more than 1,000 staff worldwide.
22-Aug-2003

Alcan is to complete the £28m expansion of its aluminium smelter in Lynemouth, Northumberland, by the end of the year.
22-Aug-2003

United Carlton, the Gateshead-based digital copying and printing company, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms, and is now planning to expand across the country.
18-Aug-2003

John Howitt Group is to sell its Channel Print offshore printing business to a management buy-out.
15-Aug-2003

Lavenham Press has won permission to relocate its printing business to a new factory at Melford Road in Lavenham.
15-Aug-2003

Excel Industries, the Ebbw Vale-based paper recycling company with 50 staff, is to relocate to a larger site in Rhymney, having won a £0.6m National Assembly grant.
14-Aug-2003

Jordison, the Redcar-based printing company with 14 staff, has been acquired by one of its former employees for undisclosed terms.
11-Aug-2003

Molins is to acquire Sasib, the Italian manufacturer of cigarette packing machinery, for £11m.
11-Aug-2003

Stanelco has acquired Adept Polymers, the manufacturer of biodegradable plastics, for £0.3m.
31-Jul-2003

Paragon Labels has acquired EPL Technologies of Gainsborough and Norfolk Labels of Griston, increasing its workforce by 140 to 500.
31-Jul-2003

Creative Print & Design is creating 18 new jobs through a £1.3m expansion of its book printing business in Ebbw Vale.
17-Jul-2003

Polestar is to invest £16m in the expansion of its Petty printing plant in Leeds over the next three years.
11-Jul-2003

Ultrachem has acquired Keane Graphic Products, the Ashford-based supplier of pre-press and pressroom consumables with annual turnover of £7m, for undisclosed terms.
11-Jul-2003

CCL Industries, the North Lincolnshire-based aerosol manufacturer, has been acquired by Dewsbury-based Techfill for undisclosed terms, and 60 jobs will be lost at its Grimsby site.
08-Jul-2003

Xeikon International, the supplier of digital printing equipment, is to set up a new direct sales company with 15 staff in the York area.
04-Jul-2003

Kelvinside Group has sold Multisets, the Swindon-based business forms printer with 64 staff, to a management team.
04-Jul-2003

Paperlinx of Australia is planning to acquire Buhrmann's paper merchanting division, gaining control of UK-based Robert Horne Group, Howard Smith Paper Group and the M6 Paper Group.
01-Jul-2003

Pindar is investing £5m in the expansion of its printing operation in Scarborough, taking a new building opposite the existing site.
27-Jun-2003

Scott Timber Group and Associated British Ports are to invest £1m in a new timber pallet production plant at the Port of Barry.
26-Jun-2003

British Polythene is to sell Welton Bibby & Baron, the Bath-based manufacturer of paper bag packaging with 221 staff, to management for £7.8m.
23-Jun-2003

Simpsongroup is investing £7m in the expansion of its design and print business, including new purpose-built premises in Washington, with the creation of 60 jobs over the next two years.
17-Jun-2003

Pensord Press, the South Wales-based printing company with 120 staff, has undergone a management buy-out from Allen McGuire & Partners, and will invest £2m in new equipment.
13-Jun-2003

George Waterston & Sons is to sell its general printing, direct mail and office supplies divisions to a management team, while the remaining security print business is to undergo a management buy-in.
13-Jun-2003

Linpac, the packaging group, is to be acquired by Montagu Private Equity for £860m.
13-Jun-2003

Durham County Council is to extend its kerbside recycling scheme to cover 100,000 households by August, with the creation of 30 new jobs.
12-Jun-2003

Doyen Medipharm is to relocate its Wymondham-based medical packaging equipment factory and 40 staff to a larger site at the Gateway 11 Business Park this month.
12-Jun-2003

Sharp Interpack is investing £10m in a plastic packaging plant at Bridgwater, while its Aylesham plant near Canterbury will also be redeveloped next year.
10-Jun-2003

Delyn Packaging is planning to double the 10-strong workforce at its plastic packaging factory in Caerphilly over the next few months.
10-Jun-2003

British Vita has acquired the production assets and customer base of Crown General's polyolefin sheet extrusion division in Belgium for undisclosed terms, and one of the extrusion lines will be relocated to the UK.
06-Jun-2003

Rexam is to acquire Risdon Pharma Development, the supplier of plastic packaging to the pharmaceutical industry with factories in France and Germany, from Montagu Private Equity for £90m.
05-Jun-2003

Cromwell Press is seeking permission to extend its book printing plant in Trowbridge with the creation of 45 jobs.
03-Jun-2003

Profile Wrappers, the contract profile laminating company with turnover of £3m, has undergone a management buy-in.
30-May-2003

SIG Combibloc is planning to expand its drinks carton manufacturing plant on Wearside, with the creation of 100 new jobs over the next three years.
28-May-2003

Initial Packaging Solutions of Widnes has been bought out of receivership by a management buy-out, securing 90 jobs.
22-May-2003

Stephens & George Print Group is to invest £12m in a new printing plant at its site in Merthyr Tydfil, with the creation of about 100 jobs.
20-May-2003

John S Burns has acquired three printing businesses in Glasgow for just under £1m, including Dave Barr Print, Vibracolour and Clydeway Print Finishers.
20-May-2003

Image Factory is to relocate its printing business from Corsham to larger premises in Chippenham, with the creation of 50 jobs, as part of a £3m investment by parent company Quarto.
19-May-2003

DocQwise, the York-based document services company, has acquired a branch of The Color Company in Leicester, as part of a strategy to set up a nationwide network.
15-May-2003

Alito Color Group is to relocate its Islington and Romford sites to a new £4m plant in Leytonstone later this year, and is also acquiring new equipment to expand its direct mail business.
09-May-2003

Remploy Hartlepool is setting up a contract packaging area for the food industry at its site on the Hartlepool Trading Estate, with 15 of its 90-strong workforce transferring to the new operation.
28-Apr-2003

Hammond Bindery is to consolidate three divisions of The Charlesworth Group onto an enlarged site in Wakefield, with Hammonds Packaging and Mannanco Plastics being relocated from Leeds and Batley.
23-Apr-2003

Valpak has sold its commercial glass collection business to Berryman, including the assets, trade and goodwill of the Recycle-more-glass scheme.
23-Apr-2003

JW Braithwaite, the Wolverhampton-based bookbinder and print finisher, has been bought out of receivership by a management team, securing 70 jobs.
18-Apr-2003

Elopak has acquired the Bowpak and Quadrobloc carton packaging business at Houghton-le-Spring from SIG Combibloc.
16-Apr-2003

Box Carton, the West Bromwich-based packaging company, has been bought out of receivership by a management team, saving 65 jobs.
11-Apr-2003

Curtis Fine Papers has acquired two paper businesses from Klippan International of Sweden for undisclosed terms, and Klippan's Caldwells Mill plant at Inverkeithing will now focus on office paper and publishing paper.
10-Apr-2003

The Welsh Development Agency is to provide support to Intertissue in the development of a paper tissue-making plant at Baglan Bay near Swansea over the next two years, with the creation of 300 jobs.
03-Apr-2003

Electronic Packaging Systems of Braintree has been bought out of receivership by an undisclosed buyer, securing the future of about 150 jobs.
27-Mar-2003

Thumbs Up, the packaging manufacturer, has awarded a £4m contract to Dew Pitchmastic to build a warehouse and office in Bury, Manchester.
27-Mar-2003

SCA Hygiene is planning to create up to 200 new jobs at its paper mill near Flint over the next 18 months, as part of a multi-million expansion of tissue manufacture.
24-Mar-2003

Crabtree, the Gateshead-based supplier of printing and packaging machinery with 120 staff, has undergone a £2.2m management buy-out backed by Northern Venture Managers.
21-Mar-2003

Scott Timber Group has acquired Combine Pallets of London for £5m, creating the UK's largest pallet making group with 400 staff.
20-Mar-2003

Polestar is recruiting 50 additional staff at its magazine printing operation in Colchester, following a recent £3.4m investment programme.
18-Mar-2003

M&H Plastics, the Suffolk-based manufacturer of plastic packaging with 600 staff, is to be acquired by JP Morgan Chase's private equity arm for undisclosed terms.
18-Mar-2003

CCL Industries is planning to relocate its aerosol production from Grimsby to another factory in North Lincolnshire, which could threaten up to 200 jobs.
17-Mar-2003

The Friary Press, the Dorchester-based magazine printer with 100 staff, has undergone a management buy-out.
07-Mar-2003

Fernedge Printers of London has been bought out of receivership by Image Litho, saving 14 jobs.
04-Mar-2003

Agfa has acquired Printing Techniques, the Northampton-based printing equipment company with 40 staff.
04-Mar-2003

The East Midlands Development Agency is said to be in discussions with an unnamed German printing company about plans to set up a catalogue printing, packaging and distribution site in Derby.
04-Mar-2003

Bunzl has acquired Enterprise Incorporated, the US distributor of supplies to food processing plants, from ConAgra Foods for undisclosed terms.
25-Feb-2003

The Welsh Development Agency is supporting plans from US-owned Moulded Paper International to invest £0.6m in a new facility to produce packaging from moulded pulp at Blackwood in South Wales, with the creation of 32 jobs.
24-Feb-2003

Silkjet, the Leicester-based manufacturer of plastic injection moulded products with 75 staff, has undergone a management buy-out following parent company Webgrove's move into administration.
21-Feb-2003

Thomas Potts has sold the pre-press arm of G&E Digital Media in Peterborough to a management team, securing 25 jobs, and is now in discussions to sell G&E's digital print business.
14-Feb-2003

Forest Enterprise Scotland is looking to set up a new head office, and is considering sites in Edinburgh, Dumfries, Inverness, Stirling and Perth.
06-Feb-2003

Z-Finishing, the Cheshire-based print finishing company, has been bought out of receivership by a new company called Z-Card, saving most of the 156 jobs.
31-Jan-2003

John Mackle is to invest £2m in the expansion of its pet food factory in Moy, including the introduction of new equipment to produce innovative types of packaging.
23-Jan-2003

NCS Integrated Solutions is planning to sell its PPD printing business to a management team.
15-Jan-2003

Kite Packaging is planning to expand its UK distribution network this year with the creation of 30 jobs.
14-Jan-2003

Edotech has acquired Cominformatic, the Swiss printing and data management company with 110 staff, for £6.5m.
10-Jan-2003

Rexam has acquired Luner Glas, the German glass container manufacturer, for £33m, and has raised £86m in a share placing to fund further acquisitions.
09-Jan-2003