The Kidderminster self-adhesive label and tag manufacturer acquired the next-door unit earlier this month, with the total project, including a full refurb of the 370sqm unit, set to cost around £400,000.
Last year, the family-run company completed a £250,000 refurbishment of its main unit and with the addition of the adjacent facility its footprint is now nudging 1,850sqm.
The £3.2m turnover business is currently finalising its plans, but managing director Colin Le Gresley said he was “delighted” to have got the deal finalised in the midst of the pandemic and hoped to use the additional unit as warehousing, to free up space in its main site for additional production kit.
“We continually invest in technology to ensure we have the best equipment to deliver the best products to our customers while maximising our own operational efficiency. We already have additional machinery which has been in storage awaiting this purchase, with installation imminent,” said Le Gresley.
Renovations will begin shortly, and after the unit is refurbished the firm will also look at extending the 360 solar panels on its main factory to the additional unit. The ultimate goal being 100% self-sufficiency for electricity.
While the business did make use of the government’s furlough scheme, it has maintained full production throughout the pandemic, adhering to Covid guidelines.
“All of our colleagues were made aware of the government guidelines and any individual staff issues were addressed on a one-to-one basis with their wellbeing front of mind,” Le Gresley added.
All staff are now back at work full time.
“Having a significant number of customers from across the pharmaceutical industry we felt it was particularly important for us to continue operations as long as practicable to ensure the availability of safely labelled medicines to those affected across the country,"he said.
“Although we will undoubtedly be affected by many of the same issues as other businesses in the sector in the coming months, it is our intention to continue operations and overcome each obstacle as they develop throughout what is a challenging time for the whole country.”
In recent years, the firm has installed a two-colour Proflex press from Focus Label Machinery, a new turret rewinder from AB Graphic and a slitter-rewinder from Bar Graphic.
More recently, the firm also collaborated with Sandon Global on a standardisation project to rationalise the anilox specifications across its three Nilpeter flexo combination presses.
Last year, the 21-staff company celebrated its 25th anniversary by taking its workforce on a long weekend to Barcelona.
