The European packaging manufacturer said over £3m has been invested in new technologies to increase capacity at the twin facility, as well as enhance the recycling infrastructure to support the group’s sustainable vision of ‘No Waste’.

Positioning the site as a new flagship facility for self-adhesive label manufacturing, the investment included the installation of three new MPS flexo presses, a further four ABG rewinders – two of which were the final installs in early September, and a new waste extraction system which supports more effective recovery and recycling. Upgrades to staff facilities are also planned for early 2022.

The project is part of an ongoing modernisation and reorganisation strategy across Coveris’ extensive UK labels estate and follows a £3.5m investment into Amberley Labels in 2020.

The group said increased operational efficiencies at the Cramlington facility will support its ability to distribute more work across its five UK labels sites, enabling each facility to become a centre of excellence for targeted end markets.

Cramlington site manager Andy Hedley said: “As our biggest single investment in the site to date, this project is a truly transformational one for both the Cramlington plant and the wider Coveris labels business.

“Increased capacity and production flexibility not only enable us to better serve the needs of our customers in a more agile way, but also in a more sustainable way.

“Our new, more energy and resource efficient operations in combination with waste reduction and recycling processes fully support our journey towards ‘No Waste’ across both our operations and our packaging.”

In July Coveris opened a new Film Science Lab at its Winsford films facility in Cheshire. This followed its acquisitions of Widnes, Cheshire-based Initial Packaging in March and Norwich-based flexible packaging manufacturer Four04 Packaging in May.