The Yorkshire-based printed flexible packaging specialist will take delivery of the press at its facility on the outskirts of Leeds next weekend, and it will be in production by late June.

The company said the machine, a replacement for an existing press, will bring added internal efficiencies and quicker changeover times and will support the business to achieve growth of 25% in its targeted sectors, such as FMCG, by helping brands get their goods to market even more quickly than before.

The press is the second machine that Roberts Mart has bought from German supplier Allstein, and the seventh press it has installed since 2004, when it moved to a single-site operation.

The new machine will handle a wide variety of materials including paper, polythene, polyester, and polyethylene, according to Roberts Mart managing director William Roberts.

He said: “We have a great relationship with Allstein, who give us superb back-up support and service. The press is easy to operate and will provide us with even quicker processing of different materials.

“This is all part of our ambitious growth plan put in place back in 2004, since which the company has broken into multiple new markets resulting in a trebling of the headcount at the site. We are now producing packaging that can be found in every aisle in every supermarket in the UK.

He added: “Roberts Mart’s spectacular growth and success is definitely down to our independence, which means we have the ability to react quickly to changing markets. Plus, the fact that we refuse to compromise on buying the best-of-range machinery and coupled with employing some of the most experienced flexible packaging professionals in the industry.”

Further investment in plant is also in the pipeline at Roberts Mart, which has planning permission in place to expand its facility by building a 5,110sqm extension, a project which has been earmarked for late 2021.

A sixth-generation family-run business that was founded in 1852, Roberts Mart is also continuing an ongoing sustainability drive to reduce the impact its products have on the environment. This includes supplying films and pouches that can be completely biodegradable or recyclable through a household bin.

In its most recently filed accounts at Companies House, for the year ended 31 December 2019, the business reported a turnover of £37.5m and a pre-tax profit of £708,000. It employed more than 200 staff.