Major investment by Dutch packaging giant at its Cheshire site

Schoeller Allibert, which claims to be the European market leader in the production of recyclable, reusable and returnable plastic packaging solutions, has confirmed a multi-million investment programme is underway at its Winsford factory in Cheshire.

Graeme Robinson, Senior Regional Director, North West Europe, said: “With the increased adoption of e-commerce and the complex retail supply chains in the UK today, it’s clear that our customers are seeking new, innovative and sustainable solutions to drive efficiencies in their warehousing and logistics operations.”

He continued: “This investment in patented, fully automated injection moulding technology, coupled with our market-leading NPD programme, ensures we are producing the latest generation of returnable packaging solutions for our customers.”

“Schoeller Allibert has a proud history of supplying best in class returnable transit packaging for a wide range of sectors including Automotive, Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Retail and Food Processing. This investment sees us deliver additional flexible automation into the facility and supports our commitment to designing and delivering the next generation of transit solutions to drive down waste and cost for our customers, as well as boost their sustainability performance.”

Jackie Johnson, Operations Director at Schoeller Allibert, added: “The fantastic part of this investment is that we are freeing up employees from manual roles, upskilling them and developing them within the business. We are committed to the multi-skill training of our staff; you can join as an operator and eventually become an engineer with the approach that we take to employee development.

“Automation continues our absolute focus upon quality consistency, driving innovation, reducing lead times and achieving excellence in health and safety. This is all while offering exciting new opportunities for our employees and customers.”

The current investment is part of a five-year plan at the site to develop the technical capability and flexibility of the factory.