UK’s Macpac marks five decades serving the packaging industry

Tracey Francis Sales Executive, centre: Simon Firth Sales Manager, right: Vickie Corby Sales Engineer. Pic: Macpac

Innovating new concepts has remained at the heart of UK thermoforming packaging company Macpac’s ethos, as the business celebrates its 50th anniversary, writes Neill Barston.

As the Stockport-based firm noted, delivering new ranges against ever-changing industry demands focused on a drive for more environmentally-friendly products has been no small feat amid a traditionally competitive market.

Notably, the company has remained in family hands since its creation in 1973 by Chris Kershaw, father of present managing director Graham Kershaw, having placed a strong emphasis on customer service and cost-effective solutions since its inception.

According to the business, its first area of focus was in response to demand for produce packaging for Dinky Toys and Meccano and operated on the first floor of an old printing mill. With the invention of ‘thermoforming’, growth was rapid and in the 1970’s the business re-located to Macclesfield, out of which the name ‘Macpac’ was born.

From there, the business steadily continued to expand throughout the 1980’s, with a further move to Bredbury in Stockport due to outgrowing the Macclesfield site. In 1990 Macpac gained the ISO9001 accreditation for the development processes put in place for tooling development.

As the business noted, it experienced an unexpected low point soon after in 1996, when a devastating fire at the Bredbury factory prompted the move to the current address on the Heaton Mersey Industrial Estate in Stockport. Occupying just a single industrial unit with a modest 4 thermoforming machines on site, Macpac continued to operate and grow.

Further expansion
An integral part of the company’s growth came when In 1997 Chris Kershaw’s son, Graham (below), returned to the family business after graduating from university and working overseas for 10 years on robot control systems.

Significantly, it is this interest in manufacturing processes and his commitment to the environment that would be a guiding factor in the direction that Macpac would follow in the years ahead, influencing the green credentials of the company’s packaging designs and choice of materials.

“Achieving such a significant milestone is a testament to Macpac’s dedication to quality and service whilst keeping passion and family values at our core. Our experience in design and manufacture places us in a unique position to take on the exciting new challenges which lie ahead,” noted Graham of the company’s milestone.

By 1998, the company realised that productivity increases were required with new machinery, introducing computerised numerical control machines (CNC’s) into its toolroom. This departure from traditional cast aluminium toolmaking provided highly accurate CAD/CAM machining and gave a distinctive competitive edge whilst speeding up the whole process. Over the following years Macpac would continue to invest heavily in supporting the tooling manufacture process which in turn plays an important part in feeding the thermoforming machines.

Perhaps its most significant development came with the development of recycled PET (R-PET), away from recycling issues relating to previous PVC formats, with the business enthusiastically promoting the uptake and use of the material across a wide range of key markets.

In 2005 Macpac entered the medical/pharmaceutical sector, naturally using R-PET as the choice of material in its design of the very first thermoformed dosage pill tray, which was to revolutionise the administration of tablets to millions of patients. R-PET has now become the most widely used of all thermoforming materials and by 2023 makes up over 90% of the material Macpac processes through its factory, in addition to its other interests including confectionery ranges.

Moreover, the company has expanded further in recent years, acquiring Hamilton Packaging, further expanding its portfolio, and it has worked with German machine manufacturers Illig to improve efficiencies, and  helped develop a new rewind system for their machines. In 2013 saw Macpac install the first Illig 74 down-stacking machine ever made incorporating this new design – this new machine allowed for a reduction of tooling costs without compromising on production efficiencies.

 

It has won a series of accolades including the Starpack Gold Award for its packaging design to house a Carbon Monoxide detector, and with a ‘Bronze Award’ for technical innovation, followed by further honours in 2014 for a patented clam pack design called ‘Surecel’ which offered a range of high security, tamper-evident clam packs, without the requirement for specialist machines to close the packs, nor scissors to open them.

As previously reported by Confectionery Production, another recent achievement has been its dedicated campaign delivering a personalised and key sustainability message for its sector customer base, which includes providing solutions for chocolate packaging.

Furthermore, it added a further string to their bow in 2022 by installing the very first down-stacking machine with punch and die capabilities in the UK, giving Macpac even more manufacturing options to better service customers’ demands. As the business noted, one of its points of difference has been in its personal attention to detail, from initial concept to finished design and manufacturing of tooling all under one roof, it has the flexibility to manufacture from as little as 1000 units up to many millions, covering all sectors of industries, including confectionery and wider food markets.

 

 

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