LVF Packaging, which today turns over £8million per annum and is based in 25,000 sq ft premises on the Hunslet Business Park in Leeds, was born in a garden shed back in 1985. Harry Coates and his son Nigel building a small vacuum forming machine as a project that was meant to keep Harry occupied following his retirement from Leeds-based games company, John Waddington's – with the first business won being from Waddington’s itself.
40-years later, the business is run by Nigel’s son, Daniel and its products can be found on the shelves of virtually every leading supermarket chain in the UK, plus a plethora of High Street shops.
The company is also at the forefront of the sustainability push by the packaging industry – with 100% of the plastic waste it generates during manufacturing being recycled; and 50% of its annual power being generated through its £700k solar installation, low carbon generation and 1.5Mw or battery storage. The business is also a strong advocate for plastic still being the best packaging material, championing for a joined-up approach to recycling to counter the scourge of plastic waste.
Daniel Coates, LVF Packaging’s owner and business development director, said: “I wasn’t even born when my dad and grandad decided to build that first ever thermoforming machine in the garden shed. But I love that they decided it was a good idea, went ahead, did it and then somehow persuaded John Waddington’s to award them the production of its board game plastic trays. I definitely couldn’t see that happening today.”
“To be at the helm of the business as we celebrate our 40th anniversary is a source of great pride for both me and my dad. Even more so when you consider that the business built by my grandad and him and still remains faithful to its initial aims of delivering exceptional thermoformed solutions with a real focus on the kind of excellent customer service we would always hope to receive from businesses we work with.”
LVF Packaging primarily supplies MAP (modified atmosphere packaging) and skin pack trays to protein suppliers for UK retailers, while also manufacturing packaging for confectionary, beverages and other retail gift packs. The company operates six high volume production lines, has 46 staff and does all its product development in-house and manufactures its own bespoke tooling. Its customer base includes a host of well-known names from Morrisons to Lindt and Border Biscuits.
For more information on LVF Packaging visit www.lvfpackaging.com