L-R: Calum Terry, Senior Quantity Surveyor, Arctica; Kevin Morton, Operations Manager Robertson Construction Central West; Richard Kelly, Operations Director, Robertson Construction Central West; Scott Winston, Managing Director, Pulpex; Kris McGurk, Project Manager, Robertson Construction Central West, Kirsty Wainwright, General Manager, Pulpex Westway; Adam Cooper, Business Support Director, Pulpex.
Sustainable packaging technology company Pulpex and main contractor Robertson Construction Central West have marked a major milestone on the construction of a new 87,000 sqft manufacturing facility near Glasgow Airport.
Leading the design and build of the project, Robertson has this week completed the steel frame that will form the core structure of the production centre which will be capable of producing up to 50 million fibre-based bottles per year.
To celebrate the milestone, project stakeholders signed the steel structure to leave their mark on the build. The main mechanical and electrical services and internal fit-out will now progress.
Robertson has worked closely with Pulpex since pre-construction to ensure the facility meets the specialist technical and operational requirements needed to manufacture the patented fibre-based bottles at scale.
The Glasgow facility represents a significant expansion for Cambridgeshire-based Pulpex, which has to date operated at pilot and development scale. Its bottles are made from sustainably sourced wood fibre, designed to be recycled through normal household paper and card recycling streams.
The renewable, recyclable and biodegradable bottle has a lower carbon footprint compared with traditional packaging formats, delivering up to 90% carbon savings compared with glass and around 30% compared with PET, while removing plastic from the environment.
Where possible, the frame utilises green steel, manufactured using electric arc furnaces powered by sustainable sources. The project is being delivered within an existing industrial warehouse at Westway, Scotland’s largest 24-hour industrial estate.
When operational, the facility is expected to create 36 new jobs locally, supporting Scotland’s transition to net zero through low carbon manufacturing.
Scott Winston, Managing Director and Chief Science & Sustainability Officer, Pulpex, said: “Delivering audacious outcomes requires robust and rigorous teams to form up and move together as one, it’s no small task. Our combined Team in this focused piece of work, well supported by the broad Robertson network of partners, has shown depth of skill, ingenuity, resilience and used the strength of the local business economy to deliver this key milestone, it’s exciting as we sprint though them all to the finish line.”
Andy McLinden, Regional Managing Director, Robertson Construction Central West, said: “This project combines advanced manufacturing and sustainability within an existing industrial building, which calls for a carefully considered approach. Working closely with Pulpex from the outset has helped the team develop a clear understanding of the technical and operational needs of a completely new production process. Reaching this milestone is an important step forward as the facility moves closer to operation and supports the next phase of Pulpex’s growth.”
Pulpex’s Series D funding includes direct equity investment from both the National Wealth Fund, alongside the Scottish National Investment Bank, with the remainder from existing investors. The investment supports construction of the facility and represents the National Wealth Fund’s first investment in Scotland since its transformation.