Marcel Jurian de Jong
COPYRIGHT MARCEL JURIAN DE JONG
It also heralds a new era for Solidus with the inception of a standalone ‘one-stop-shop’ UK business model incorporating the head office in Skipton, North Yorkshire, with further expansion planned in 2025 to double the size of the current 70,000 sq ft facility, an existing production unit in Corby, Northants, extended last year to 170,000 sq ft, plus a new 30,000sq ft unit in Armagh, Northern Ireland, scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2025 to service planned expansion across the Irish market. The current workforce stands at circa 150, split 50:50 across the two existing trading sites, while the new facility in Armagh will employ up to five people initially.
The escalation of operations is also core to the evolution of Netherlands-based parent company Solidus Solutions, one of the oldest cardboard manufacturers in Europe, which cemented its UK presence in 2018 when acquiring a majority stake in Skipton-based Northern Paper Board, established in 1979 by brothers John and Paul Curran, with John continuing to lead the company under the ownership of Solidus.
Investment in new state-of-the-art machinery remains key for the business going forward. So too does new product development as Solidus bids to extend its reach across an already fast-expanding UK customer base.
All Solidus products are fully recyclable and purpose-designed to provide a sustainable alternative to replace plastic and polystyrene trays and wooden containers. Circular paper-based packaging and solid board product ranges include meat, poultry, fish, seafood, fruit and veg, boxes, trays and punnets.
Core products have now been supplemented by a range of retail-ready packaging known as ‘Futureline,’ purposely created for the retail and foodservice sectors. They, too, are fully recyclable, reduce plastic content by at least 80% and have a significantly lower CO2 footprint. Crucial to this innovative portfolio are MAP (modified atmospheric packaging) products, skin packs, fish boards and an expanding range of standard and top seal punnets.
Spearheading future growth strategy is director of sales Paul Garstang, who comments: “This keynote investment not only cements our position as market leader, the only manufacturer of solid board in our geographic market that currently has the breadth of capability and capacity sited in the UK, but it’s also a real game-changer for both the company and our expanding customer base in order to underpin both current and future business expansion potential.
“Sustainability remains at the heart of the operation as Solidus strives to develop and deliver safe, sustainable food packaging solutions across all target sectors. We remain keenly aware that more and more consumers are choosing products made from renewable resources that will help protect our planet and its precious eco-systems.
“We remain a major force in the continuing battle to reduce plastic waste, to tick the right boxes when it comes to corporate and social responsibility, to contribute to a cleaner world with less waste. The value cycle starts with renewable forestry and continues with recovered paper from which fibre-based board is produced.