A Burntwood business says a £2.5million investment will help it continue to maximise on the boom in online shopping.
Packaging firm Lesters says sales have rocketed by 120% during this financial year.
It says the new case maker machine will allow the company to run 250 boxes per minute rare than the current 120.
Managing director Billy Hutchinson said:
“Last year was a transformational one for our business, with the new brand identity and our expansion reinforcing our decision to reposition the firm as the large packaging specialists.
“Covid-19 threw many challenges at us, but it also prompted an unprecedented surge in online shopping and people taking up cycling – two market opportunities that require bespoke packaging and contributed to us achieving our best-ever year.
“We wanted to ensure the huge gains we made in technology were built on and this has seen us agree to buy a second TCY casemaker machine and introduce the widespread use of just-in-time manufacturing techniques commonly used in the automotive sector.”
Billy Hutchinson, Lesters
The company has increased the number of staff by 15 to 60 as part of the expansion of the business.
Billy said factors such as the plastic packaging tax being introduced in April would offer further opportunities for the firm to grow through the use of recyclable corrugated cardboard solutions.
“Sustainability is going to be an increasingly powerful purchasing decision and we’re in an excellent position to design cardboard packaging solutions that cuts out the plastic altogether, while still delivering the same performance at competitive rates.
“Creativity is one of our big strengths. For instance, we’ve been asked by film companies to box cars and we often supply schools with anything from telephone boxes to pirate ships.”
Billy Hutchinson, Lesters
