Today we welcomed Neil Gray MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy to open our new facility in Livingston following our £13.5 million investment in plant and machinery.

Compack Cartons, which previously operated from 8,000 sq ft premises in an adjacent unit in the Houston Industrial Estate, was acquired by McLaren Packaging in 2017, and has since doubled its workforce and quadrupled turnover.

The investment has significantly upgraded Compack’s capabilities in the estate, including the purchase and refurbishment of an existing 66,000 sq ft unit, including investment in new plant and the latest print, foil, embossing and finishing technologies. The unit also has 1,200 pallet space storage on site.

The investment, which received grant support from Scottish Enterprise, will create 26 new jobs and safeguard 59 existing jobs over a two-year period, comprising of shop floor operators and office-based staff.

The larger production facility and industry leading machinery gives Compack the capability to better serve the needs and growth aspirations of our key customers responsibly. Our goal is to have the most energy efficient facility in the UK.

Our new facility expands our production capacity significantly, enables us to attract and retain highly skilled staff and create new skilled jobs in Central Scotland for young people.

It also gives us the ability to manufacture short runs, to short lead times with a short supply chain to local and international companies based in the UK.

The investment in Compack demonstrates the importance of our Livingston operation and our long-term commitment to the future of premium and luxury packaging produced in Scotland.

We foresee significant opportunity for locally sourced packaging and this expansion will allow us to offer a comprehensive portfolio of eco-conscious packs to the market. There is considerable customer interest for this proposition and the venture will enable us to deliver on this opportunity.

The investment also allows us to vertically integrate by bringing in house our existing material purchasing for conversion in other areas of our business. We are proud to be a wholly independent Scottish manufacturer providing high quality products to both global and local clients.

The opening was attended by key stakeholders who supported the development of the new facility including Adrian Gillespie, Chief Executive, Scottish Enterprise, who said:

“Scottish Enterprise’s support for this new facility underlines our commitment to Scotland’s manufacturers. By helping companies like Compack invest in innovation, we can drive growth, create jobs, increase productivity, and accelerate decarbonisation plans.”

We marked the occasion with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque by Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray who said: “I was delighted to be able to visit Compack Cartons’ new facility and see how Scottish Enterprise grant support for the investment will allow the company to expand its operations and workforce, helping us strive toward our ambition of becoming the home of low carbon manufacturing innovation.

“Not only will this project create 26 new skilled jobs, through the company’s sustainable practices, it will help us in our aim to reach net-zero by 2045 and create a wellbeing economy.”

We look forward to welcoming you to the new Compack Cartons in the coming weeks and months.