UK packaging producer Linpac (Featherstone; www.linpac.com) is to invest GBP 1.2m (EUR 1.5m) in machinery at its St Helens manufacturing site in the North West of England, increasing output from the facility by 200m EPS trays annually. The investment will involve upgrades to existing extruders and thermoformers to improve performance at the site. Mick Wood, Linpac UK operations manager, said: “This major investment demonstrates our commitment to the foodservice market here and overseas. We are working towards a major upgrade to our manufacturing capabilities. This will ensure that we can offer our customers both market leading quality and increased capacity to service their needs. This will give us an increased competitive edge in an important market for Linpac.”

Following completion of the upgrade, the facility will have four extrusion lines and 10 thermoformers in operation, supported by three reclaim units. Conventional heating systems are in the process of being upgraded to infra-red through the addition of new ovens on the site’s thermoformers. This is expected to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the company’s EPS product range through achieving a 40% reduction in average energy consumption. An additional 20 jobs will be created at the site thanks to the investment.