With the latest craze for health food, Universal Flexible Packaging is set to bring good news for job aspirants.
Thanks to its rapid growth, this popcorn manufacturer expects to create over 50 jobs in 2018. Of these, 10 to 15 jobs are likely to be administrative in nature while the rest 40 are predicted to be on the factory floor. The business’s packaging and contract packing side alone is expected to bring in more than £25 million this year.
Building on its reputation for creating a quality food packaging and contract packing, the company branched out in 2010 into popcorn. At present, it packages for several supermarkets, retail brand leaders, and multinationals, as well as sweet and snack manufacturers in Derbyshire and Leicester.
Its client list also includes snacks and food packaging for almost all leading British coffee shop chains.
How Universal Flexible Packaging’s Popcorn Business Expanded
John Harrison – the company’s Director, said that Universal Flexible Packaging bought its first machine five years ago. Since then, the popcorn business has experienced rapid growth.
He said that the company’s research predicted impressive growth for the popcorn industry as popcorn is considered to be a healthy alternative to crisps. The company initially planned to expand both into the snack and popcorn business but never foresaw how the latter would grow exponentially.
The company now supplies the Lord Poppington brand to all key manufacturers and supermarkets.
At present, it manufactures singles, sharing bags, and vending sizes. In July, it plans to start making multi-packs at its Lewisher Road plant.
Last year, Universal Flexible Packaging invested £10 million in its business. This included £7.5 million for its Lewisher Road plant, where it now has four popcorn production lines and 100 staff.
In 2016, the popcorn market experienced the biggest growth sub-sector in snack brands. It grew at a whopping 38% and is worth more than £100 million now. Compared to a few thousand bags manufactured a few years ago, Universal Flexible Packaging now makes more than 50 million of these.
As a result of this remarkable growth, the company is now among one of the four major players in the market.
With the popcorn market sector set to treble in size over the next 18 months to two years, it is eyeing steady growth and the creation of more jobs.
Universal Flexible Packaging and Amcor FlexCan
With Amcor FlexCan technology, UFP is now the sole contract packer in Europe. The FlexCan idea is perfect for revitalizing current brands or introducing intriguing new goods. The Amcor product has a wide aperture, making it perfect for powdered, granular, and non-food products. It is also simple to open, flexible, re-closable, stand-up, and stackable. It preserves its original shape and brand identification.
A recent deal for Amcor Flexibles‘ most recent product, the Amcor PushPop, has helped UFP solidify its partnership with the company. This creative design is perfect for a variety of pouches because it is simple to open and has a pleasant shape. UFP offers these exciting new products to their customers to help them stay ahead of the competition.
Partnerships of Universal Flexible Packaging
United Flexible Packaging (UFP) is a respected name in the world of packaging, thanks to its commitment to quality and service. The company has built a reputation for delivering high-quality printed and plain flexible pouch packaging solutions to a wide range of clients, including some of the world’s leading brands. Furthermore, UFP is able to provide its customers with enhanced print capabilities of up to 11 colors with in-line lamination and a cold seal facility thanks to its unique connection with a sizable packaging business acquired in Italy, ICIMEN Spa.
Additionally, UFP can slit the film to its customers’ exact specifications and to best suit their machines thanks to its in-house slitting operation. The business may also provide pre-made bags and pouches in a variety of formats, printed or plain, and with several closing choices, including zippers, seals, and re-seals.
Finally, UFP offers a film stockholding facility for clients who require print production and shorter lead times to round out its service. Thanks to its unrivalled combination of experience, expertise, and state-of-the-art facilities, UFP is perfectly placed to meet the needs of even the most demanding customer.
Contract Packaging
UFP is a forward-thinking company, always looking for ways to better serve its clients. In addition to its core packaging business, UFP also operates a contract packaging division. This division was created in response to a need on the market for a reliable provider of contract packaging services. UFP’s contract packaging factory is purpose-built and designed to accommodate the specific needs of its clients.
Whether it’s a one-time project or a long-term contract, UFP is equipped to handle it. Dried fruit, confections, pulses, cereals, and biscuits are just a few of the products that the company can produce because it has a higher level of EFSIS certification.
In addition, UFP is accredited with ISO 9001, which attests to the company’s commitment to quality and customer service.
For more food and flexible packaging news, return to the Valdamark Direct home page.