Michael McLaren (left) said that the company was "demonstrating continued growth" with the move.
Scotland’s McLaren Packaging has completed a significant investment of £350,000 in its manufacturing capabilities at its Stirling-based operation Blue Box Design, which makes handmade presentation boxes for the food and drink industry.
The investment follows a total investment of £1.5 million across the firm’s three Port Glasgow bases between 2014 and December 2015, when the firm installed 300 solar panels above its factory buildings to help cover electricity requirements with clean energy.
Other investments in the Port Glasgow sites have included extending the factory’s storage and loading capacity and further developing its multi-cell division operation, which makes dividers for cases of bottles.
McLaren Packaging, which specialises in the design and manufacture of premium paper-based packaging for the global drinks industry, including many of Scotland’s best-known whisky producers, aims to increase its turn over from £16 million to £20 million by 2020.
The company acquired Blue Box Design in 2013.
Its sales and marketing director, Michael McLaren, said: “The investment in Blue Box Design in Stirling has created 15 new jobs to date and we’re looking to grow the workforce further. This investment included the installation of an automatic box wrapping machine, two digital cutting machines, the construction of a mezzanine floor to increase storage, [an] office revamp and investment in state-of-the-art LED lighting to ensure that items can be fully inspected to preserve the highest quality standards for these hand-finished products. When we acquired Blue Box Design in 2014, the firm had 20 staff – it now has 35 and sales have grown 80% since the acquisition.”
“At a time when manufacturing figures in the UK show a month on month downturn, McLaren Packaging is bucking the trend by demonstrating continued growth and providing employment in manufacturing in both Port Glasgow and Stirling.”
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