Glasgow packaging specialist sets one billion goal after £5m investment push
Cullen Sustainable Packaging has being building up its business amid a “real, sustained demand” from its customers
A Glasgow-based packaging firm that already makes half a billion products annually has invested £5 million in an expansion move that has also created additional jobs.
Cullen Sustainable Packaging is scaling its manufacturing operations in response to growing demand, with continued investment in machinery and infrastructure supporting its ambitious growth aims.
The privately owned business, which serves customers across 35 countries from its 14-acre facility, is targeting a doubling of annual output to a billion products through the investment in capacity and expansion into new markets.
Cullen has invested £5m in expanding its Glasgow manufacturing operations, with the business already seeing increased output as demand for sustainable moulded fibre and corrugate packaging continues to grow.
The firm noted that new regulations were “reshaping the economics of plastic packaging”. Its latest multi-million-pound investment is designed to align capacity with the demand it is already experiencing, with further growth expected as new markets come online.
At the heart of the growth programme is the launch of a new moulded fibre machine - designed and built in-house by the firm’s own engineering team. Brought online after six months of development, the machine has ramped up capacity rapidly following its launch.
Cullen designs and builds much of its own machinery, giving the business full control over output, speed and product specification.
The investment has also created new jobs at the plant, adding to a workforce that has grown consistently alongside the business over the past decade.
Maureen Stevenson, head of marketing at Cullen, said: “This investment is a response to real, sustained demand from our customers.
“The new machine ramped up quickly following launch, and we are already planning the next phase of expansion. That is what growth-led investment looks like in practice - not speculation, but response.”
Get our new upcoming weekly business newsletter - click here
The expansion comes as regulations reshape the economics of packaging across the UK, accelerating the shift away from plastic and driving brands to seek reliable domestic alternatives at pace.
Cullen said it was already seeing record growth in key categories including food and drink, medical, industrial and ecommerce, while experiencing “significant early traction” in markets it has recently entered.
In home fragrance, where brands are actively seeking plastic-free alternatives for candles, diffusers and related products, enquiries and order volumes are said to have grown sharply since the category was opened. Further capacity additions are planned in the coming months in anticipation of continued demand growth.
The firm’s new Machine 8000 is part of a wider infrastructure upgrade programme that includes improvements to existing production lines and the installation of a new corrugate sample table, which enables the company’s design team to develop and deliver packaging samples to customers at greater speed.
Cullen Sustainable Packaging bills itself as the world’s only manufacturer combining corrugate and moulded fibre packaging capability under one roof. It operates a “closed loop recycling system”, processing in excess of 8,000 tonnes of corrugate waste annually. The firm operates across food and drink, medical, industrial, ecommerce, home fragrance and consumer goods sectors.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.