FDBusiness.com

Nampak Plastics Europe has officially opened its bottling facility in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, following investment of £3.2m investment. Plans for the bottle manufacturing plant located at the Dale Farm liquid milk factory in Pennybridge Industrial Estate, were announced last year. Invest NI has offered £254,000 with part funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The in-plant facility, which has already begun production, has the capacity to make more than 100 million bottles a year. As well as servicing Dale Farm’s current production requirements, Nampak will be targeting new customers in the Republic of Ireland. The project has created 20 jobs.

Jamie Tinsley, Nampak’s sales director, says: “This investment is in line with our strategy of securing long-term contracts for large volumes of bottles. We are seeking to broaden our geographical base and recognise that Northern Ireland offers an excellent platform from which to target the Republic of Ireland market as well as servicing the local market. We are confident that this investment will yield a profitable return and will be looking for opportunities to grow our customer base across the island of Ireland.”

Nampak is one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of rigid plastic containers for the food and drink industry. The company currently operates from nine sites across the UK including six in-plant (‘through the wall’) operations which are situated on customer sites.

CAPTION:

Northern Ireland Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster with Jamie Tinsley, sales director of Nampak Plastics, at the official opening of the new Nampak Plastics Europe facility in Ballymena.