ePac’s UK production plant set for December opening

U.S. digital packaging firm ePac is ramping up production in the United Kingdom ahead of its official grand opening in early December.
 
ePac UK Silverstone will celebrate the opening of the company’s first and only European production site on Dec. 4 with customers and other guests,  the firm announced Nov. 18.
 
According to ePac, the first orders are already rolling off the production line at the 24,200-square-foot facility at Arrow Park in Brackley, England.
 
Built on an all-digital printing concept and focused primarily on food manufacturers and co-packers, ePac serves brands of all sizes with a service model that ships finished pouches in three weeks or less, and rollstock within 10 business days.
 
ePac uses digital printing to cater to short- and medium-run orders, allowing customers to order to demand, reduce inventory, and guard against obsolescence in packaging.
 
The purpose-built facility houses “class-leading machinery” for the production of flexible packaging to order, and the site is designed to scale up quickly with “multiple” HP Indigo 20000 Digital Presses in operation from day one., the company said.
 
“We are delivering on our promise to disrupt the market by ramping up to full production at Silverstone at an incredibly fast pace,” said John Peat, managing director and managing partner, ePac UK.
 
At the same time as the ramp-up, the company has also announced the appointment of Emma Winton as regional sales manager – north for ePac UK.
 
Winton has worked with several brands over the past 15 years in various sales and marketing roles.
 
Prior to joining ePac, she held the position of business development executive at a packaging print company, where she acquired inside knowledge of digital technology, and in particular, the HP Indigo 20000 digital press.
 
“I’m thrilled to have joined such a dynamic, fast-paced business, which is already expanding rapidly,” she said, adding she that her greatest joy was “to help start-up brands leverage the possibilities of digital and take the leap from kitchen counter to full-scale production.”
 
Founded in 2016 in Madison, Wisc., ePac is a fast-growing packaging company. The U.K. operation will be the company’s 15th location and part of the firm’s $100 million investment program in printing technology.
 
The investment will double the company’s production capacity over the next year by taking the total number of HP Indigo digital presses from 28 in 12 locations to 52 in 20 locations.
 
“Delivering high quality products in 10–15 days is fast becoming the norm, and brands are waking up to the fact that they can have what they want, when they want it and change their designs at short notice,” said Johnny Hobeika, managing director, ePac Holdings Europe, adding that ePac offered a “simple and effective business model” to address the challenge.