UK-based spirits packaging company McLaren Packaging has closed an investment in its Blue Box Design operation, which manufactures hand-made presentation boxes for the food and drink industry.
McLaren currently operates four sites in Scotland.
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As part of its recent investment initiative, the company invested £350k at its Blue Box Design site, which it acquired in 2013.
Between 2014 and the end of 2015, McLaren installed 300 solar panels above its three factories in Port Glasgow with a total investment of £1.5m.
The panels were added to provide clean energy meeting electricity requirements.
McLaren also expanded the factories’ storage and loading capacity and further developed its multi cell division operation, which provides dividers for bottle cases.
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By GlobalDataBy 2020, the company intends to increase its turnover from £16m to £20m.
McLaren manufactures packaging solutions, including paper-based and solid board packing applications, boxes and divisions.
McLaren Packaging 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, office revamp and investment in stat 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."
The company currently employs 105 people across three manufacturing facilities, which cover a combined area of 150,000ft².
Established in 1979, McLaren first opened its factory in Port Glasgow in 1986 and expanded the factory in 1999.
The company acquired half of the industrial estate to enable expansion in 2007, and built a composite tube factory in 2011.
Image: By 2020, McLaren Packaging intends to increase its turn over from £16m currently to £20m. Photo: courtesy of McLaren Packaging.
