Ian Heskins
Business Development Director | GWP Group
Following a 4 year mechanical engineering apprenticeship leading to an HNC qualification, Ian’s first role in packaging came back in the late 1980s, learning the industry with a local corrugated box manufacturer.
In August 1990 Ian was invited to join an exciting new start-up business, Great Western Packaging – the company which went on to become the GWP Group that exists today.
Working across all divisions of GWP, Ian boasts unrivalled knowledge of corrugated packaging, high performance foam products, protective cases and Correx solutions. This broad knowledge, acquired over more than 30 years in the industry, has seen him through to becoming GWP’s Group Business Development Director, overseeing new business strategy across the entire company.
Alongside this strategic role, Ian also works closely with customers whose packaging requirements include multiple GWP products, enhancing one of the key strengths of GWP as a business.
When not thinking about packaging, Ian enjoys sports cars, cycling, table tennis, and is also now trying his hand at tennis.
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News, stories and community projects involving Ian Heskins
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Guides, articles and opinion from Ian Heskins
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Latest Articles
Guides, articles and opinion from Ian Heskins
See below for all of the latest articles, guides and blog posts written by Ian Heskins.
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What is Foreign Object Damage, and how can it be prevented?
If you or your team service or repair commercial machinery, industrial equipment or even aerospace engines and systems, preventing foreign object damage is crucial…
22nd March, 2024 -
Heavy-duty cardboard boxes: what are your options?
Heavy-duty cardboard boxes are vital if you manufacture or sell industrial parts, bulky items, or products that require high levels of protection in transit. Yet the choice of…
15th February, 2024 -
UK military packaging requirements – An essential guide
If your business supplies products directly or indirectly to the defence sector, it is vital that you have a solid understanding of UK military packaging requirements..
5th January, 2024 -
What is def stan 81-41 packaging? General requirements and testing
This guide provides a detailed overview of def stan 81-41, the criteria your must business must meet when supplying packaged goods to the UK military, processes, testing…
2nd January, 2024 -
Retail gift set packaging – should you consider foam this Christmas?
The Christmas gift market is big business, with £26.9 billion spend on presents for loved ones in 2019, and consumers forking out £24.2 billion during the COVID hit 2020 festive…
20th November, 2023 -
Sustainable foam packaging options available to your business
If your business uses polymer-based foams for shipping or presenting your products, you are increasingly likely to be interested in sustainable foam packaging options…
28th August, 2023 -
Why packaging costs are rising in 2022 – and what to do about it
Why are packaging costs rising? And are there any ways you can either overcome or mitigate these increases? Having an understanding of just why this is happening…
20th June, 2022 -
Polystyrene alternatives: should you be using them?
If you are amongst the businesses searching for polystyrene alternatives, you are not alone. But what are these alternatives? And are they…
3rd April, 2021 -
Is foam packaging bad for the environment?
With more and more scrutiny on the sustainability of packaging – and the UK government pledging to eliminate plastic waste by 2042 – more and more businesses…
1st February, 2021 -
45+ examples of misleading / excessive packaging fails
As a manufacturer of packaging, GWP take obvious pride in our products. But’s that not to say we don’t find some packaging pointless, excessive, unnecessary or even downright…
31st October, 2019 -
Shipping lithium batteries – Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
The use of lithium batteries is growing exponentially – thanks to their light weight, performance and relatively low cost. But shipping lithium batteries has proven…
18th January, 2019 -
Cheap packaging – is it really cheaper or a false economy?
The question to ask, particularly about cheap packaging, is that is it really cheaper? Or is under specifying your packaging a false economy? Either way, it is important to get…
20th January, 2018