£600K Investment in New Die Cutter at GWP Packaging

GWP Packaging has invested £600K in a new die cutter at our Wiltshire production facility.

The new flat-bed die cutting equipment was installed on 15^th September, and reflects an increase in demand for packaging products the company has seen over the last 18 months.

The machine, manufactured by Bobst and supplied by GTS (Europe) and Vim Selection, can be used in the manufacture of not only standard cardboard packaging, but Correx® corrugated plastic as well.

The investment will allow GWP to increase capacity in an area that has seen particular growth in demand, as well as consolidating existing manufacturing equipment whilst maintaining quality and service levels too.

The fully reconditioned Bobst SPO-1600 flat-bed die cutter, plus chase loader, has been sourced through GTS (Europe) and Vim Selection.

Installed on 15^th September, the new equipment provides a number of benefits for GWP and reflects an increase in demand for die cut products we have seen over the past 18 months.

The Bobst can handle all types of corrugated board, up to a sheet size of 1600 x 1100mm. It also has a run capacity of up to 6,000 sheets per hour and – crucially – can be used to cut Correx® as well.

James Pedley, Operations Manager at GWP Packaging said;

We have seen a great deal of growth for die-cut products in general, and we needed to increase our production capacity in this area. Correx® is also a growing market for us, so having a machine that can process the grade efficiently as well was a real bonus.

He continues;

Choosing this large capacity machine also means we are able to consolidate some of our existing die-cutting equipment, helping to streamline the department and improve efficiency.

The new die cutting equipment is the latest in a number of significant investments seen across the GWP Group.

The outlay follows a similar £1 million investment in a new printing and cutting equipment in 2015, a new waterjet foam cutter at our Salisbury site earlier this year, as well as the purchase of a fully automatic die cutter from local firm Loadpoint in 2012.

This is in addition to other supplementary projects and investment, such as switching to LED lighting throughout our Cricklade site to minimise our environmental impact, and equipment to improve the efficiency of our recycling.

Ruth Cook, Managing Director of GWP Group commented;

We believe it is important to keep investing in new equipment, not only to meet demand but to also maintain the high quality of our packaging that our customers rely on. This investment comes at a time of strong growth for us as a company, and will create a number of new jobs as well.

Already employing over 100 people across our locations in Cricklade and Salisbury, a recruitment drive is already underway to find new staff.

If you are interested in the roles currently available at GWP, please visit the Careers section of our website by clicking here.

The new die cutting equipment, along with the opening of the new warehouse, will wrap up a busy 2018 for GWP.

The year began with the prestigious Starpack Awards, at which GWP scooped a Silver, Gold and Best in Show Awards, alongside an accolade for environmental responsibility.

2018 has also seen support for Swindon Foodbank, sponsorship of rising Moto-sport star Max Cook, as well as range of smaller sponsorships, charity events and initiatives.

For further information on everything happening at GWP, please visit the News section of our website by clicking here, or follow us on social media using the links below.