Marpak is a specialist polythene extrusion and conversion company based in Leeds, operating within the UK and European markets. Building on its 30 years of expertise in the blown film extrusion and conversion market, its new venture of Talos has recently been created to provide end of line machinery to complement this business. Libby White spoke to Mr Jamie Gibson, a director at Marpak and the Managing Director of Talos, to find out more.
Marpak is a converter and extruder providing solutions for pallet protection and polythene packaging. Marpak’s target markets include the glass industry and plastic container industry amongst others.
Talos: The complete solution
Marpak has recently launched sister company Talos Packaging Systems – a full service end-of-line packaging solutions provider. This is the first venture of its kind based in the UK, and will act as a turnkey business providing manufacturers with a range of services for all their end-of-line packaging requirements in the UK and Europe. From sourcing machine parts and refurbishing used equipment to full project management relating to the commissioning of brand new industrial plants, Talos can support a range of needs including transport simulation/shrink/stretch-hood machines/plant relocation and installation. As with Marpak itself, key sectors for the company will include food & beverage, pharmaceuticals and construction.
Managing director Jamie Gibson explains the reasons behind the company’s establishment: “Talos Packaging Systems was founded due to ongoing services we have been providing through Marpak for some time. It’s a natural progression from the supply of film. We have long-term relationships with leading manufacturers and customers who require end-of-line machinery and equipment. It was just a matter of time before we decided to match these elements together and establish the service as a stand-alone business.”
Talos was established through Marpak, as a number of its customers had a need for automatic machines. Mr Gibson continues, “We have been approached by our customers to source automatic machines. Purchasing the end-of-line machines can be extremely expensive, so the aim of Talos is to find a cost effective solution for the client, one of the reasons we have forged a relationship with NGI finance. We can offer the client a number of options for the end of line machinery including lease hire, lease purchase or outright sale. Whichever option works best for the customer.
“With our vast knowledge of end-of-line packaging and available support networks to source the required products, Talos hopes to achieve solutions for its clients over the coming years. We have a number of end-of-line packaging machines on the books available to potential customers, and in addition to this we have completed some very successful installations. This is owing in no small part to the hard work and endeavour of our very talented engineering team. The last installation that we were responsible for has a projected saving to the business of circa £50,000 per annum.”
He continues, “The key principle of Talos is that we want to provide the best all round service to our customers. So we are also looking at everything that links to these machines; for example we are about to become the UK agent for Hannemann Engineering, a company whose portfolio includes conveyors. We are also aligning ourselves with a safety systems management company in Leicestershire. We also have a connection with the Aetna group who manufacture stretch wrap machines. On top of which we have the film expertise of Marpak to rely on and our links with Manuli, the stretch film manufacturer. We aim to supply ‘turn-key’ solutions to our customers.
Expansion into new markets
Marpak is aiming to expand into new markets. Mr Gibson explains, “At the moment we are focusing on sales in a number of areas; we have recently added to our sales team in order to move the business forward and fill the remaining capacity of our new manufacturing plant. Although we do specialise in pallet protection for the glass and food and beverage industry, our new site and the increased capacity will enable us to explore new avenues. These are exciting times for both Marpak and Talos.”
Jamie Gibson adds that Marpak is always developing new products: “We work closely with Total Petrochemicals, our technical advisors. When they have a new product on the market we are usually one of the first to trial it. Due to our close relationship with our customers, who are always willing to try the new products, we stay at the forefront of a very competitive market.”
With the combination of an increase in volume thanks to a new site and constant innovation in products, Marpak clearly has the background and expertise for growth.
Customer satisfaction
Mr Gibson is proud to point out that Marpak has a portfolio of long-term customers, “We supply to the majority of the UK glass industry. We have held these relationships for a long time and work very closely with them.”
Company growth
Marpak has two factories operating in Leeds, UK, and opened a third new factory at the beginning of this year. The new factory has already had two lines installed which have both been commissioned as of August 2013. These serve both the domestic and
European markets. Jamie Gibson adds, “We are in the process of purchasing a third line for the new premises, a co-extruder that will enable us to produce different types of film, including stretch hoods, which is where we see the market going. As the markets change we will be able to keep up.”
Marpak aims to cater for the whole of Europe. “Over the last four or five years we have been expanding into Europe,” Mr Gibson explains. He continues, “About 20 per cent of our production is now exported to Scandinavia, the Netherlands, France and Germany. Talos is also European based – we are not going to restrict our potential customers to the UK. We are well aware that we may have to source the machines globally.”
Jamie Gibson concludes, “In terms of Marpak, we will aim to increase our volume. The new co-ex will enable us to target the stretch hood market. This will allow us to expand in the UK and Europe. In terms of Talos, the branding is complete and the website was launched on the 1st of September; we will now target potential customers and offer them potential solutions. In times like these it’s important to provide a complete package: Talos is in a fantastic position to offer such an innovative business solution”
Article Source: http://www.packagingeurope.com/Magazine/index.html#/80/
