The company has recently secured a lease on 20,000-square-feet of industrial space at Springkerse Industrial Estate to manufacture a range of plastic milk bottles. The manufacturing plant has created 20 new full-time jobs in the area.
Nampak told DairyReporter that the new roles include production operators, warehouse operatives and shift engineers.
Nampak growth due to demand
Nampak already manufactures in Scotland from its plant in Bellshill.
A spokesperson for Nampak said the Bellshill site, which employs 70 people, is three times the size of the new Stirling facility.
The spokesperson said, “Due to the recent growth in the Scottish market, Nampak is keen to invest in the area in order to meet customer demand. This new manufacturing plant creates a platform to support this growth, in particular for Graham’s The Family Dairy at its proposed new dairy facility at the Hill of Drip farm.”
Graham’s The Family Dairy intends to finance the new facility – which would be supplied by Nampak – via the Airthrey Green housing project, which addresses Stirling Council’s housing land supply shortage. Airthrey Green would preserve 498 existing jobs and create an additional 400 full-time jobs and 50 apprenticeships in Stirling.
More jobs possible
Nampak said the new dairy project planned for Hill of Drip would enable a step change in the company’s investment, allowing the creation of a further 40 new full-time jobs, in addition to those created by Graham’s The Family Dairy.
The Nampak Stirling facility, DR was told, will manufacture five different sizes of plastic milk bottles and will include the 100% recyclable Infini.
“It is anticipated that it will manufacture circa 88 million bottles each year. For the moment, it is one of our smaller sites.”
Initially, Nampak said, the supply will be for Graham’s The Family Dairy and its 98 farming partners.
New plant in Kildare
Nampak Plastics is the UK’s leading producer of plastic milk bottles.
With 600 staff and nine sites across the UK, Nampak produces around two billion bottles every year.
The Nampak spokesperson told DR, “Nampak is currently exploring various different options to expand and grow its business. It has just recently announced the opening of a new plant facility in Ballitore, Co. Kildare, Ireland, which will see the introduction of up to 25 new jobs within the local community. The company is also looking at diversifying outside its core dairy business.”
Nampak Plastics is a subsidiary of Nampak Ltd, Africa’s largest packaging manufacturer.