Smulders Projects UK will invest £70 million to increase production of wind turbine transition pieces at its Wallsend site in North Tyneside, creating or safeguarding 325 direct jobs, backed by UK government support.

ProAmpac, backed by Pritzker Private Capital, has acquired UK-based Ultimate Packaging, a flexible packaging manufacturer. No price was disclosed.

Public Health England awarded a three-year contract worth GBP 450,000 to Intelsius for the supply of UN3373 packaging compliant with IATA PI 650 to UK NEQAS and FEPTU.

Molson Coors has invested £25m in a new hard seltzer canning line and upgrades to beer and cider packaging at its Burton-upon-Trent brewery. Installation is due to begin in late 2021, with first cans expected in late spring 2022.

Atlantic Pumps is moving to a new 1.25-acre site on Carrwood Road in Chesterfield, UK, consolidating its Chesterfield and Sheffield operations into a manufacturing and research hub. The move follows growth and has already created several new jobs.

Plastipak has teamed up with anaerobic digestion operator BioteCH4 in Hemswell, Lincolnshire, so that electricity generated by BioteCH4 is connected directly to Plastipak's Clean Tech PET recycling plant next door.

Caddick Construction is delivering a multimillion-pound design and build contract for Alpla's Warrington UK plant in Golbourne, including a logistics hub expansion and bridge link. Work is due to complete in autumn 2021.

Berry BPI, a subsidiary of Berry Global, installed a wash plant and recycling facility at its Heanor, Derbyshire factory. The system can recycle flexible and rigid plastics and adds around 1,200 tonnes of recycling capacity a year.

Goplasticpallets.com has started work on a contract to provide 24,750 plastic pallet boxes to GA Pet Food Partners for its £80m Ingredients Kitchen, a fully automated warehouse operated by robots.

BoxWay Packaging Group Limited, a newly incorporated independent company led by CEO Andrew Woollard, acquired Saica's corrugated sheet plants in Exeter, Peterlee and Telford in England and announced a multi-year investment plan.

Pitreavie Group announced a further £1 million investment in new plant and machinery at its Cumbernauld corrugated box facility, including a Bobst folder gluer and a flat bed die cutter, adding seven jobs once the equipment arrives.

Robertson has been awarded an £18 million construction contract by SAICA Group to convert a former distribution centre in Livingston, West Lothian, into a cardboard manufacturing facility for SAICA Pack. The £50 million plant is due for completion in December 2021.

St Helens Borough Council Planning Committee granted planning permission for a £54m global glass research and innovation facility at Saints Retail Park. The decision was reported on 26 May 2021.

CorrBoard UK will shortly install a new £1.5m automated palletisation system and significant IT control system upgrades at its 320,000 sq ft facility in North Lincolnshire.

VPK Group increased its shareholding in CorrBoard UK to 50% through new shares and by acquiring the stake of former shareholder Garthwest. McLaren Packaging also subscribed for new shares in the corrugated sheet board producer.

Westons Cider began operating a new canning line at its Herefordshire mill in May 2021, producing 12,500 cans per hour, as part of a £3 million investment.

Coveris acquired UK-based flexibles manufacturer Four04 Packaging in May 2021; the price was undisclosed.

Coca-Cola European Partners commissioned KHS to supply a second turnkey canning line at its Wakefield beverage factory in the UK, after line 4 proved successful. The lines use Innofill Can DVD can fillers with capacity of up to 120,000 cans per hour.

ALLpaQ Packaging has expanded its Widnes operations by leasing unit two at Speke Approach, adding 30,000 sq ft of production and manufacturing space on a five-year lease.

Framo, an Alfa Laval company, will supply suction anchor pumping systems to Saipem for foundations of the Seagreen offshore wind farm off Scotland, its second order of this type for wind foundations.

ERIKS has won a major contract from Babcock International to supply electrically actuated valves and ancillary equipment for the Type 31 frigate programme in the UK, one of the largest single contracts ERIKS has received in the UK.

European household packaging group SPHERE acquired SARPAK Ltd, based in Port Talbot, Wales, strengthening its position in the United Kingdom. The deal value was not disclosed.

Macfarlane Group has acquired Carters Packaging, a protective packaging distributor operating from a 25,000 sq ft facility in Redruth, Cornwall, in a £4.5m deal. The announcement was reported on 2021-04-01.

Hull Boxes & Packaging, an East Yorkshire packaging maker, secured a £110,000 loan jointly funded by Finance For Enterprise and the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund. The funds paid for a new die cutter and gluing and stitching machines to raise capacity, and the company created three new jobs.

Pennine Pneumatic Services (PPS) acquired Hull-based Norman Walker Machinery, a supplier of air compressors and pneumatics in East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, announced March 29, 2021.

Impact Air Systems was awarded a repeat contract by Ball Packaging for scrap conveying and bale handling at its Wakefield and France production facilities. The turnkey automated solution handles aluminium can trim and reject scrap.

Lentus Composites installed a CompAir L45 compressor with dryer and filter pack at its Eynsham, Oxfordshire site, supplied by BCAS Limited. The solution is expected to cut compressor maintenance costs by 80 per cent.

WestRock is partnering with Heinz UK to use its Cluster-Wing paperboard multipack, removing 550 tons of plastic packaging, backed by a three-year £25 million automation investment at Heinz's Kitt Green factory.

Norwegian pump specialist Lakers AS has acquired Pump Supplies Ltd, the UK's largest electric submersible pump hire fleet operator and leading Flygt distributor, for an undisclosed sum, expanding Lakers into the UK market.

Pharmaceutical packaging firm Origin has opened a new warehouse in Scunthorpe, about three times the size of its previous 25,000 sq ft site in Melton. The facility has capacity for 4,900 pallet spaces and is currently rented.

Smurfit Kappa has approved a €40 million investment to expand capacity at its Mold plant in North Wales, making it the largest box factory in the UK. The investment includes equipment expected to cut CO2 emissions per tonne by 15%.

Smurfit Kappa announced a multi-million pound investment in its Tannochside plant in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, to improve print and conversion equipment for solid board and corrugated divisions.

Coveris acquired specialty bag manufacturer Initial Packaging, reported on March 4, 2021.

Berlin Packaging announced the acquisition of Roma International PLC, a supplier of bottles, jars and closures for high-end cosmetics and personal care products. It is Berlin Packaging's twelfth acquisition in Europe since 2016.

Italian luxury packaging company Pusterla 1880 announced the acquisition of Leicester-based Pollard Boxes, the largest rigid box producer in the UK. The deal expands Pusterla's design, development and production resources in the UK market.

Atlas Copco has acquired Cooper Freer Ltd., a privately owned British compressed air distributor and service provider with 18 employees based in Leicester. The purchase price was not disclosed. The announcement is dated March 3, 2021.

Macfarlane Group agreed to acquire protective packaging maker GWP Group in a £15 million deal, reported on March 1, 2021.

Apex Pumps of Bristol completed a management buyout on February 26, 2021, when founder Nick Sole sold the business and assets of Apex Fluid Engineering and Precision Alloys to a team led by Andrew Simpson and Sam Kemp.

Harwood Private Equity completed a management buyout of UK pharmaceutical and healthcare packaging maker Medica Packaging from Sullivan Street Partners. Managing director Gerard Harford and finance director Mark Stokes led the buyout.

Hamworthy Pumps will supply pump solutions for five Type 31 frigates built by Babcock International, with deliveries through 2028. The contract includes a total of 235 pumps over five years.

Esterpet, set up by Esterform management, secured £9m of asset finance from Shawbrook Bank to buy two Starlinger rPET production lines at Sherburn-in-Elmet, Leeds, each capable of over 13,000 tonnes a year.

Shannon-based Atlantic Aviation Group acquired a former Flybe maintenance operation from UK administrators for an undisclosed sum. The UK business employs 112 people and provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services.

EPS Group has acquired Ferrier Pumps Limited, a pump specialist with offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen serving Scotland's utility, industrial and commercial markets. The article is dated February 2021 and gives no deal value.

Contract packer Framptons has installed the UK's first SIG Combidome carton bottle filler line, the first SIG Combidome installation for plant-based beverages in Europe. The line offers three filling volumes.

Netherlands-headquartered Solidus Solutions acquired Heathpak, a UK producer of solid board packaging with about 16,000 tons annual output, from owners Alan Heath and Lyndon Whitlock. Gambit Corporate Finance advised the sellers.

Abbey Logistics has been awarded a recycled polymer logistics and materials handling contract by Viridor, the UK's largest recycling company. Abbey will receive, store and reformat recycled plastic flakes from Viridor's Skelmersdale facility at its bag-to-bulk site on the Wirral.

Parker Hannifin has installed an automation cell at its Sheffield, UK site that makes cryogenic valves, costing around US$500,000. The cell combines a bar feeder, a DMG MORI CNC lathe and an ABB Flexloader robot to cut setup times.

Danfoss completed the full acquisition of Artemis Intelligent Power, an Edinburgh-based hydraulic R&D company. The deal lets Danfoss commercialize its Digital Displacement pump technology globally, and about 60 employees joined Danfoss.

Siam Cement's SCG Packaging has closed its acquisition of Go-Pak UK Limited. The article provides no deal value or further details.

PFF Group invested over £2m in custom-built machines from Hanbury-Autogil and hired 100 staff at its Washington, Tyne and Wear site to make disposable polythene aprons under a UK Department of Health and Social Care contract for 360 million aprons. The announcement is dated 5 January 2021.