KAEFER UK & Ireland has been awarded Phase 2 of a five-year agreement with Babcock International Group supporting defence projects including Type 31 frigates and submarine sustainment at Rosyth, Devonport and HMNB Clyde. The article is dated 30 May 2025.

Flowtech Fluidpower has become the first UK wholesale distributor for SMC Corporation (UK), giving customers access to a wide range of SMC standard fluid control and automation parts shipped from Flowtech's Skelmersdale facility.

The Royal Mint published a pipeline notice for a future tender to supply printed packaging, estimated at £10,000,000 excluding VAT, with contract dates from September 2026 to August 2029 and possible extension to 2031.

Sharpak Aylesham signed an exclusive agreement with Zoono and OSY to apply Zoono's shelf life extension products and OSY's application technology to its soft fruit packaging sold to UK supermarkets, running until December 31, 2029.

Leidos Supply Limited published a pipeline notice for a future tender to supply packaging and soft consumables under the UK Ministry of Defence logistics contract, with an estimated value of £73,000,000 excluding VAT over February 2026 to February 2030.

Princes Group has installed four new lines at its Bradford facility to produce over 250 million Capri-Sun juice pouches a year for Great Britain and Ireland, creating 50 jobs.

Swedish water-industry group WTR Group completed the acquisition of Oxford-based SI Pumps, a pump and pumping systems distributor founded in 1986, strengthening its UK presence.

Swedish industrial group Teqnion AB acquired Merridale Ltd, a Wolverhampton-based maker of fuel management systems, fuel pumps and tank management equipment, in a deal finalised in early March 2025.

Greencore has made a recommended acquisition offer for food manufacturer Bakkavor, with Freshfields advising Bakkavor. Deal value and terms are not stated in the article.

UK Research and Innovation awarded a below-threshold contract to Protective Packaging Ltd to supply foil packaging, worth £19,781.34 excluding VAT, with delivery from 1 to 16 May 2025.

Holden's Bottling agreed to acquire the small-pack packaging operations of South East Bottling (SEB), taking over its contract packaging volume. The deal was announced on April 28, 2025.

Framatome signed a contract with Sizewell C to procure, qualify and pre-assemble over 8,000 conventional field instrumentation systems for the two EPR units in Suffolk, and also a contract for Ultimate Diesel Generators.

Engelmann & Buckham was selected to supply packaging lines, including filling and labeling systems, for Yara International's new production facility in Yorkshire, UK. The plant is slated to begin operations in early 2026.

Paper and packaging distributor Antalis has announced the acquisition of The Packaging Company (Midlands) in the UK. The announcement is dated 4 April 2025.

Coral Products acquired Arrow Film Converters from administrators through its subsidiary Film & Foil Solutions, for a stated £502,899.

Sustainable packaging firm Pulpex leased the 88,017 sq ft Westway 90 building from Canmoor on a 20-year lease in April 2025. It will host Pulpex's first commercial-scale fibre bottle manufacturing facility.

DS Smith has renewed its packaging partnership with Jaguar Land Rover, covering manufacture, storage and delivery of packaging for JLR's products worldwide from the Mercia Park site in Leicestershire, valued at £108 million. The extension was made official at the beginning of April 2025.

Premium soft drinks maker Belvoir Farm invested £2 million in a canning line at its on-farm factory in Leicestershire, using a T. Freemantle end-load cartoner for multipacks.

Saica Flex, the flexible packaging division of Saica Group, invested €7.1 million in new converting and printing machinery at its Wigan site to boost modified atmosphere packaging production. Up to 20 new jobs will be created.

Pioneer Pump relocated its UK operations from a 10,000 sq ft site near Stowmarket to a 66,000 sq ft facility in Hadleigh, Suffolk, with two warehouse units. The company plans further expansion over the next five years.

Grenadier Packaging announced the acquisition of Kentmere Packaging, a UK-based manufacturer of folding cartons, in March 2025. The deal's value was not disclosed.

DS Smith signed a £108 million, five-year contract to extend its fibre-based packaging supply to Jaguar Land Rover, including a just-in-time on-site service at JLR's Mercia Park plant in Appleby Magna, UK.

Atlas Copco Group acquired MSS Nitrogen Ltd and three connected companies, makers of onsite gas generation systems for laser cutting, adding 44 employees; price undisclosed.

Coral Products subsidiary Tatra Rotalac signed an exclusive three-year supply agreement with a UK distributor of BRC packaging containers to supply ice cream and food containers, worth up to £6m.

DS Smith extended its five-year fibre-based packaging contract with Jaguar Land Rover worth £108 million, including an on-site one-stop-shop at JLR's Mercia Park facility in Appleby Magna, Leicestershire.

Saica Group's flexible packaging division Saica Flex unveiled a €7.1 million investment in new printing and conversion equipment at its Wigan site, aiming to create up to 20 local jobs.

DS Smith has extended its five-year, GBP 108 million contract to supply fibre-based packaging, warehousing and transport services to JLR's Mercia campus in Appleby Magna, Leicestershire.

Northern Gas Networks published a modification notice for its axial control valves supply, moving to a UK alternative source, Goodwin, to secure shorter lead times and a second supplier. The contract value is not stated.

MM Group sold its packaging subsidiary MM Bangor to Cordovan Capital, with MP Corporate Finance as exclusive financial advisor to the seller. MM Bangor had been acquired by MM Group in October 2022 as part of Essentra Packaging.

Packaging One, a family-run UK protective packaging maker, moved into a 44,000 sq ft site in Middlewich, Cheshire, increasing manufacturing capability by about 70%. The expansion followed a seven-figure funding deal from NatWest and aims to double the workforce to 80 people.

Saica Pack, the corrugated packaging division of Saica Group, is investing £10m in a new warehouse in Hartlepool with space for up to 9,000 pallets, with solar panels expected to supply up to 10% of energy needs. Construction is set to run through 2025 from 6 January 2025.

Packaging company Pulpex raised a £62 million Series D round led by the National Wealth Fund and the Scottish National Investment Bank. The funding will finance construction of its first commercial-scale manufacturing facility near Glasgow.

Schumacher Packaging Birmingham commissioned a Delta SPC 130 FlexLine Eco+ digital printing press from Koenig & Bauer Durst, starting commercial digital printing for corrugated packaging. The machine is part of a EUR 30 million investment in the Birmingham site.

The UK National Wealth Fund committed £43.5 million in direct equity to Pulpex, which will build a commercial-scale fibre bottle plant near Glasgow producing 50 million bottles per year. The Scottish National Investment Bank adds £10 million, bringing total funding to £62 million, and 35 jobs are expected.

Dunstable-based Twinplast won a contract to design and manufacture custom corrugated polypropylene shipping containers for a UK Buckfast bee supplier and breeder. The containers are designed for safe transport of live bees.

Murphy has been appointed by National Gas to deliver the EPC project for three low-emission compressor units at the St Fergus Gas Terminal in Scotland. The project supports compliance with MCPD emissions rules and is delivered with engineering partner Worley.

Coveris is investing £5 million to triple the production footprint of its St Neots packaging site in Cambridgeshire, UK, to about 3,158 sqm. The project, begun in October 2024, adds capacity for around 700 million recyclable food-to-go packs a year.

Roots Systems bought the 95,000 sq ft Spinnaker Works office and manufacturing facility in Gloucester, UK, to consolidate its operations from Stonehouse. The investment is said to exceed £10 million, funded from group cash resources.

VPK UK and Ireland plans to close its corrugated packaging site in Leeds, UK, by 29 August 2025, affecting 59 employees. Operations will move to other VPK locations and consultation with unions has begun.

Paper and board maker April International appointed Scalderhurst Ltd as its sole distributor for the UK and Ireland, covering GC1 and GC2 folding box boards, art boards and cup stock boards. The announcement was made on 5 February 2025.

Schumacher Packaging Birmingham began full commercial digital production on a Koenig & Bauer Durst Delta SPC 130 single-pass press, the first six-colour FlexLine Eco+ installation in the UK. The installation is part of a €30 million investment that also upgrades its Birmingham plant and two nearby warehouses.

VPK UK & Ireland plans to close its Leeds corrugated packaging site by 29 August 2025, affecting 59 employees. Operations will move to other VPK locations.

National Gas Transmission awarded a contract for design and build of new gas-compression installations at its ST Fergus Terminal site, to meet Medium Combustion Plant Directive compliance by 2030. The contract notice was published on 23 January 2025.

Dutypoint Ltd of Gloucester, UK, joined Stuart Turner, Mikrofill and AGM on 13 January 2025 to create a scale player in residential and commercial water pump and pressurisation.

Macfarlane Group acquired Scotland-based protective packaging maker Pitreavie Group for a maximum cash consideration of £18m, including an earn-out of up to £4m over two years, financed from its existing bank facility.

Irish water pumping group EPS Group announced the acquisition of Robert Craig & Sons of Lisburn, a 140-year-old engineering firm specialising in niche industrial pumps and fuel pumping equipment.

Baker Hughes won an order from Saipem to supply three electric-driven CO2 centrifugal compressor trains and a Lufkin Gears gearbox for Eni's Liverpool Bay carbon capture and storage project. The compressors will be installed at Saipem's converted facility at Point of Ayr in north Wales.

ESPO published a contract award notice for its packaging materials and pallet supply framework, with Lot 1 awarded to three suppliers. The notice confirms the awards made in the same procurement.

ESPO, a UK central purchasing body, appointed four suppliers to a packaging materials and pallet supply and collection framework worth £2,000,000, with a contract period from November 2024 to August 2026.

VPK Group revealed plans in early 2025 to close its Leeds facility on August 29, 2025, citing concerns over the plant's long-term commercial viability.