ESP psyches uself up for major expansion

Evesham Specialist Packaging Ltd’s 6th year providing packaging management and distribution services to the fresh produce industry will see the team in a move to a new facility in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. The relocation follows a decision to purchase premises suitable for BRC accreditation in a strategic location close to the M5 motorway.

After 5 years of successful trading, increasing its turnover by £1 million year-on-year, the company has outgrown its 9000 sq ft site on Strawberry Hill on the outskirts of Newent and plans to move into its head office, a 13,000 sq ft renovated print works at the beginning of 2005.

Duncan Macdonald, Ronan Lynch, Richard Mitchell and Douglas Wilson set up ESP in May 1998 to complement an existing wholesale bedding plant nursery and garden centre. They run a very tight ship and manage the £6million turnover of the company with just 6 full time members of staff, providing a 7 day a week service, essential during the summer months. They claim this, as well as their cost effectiveness thanks to close links with numerous manufacturers, is what sets them apart from the rest of the industry. ESP has been providing AMS’s Herefordshire grower Charles Houlbrooke with the majority of his packaging since the company began and he is very satisfied with their dedicated and efficient service – even with short notice and often at very unsociable hours.

ESP has also been supplying boxes, tapes, punnets and bags to AMS Ltd since the outset. Its new site will offer an improved service to AMS as it will facilitate the storage of extra and more varied stock.

The AMS team and ESP worked closely and quickly to produce the cherry pack divider that was rolled out to ASDA shelves during the last week of November. This innovative divider was masterminded, designed, approved and manufactured within just two weeks, exclusively for AMS Ltd to supply ASDA stores.

ESP’s philosophy is to take the bull by the horns. Realising there is a major shortage of crates in supermarkets during this peak period, the company had used its initiative and according to Macdonald, designed a currogated “dead ringer” for the plastic version, which is now being produced in heavy grade, double wall board. The size of the carton is identical to the most common plastic try footprints – meaning there is no effect on palletisation patters, and a variety of depths are available. It has an open top and is therefore display friendly as well as being printable with more and easier branding options, stackable, space saving because it is delivered flat and no expensive equipment is required as it is quickly hand assembled.

The Tewkesbury site will give ESP the opportunity to take on more clients and deliver via a wider distribution network throughout the UK and countries as diverse as Hungary, South Africa and India.

Winter 2004