Sales director Jacky Sidebottom-Every and managing director Brian Sidebottom
Big changes have been afoot for Glossop Cartons in the last 18 months. Not content with having installed its first digital carton press and starting a personalised packaging revolution, the company has also doubled in size after acquiring a competitor and moving premises. Neel Madsen went to Derbyshire to hear the full story.
Glossop Cartons is not a company that does things by halves. Last year it set up a brand new digital print department, announced the launch of a personalised web to print service for cartons, and then moved the whole operation from the old cotton mill in Padfield, which had been its home for over 30 years, to the site of new acquisition, Contact Print & Packaging in Stockport.
‘We had really reached the end of the tether at the old mill,’ explained sales director Jacky Sidebottom-Every. ‘We couldn’t comply with the standards needed to achieve BRC accreditation there and that was holding us back. Brands and retailers were contacting us, but couldn’t use our services without it, so we had been looking for a while to find new premises.’
The company already knew Contact and its director, and being able to walk into a ready-made, modern carton plant just 12 miles down the road from the old facility was the perfect choice. Mrs Sidebottom-Every said, ‘Once we got our heads around it, it made complete sense and Contact was ready to be taken over. The more we talked about it, the more we realised it was the way to go. We had tried to find a new site in the Glossop area, but the council was being less than helpful.’
From small acorns
Run by husband and wife team Brian Sidebottom and Jacky Sidebottom-Every, Glossop Cartons is a family business established in 1982. When Jacky’s father passed away only a few years later, it fell to the young couple to take over the reins and stop the bank from repossessing the old family home. At just 21 and 22, it was a tall order, but with nothing to lose they took the chance and worked hard to get out of the water. Mr Sidebottom explained that the turning point came in 2008, at a time when the business was ‘plodding along nicely’, and the couple had raised their family. Having always only bought second-hand machines, they went to drupa that year and came back having signed an order for a brand new sheetfed litho press.
Fastforward to the beginning of 2013 and the company confirms that it is taking the world’s first production order for a Highcon Euclid digital cutting and creasing machine. Then last year in April, a Xeikon 3500 digital press was added to form the basis for a new digital department. Glossop had been looking for the right press since the Euclid arrived and with the Xeikon folding carton suite, finally found the one that fitted its needs.
Managing director Brian Sidebottom said, ‘The colour is fantastic and we can match the work we do on our litho presses. One of the great advantages is that a brand can launch new concepts easily, in small runs, using digital without having to spend money on plates and tooling. Having said that, one of our first jobs involved 225,000 cartons with variable data. It was a baptism of fire, but we thought we’d start with a big challenge. The world really is your oyster with digital.’
Finishing pioneer
It was a very conscious decision to perfect digital finishing first before investing in the press. Mr Sidebottom said, ‘Printing and cutting & creasing used to be two very different areas, but with digital these have come together and work hand in hand. You have to think progressively with digital and adapt the market to the process.’
Being the first in the world to install the Highcon Euclid three years ago clearly did not faze the two who had done their homework when they went to see the machine with a file in their pocket for testing. ‘Once we were happy with the demo, we signed the purchase order then and there,’ said Mrs Sidebottom-Every.
Taking this pioneering approach one step further, it has just been announced that Glossop will be the beta test site for the new Highcon Beam digital cutting and creasing machine which will be launched officially at drupa. This has a much higher throughput of up to 5000 B1 sheets per hour and addresses a wider range of substrates.
Brian Sidebottom with the Xeikon 3500
‘The Highcon Beam arrived in March bringing another world first for Glossop Cartons as we became the first to beta test this mainstream finishing machine,’ said Mrs Sidebottom-Every. ‘The Beam will significantly improve production capabilities at our new Stockport premises and offer much faster speeds to market, improved software and incredible finishing capabilities.
‘We’re currently testing the capabilities of this innovative technology which is powered by the Highcon Axis web to pack platform software, giving the industry a unique opportunity to customise packaging on a scale that the industry has never seen before.’
She continued, ‘Set to bring huge benefits to our customers, we’re delighted to be the first in the world to trial this technology. The Beam’s arrival presents the opportunity for our customers to benefit hugely from this innovative machine which offers superior intricate laser-cut designs for the mainstream market as well as normal cutting and creasing, along with commercially acceptable running speeds, which is a very exciting prospect indeed.’
The Superheroes launched a web to print service for personalised cartons at Packaging Innovations in February
The big move
Meanwhile the company is settling in at the new factory in Stockport, having doubled the number of staff to 100 in the takeover. Mrs Sidebottom-Every explained that they have had positive responses from both the teams and everyone has tried their hardest to implement the necessary changes. She said, ‘Luckily they can see the benefits that this new, improved, modern facility has to offer in improving our production capabilities and digital capabilities.’
Relocating such a big operation is not without its challenges. ‘The biggest surprise was the logistics of moving all our machines. It hasn’t been as easy as we thought, and myself, my fellow directors and our fantastic team (from Glossop) have been working many hours,’ said Mrs Sidebottom-Every. ‘The organisation needed in planning, moving, plumbing, getting air, ducting and facilitating the power for our machines has been really hard.’
The digital department is due to be back up and running by the summer, now comprising the combined capabilities of the Highcon Beam, the Highcon Euclid and the Xeikon 3500 along with the UK’s first Fujifilm Acuity LED 1600 printer, bought on sight at drupa 2012 and used to produce packaging mock ups.
Start the revolution
Just to add to the mix, Glossop decided to launch a new online portal to offer personalised packaging as well. Mrs Sidebottom-Every commented, ‘It’s still early days for the Personalised Packaging service as it was only unveiled officially for the first time at Packaging Innovations in February. Visitors were given a unique carton printed on the Xeikon press, cut and creased on the Highcon Euclid and manufactured using Iggesund cartonboard to demonstrate the capabilities and quality offered by the service.
‘The event was supported with social media activity, PR support, customer e-mailers and an ad campaign featuring our comic book ‘Packaging Superheroes’ – created by our marketing agency Fig- and we received a large volume of new qualified leads.’
Having met the husband and wife team that spearheads Glossop Cartons, it is clear to me they are not going to be resting on their laurels, and we can expect to see more pioneering projects from them. Asked if the move has lived up to expectations, Mrs Sidebottom-Every said, ‘I’m not known for my patience and have to realise that we’re not going to get the end result in a few weeks, but I am encouraged by the positive steps we are starting to make. Most importantly, we have a vision in our minds of the end result and this will keep us driving forward.’
