The Scottish sustainable packaging business, which prints and finishes a raft of different kinds of packaging in-house, said its growth plan will create more than 120 new jobs at its expanded Glasgow site.
Openings at the business range from product design through to engineers and operators of Cullen’s bespoke machines that power its 15 production lines that already produce 470 million pieces per year.
Cullen bought the site next to its existing site some time ago and the expanded manufacturing facility will grow its physical area to 14 acres and means Cullen will be able to double its output to more than one billion pieces per year. The business is also launching its new innovation design hub on the expanded site.
Its products range from supermarket avocado trays to coffee shop cup carriers and healthcare products made of moulded fibre, through to intricate bespoke packaging.
Earlier this year the company developed The Fibre Bottle, which is made from 100% natural matter, recycled cardboard and water, and is biodegradable and compostable.
The company said The Fibre Bottle will enable brands producing goods such as vitamins, supplements, dry foods, homecare, and horticultural products to remove 270 million single-use plastic bottles or pouches from shelves annually.
David MacDonald, owner of Cullen Eco-Friendly Packaging, said: “It’s hugely exciting. The world’s biggest companies, across multiple industries, are looking to moulded fibre to solve many of their sustainability challenges faster than seems possible.
“To win, they need disruptive thinking – brilliant design and inspired innovation – but they also need those new products made at scale. That’s the really hard part but we rise to that seemingly impossible and urgent challenge.
“Indeed, the expansion further enhances our ability, enabling Cullen to deliver more than one billion compostable and recyclable products per year. That makes us almost unique, globally, at helping to solve the biggest packaging challenges we’ve ever known.”
He added: “We have customers in over 34 countries, and our exports have tripled in the last five years. Across the whole business we have grown exponentially and expect that growth to continue at pace.
“I’m glad to be able to continue to increase game-changing capacity in our Scottish home. We have talent here, an incredible workforce, so are excited to create green careers that people can be truly proud of.”
The mega investment is being self-funded by Cullen, which currently employs over 230 staff.
The company’s client list includes NHS, Morrisons, Asda, Aldi, Lidl, M&S, McDonald’s, Costa, and Greggs. It runs TCY flexo printers, and a Bobst die-cutter and Expertfold gluers, which it said enable the business to produce "supermarket approved, high quality colour print, sustainable corrugated packaging solutions which include shelf-ready packaging, crash lock and die-cut boxes".
