The US-headquartered group, which opened its first manufacturing facility in the UK in 2019 and is based in Silverstone, has taken the additional industrial, office space, and meeting rooms at Thorncliffe Business Park to help service increasing customer demand.

The building, which has been refurbished by local contractors, will become ePac’s new production site for the Midlands, the North, and Ireland.

ePac Holdings Europe managing director Johnny Hobeika said: “We have outgrown our current production site so needed another base further up the country from our current one in Silverstone. The central location of Thorncliffe attracted us to the site, as well as the extended height of the unit which is perfect for our large machines.

“It was important for us to use local contractors to complete the fit out and also attract a new 30-strong workforce from nearby to satisfy our growing business. We are excited about taking the space.”

ePac joins a variety of industrial occupiers on the business park including B.Braun, Balfour Beatty, Presto Tools, and Plumb Centre.

Estate agency Knight Frank, which is currently marketing the single remaining industrial unit at Thorncliffe Business Park, said companies are attracted to the site’s North Sheffield location and its easy access to the M1 at Junction 35, 35A and 36.

Graduate surveyor Kitty Hendrick said: “Thorncliffe was historically the site of the Newton Chambers & Co factory and has since been redeveloped into a well-established and popular business park providing industrial units ranging from 1,500 to 55,000sqft [139 to 5,110sqm].

ePac Flexible Packaging had revealed it was planning a second site in the UK last summer. It had previously intended to open a second UK facility in 2020, but those plans were delayed by the pandemic.

Later in 2022, the group placed the biggest single order yet for HP Indigo presses.