In a 29 July deal, Coppice bought the assets, sales book and intellectual property of Telford-based packaging converter Sirane.

Derek Nixon, CEO of the £500m-plus Coppice Alupack group, told Printweek that Coppice would put Sirane “back on the map,” with up to 130 workers rehired and trading under the Sirane brand.

“We’re looking to re-engage a significant proportion of the previous workforce, and ramp up the business to at least 70-80% of its [staff] capacity right from next week,” he said.

Coppice Alupack has a strong record in creating packaging for food processors, with business units in aluminium foil, papers, and plastics: something that complements Sirane’s capacity in printed flexibles, absorbent materials and board-based packaging, Nixon said.

“We have a very strong mutual customer base, and there’s a lot of synergy in our product ranges: Coppice is on a mission to expand its offering in the market, diversify its business and become a leading manufacturer for our customers, so there’s a lot of overlap – and we believe we can easily extend Sirane’s market reach into our businesses.

“When we looked into Sirane as a going concern, before it went into administration, it had a really strong product offering. So we’re quite excited to use our group infrastructure to integrate that offering into our markets.”

Sirane had been facing financial difficulties earlier in the year, blamed on raw material costs, energy prices and supply constraints. It engaged insolvency firm Interpath Advisory to help it review its options, but it became clear that a solvent outcome was not possible.

Sirane filed notice to appoint administrators on 10 July, with administrators Chrisopher Pole and Ryan Grant of Interpath Advisory appointed on 15 July.

Shortly after administration, 172 staff were made redundant, with a skeleton crew of 22 remaining at the Telford site.

Nixon said Coppice was actively engaging with ex-Sirane employees, with hopes to bring the lion's share back on board immediately with new contracts.

“We’re really actively engaging with the workforce to bring them back, and we’re engaging with suppliers and customers this week [starting 29 July].

“Our ambition is to be producing next week, and ramping up daily from then on out.

“It depends on the customer base, and how customers and suppliers engage with us, but we are planning to move back to full production.”

Chris Pole, managing director at Interpath, said: “Sirane now has a future in Telford with the backing of Coppice Alupack. This transaction provides continuity for Sirane’s customers and the opportunity to bring the business back to life. We wish the team at Coppice Alupack the best of luck as they take the business forward.”

Nixon added that while he expected Sirane’s turnover to be a little below previous year's in the first 12 months, the company would be back to full strength – and growing – after that point.

“If you look at Coppice’s history, it’s built up through acquisitions – we look to strengthen the market and bring complimentary businesses on board. It’s something that we’re well versed in, and we believe our customer base is ready for it. 

“There’s a good core workforce in Telford, and they’ve done some fantastic things in the past. For us, it’s just about providing security to the current workforce, and taking it to the next level.”

In early 2023 Sirane was the first UK company to install an HP Indigo 200K mid-web digital press, a printer capable of 56m/min.

Coppice Alupack is part of the EP Group of companies.