The deal was signed last September.
The contract with a global phone and tech manufacturer to replace non-recyclable packaging has seen Packaging One ramp up production of its patented MediaWrap protective cardboard packaging after securing a seven-figure funding deal with Natwest.
Packaging One has now begun supplying the packaging for the undisclosed tech manufacturer’s global device return and trade-in scheme, and has expanded from phones to other devices, with the latest design due to enter production imminently.
The firm’s finance deal allowed it to take on 40 employees at its Middlewhich site almost overnight, according to Emma Chesworth, who runs the business with her husband Ian Chesworth.
“We nearly doubled our workforce overnight, taking on a whole load of new people to help run the production,” she told Printweek.
“There’s quite an element of labour involved and we were running extra shifts, so we needed a huge amount more people actually assembling the packs. We had to buy in a huge quantity of stock to convert and produce the packs with, too.”
While the initial contract is worth around £2m, it is forecast to grow year-on-year, with projected spend for 2025-26 reaching £4m.
The firm has also taken on warehousing capacity in the US as part of the contract, giving it a toehold for potential expansion in the States.
“There’s a lot more business within the sector. Now that we’re in America, the idea is to expand: we have warehouse storage. Under the agreement, we have to store a set amount – but we [have room] to use it to sell to other tech companies in the States as well,” she said.
“The next step is to think about production over there too – we would probably need to do something within the next 12 months.”
The success of Packaging One’s MediaWrap product has been a slow burner. Designed by Ian Chesworth, the packaging – which can protect phones from being run over by a car or thrown against a wall – is produced in-house on a specially modified Eterna folder/gluer capable of 40 million units a year.
“We’ve been around 16-17 years, and the MediaWrap has been around for a few years in UK and Europe,” Chesworth said.
“It’s something that Ian’s been plugigng away at for ages: he was desperate to get it to America, so it’s nice [to see it happen]. He designed it, patented it, and it really is a labour of love, so this is the payoff.”
The firm also prints and manufactures packaging for industry, with casemaking equipment including a 3m Lian Tee inline casemaker and a 2.2m TCY inline casemaker.
“Our plan is to make sure that side of the business doesn’t get left behind – so we’re planning on putting a lot of resources into it to grow that side too,” she said.
Packaging One is projected to turn over £8.5-9m in 2024-25. It now employs around 100.
