Latest News
Long Service awards 2024
We are delighted that more of our colleagues have been presented with their long service awards recognising 25 years’ service with the business. Frank Hay, Group Managing Director, personally presented the certificates to colleagues at Preston thanking them for the commitment and hard work at Board24. These were Production Team Leaders Lee Twyman and Ian Gibney and Production Operatives Roger Lucas, Anthony Burke and David Downes. Alex Morris, Managing Director at our Coalville site awarded Matthew Callaghan, Lead Operative with his certificate and thanks. Frank Hay commented; “25 years’ service and commitment to one business is a great achievement and we are very proud to have a number of colleagues reach this career milestone each year. “My sincere thanks to those who have received their awards this year and I hope we have many more years working together.”
Meet the team – Reggie Willars
Reggie Willers is our Health and Safety Administrator apprentice and joined the business in summer 2023. He is primarily responsible for the administration of Health and Safety (H&S) protocols within the organisation. This involves maintaining records, assisting in compliance checks, and ensuring that all safety procedures are documented and followed. He also supports the team in implementing safety training programs and contributing to risk assessments and safe systems of work to foster a safe working environment. Reggie has been undertaking the level four Quality Practitioner Course and this should be completed by the end of November enhancing his skills and knowledge in quality management practices relevant to health and safety. Speaking of his role Reggie said; “One of the aspects I enjoy most about my job is the people I work with. “The collaborative environment fosters teamwork and support among colleagues. Additionally, each day presents different challenges and tasks, which keeps my work engaging and allows me to learn continuously.” In addition to his apprenticeship Reggie is a keen learner and has completed many other additional courses to extend his knowledge and skill set. When he’s not at work Reggie is a keen pianist, having taken up the hobby three years ago.
Meet the Team – Ross Yuill
Ross Yuill is our Engineering Manager at Eurocentral, home of our newest corrugator. He joined out team in February this year, just a few weeks after Eurocentral opened. Having worked at packaging integrated plants for over 30 years, Ross is no stranger to the industry. For the past year, he had been working at DS Smith as an engineer, but he has held various roles throughout his career including Corrugator Team Leader, Corrugator Manager, Engineering Manager and Business Improvement Manager giving him a wide range of industry related skills that suit the requirements of Eurocentral perfectly. Ross is now part of a small engineering team who will look after the new site at Eurocentral. The team are currently in the process of setting up a planned maintenance system to ensure reliable capacity for the group. Ross said, “It’s refreshing to work at a brand new site, and it’s great to have the challenges of learning about new plant and machinery and how we can optimise it’s performance.” Outside of work, Ross is an avid road racing fan. He has had motorbikes for 48 years and currently rides a Triumph Speed Triple 1200RS. Every year, he visits the Isle of Man for the Southern 100 and Manx Grand Prix. In the late 80’s, he raced a Yamaha TZ250. Ross is also a big fan of fitness – he has competed in Greco Roman wrestling and was Scottish champion at Cumberland Wrestling in the mid 90’s. Ross also won the British championship in arm wrestling at 90kg in 2008.
How we work with customers to optimise packaging efficiencies
Our teams at Coalville, Preston and Eurocentral manufacture 500 msms of corrugated board each year. With five corrugators, including the newest one in the UK currently at our Eurocentral site, our production capability is incredibly varied. We manufacture a range of corrugated board types utilising a range of paper types to create outer walls, liners and fluting. The combination of each of these is which makes up each specific board grade. With so much choice though, how do our sheet plant customers know what the best board for each individual job is, particularly when paper grades change from time to time. Manufacturing with purpose The key to success is that we manufacture with a purpose; to give our customers the right boards grades, in the right quantities to allow our onward sheet plant customers to fulfil the requirements of the packaging they manufacture. This can range from the full spectrum of FEFCO code boxes, to complex point of sale, luxury gift packaging and large-scale transit packaging. Many of these sheet plant customers have the capabilities to manufacture the full range of packaging solutions due to a range of technologies which includes printers, die cutters and finishing end machines. By supplying the most appropriate board grade and finish, production efficiencies can be maximised. But how do we determine what those board grades are? Testing facilities Much of it is from the knowledge and experience of our team. Many have years of experience in the industry and understand the facets and anomalies of corrugated board. They understand paper, they understand the production process, they understand what makes good board. But when our customers require something a little different, we can help them find the perfect board to support their design and project. One way we do this is through our lab testing facilities. This is a range of options that our customers can tap into ensuring the right board grade is specified and that it will perform as required. Supply Chain Considerations To help establish the required Box Compression Strength of a case, there are several questions which can assist with calculating an appropriate board grade, for instance the case size, number of cases per pallet, transportation conditions, how long the cases are stored and what the ambient conditions are. Different board grades offer two types of benefits: performance and logistics. Performance benefits can be improved print finish, perforation tear or board strength whilst logistics benefits can offer improved load fill, reduced warehouse space, reduced number of forklift truck movements, lower storage costs and lower delivery costs. To determine the correct board is specified, board analysis processes can be used to determine the weight of the board, the thickness of the board and the weight of the component papers of corrugated board after separation. This test method provides the weights of the constituent papers. The weights given should be considered alongside other performance related test methods. This is due to papers of the same type and weight from different sources typically have differing performance values, causing board grades of the same weight to differ dependent on the paper origin. Understanding paper and how it performs Our expert team understand paper and the impact it has on corrugated board and packaging. Paper properties are broken into three elements, optical, surface and physical properties. Optical properties are primarily related to the visual element of paper. Surface properties are important for corrugated board manufacturers, specifically the bonding process. Physical properties are of most interest to board performance. As paper performance contributes to box performance there are several tests that are key in determining the required structural specifications. These include SCT (compression strength of paper), ECT (compression strength of board) and BCT (compression strength of box). The latter determines the maximum load a box can withstand when palletised and also considers the length/width/depth ratios, palletisation, logistics and environment. Re-assessing Board Grades Corrugated board serves a lot of purposes, making it the ideal packaging material. Once a board grade is assigned to a specific job it is rarely reassessed unless it is not performing sufficiently. However reassessing board grades and understanding the variable elements of packaging can influence its strength, performance and cost. Therefore, considering board grade is not just for new specifications it can provide valuable information on existing specifications. Exploring the purpose of the box can help identify scope to trial an alternative board grade which could provide beneficial outcomes. Frank Hay, Group Managing Director, Board24 commented; “There is not always a straightforward prescription for corrugated board, and it is important that we work with our customers to ensure the correct board is ordered and utilised. “We urge all our customers to communicate with us on new and unusual board requests, or simply when a review of board grades needs to take place. Together, we can ensure performance is maximised and customer expectations are met.”
Eurocentral shortlisted at UK Packaging Awards
We are so pleased to announce that our Eurocentral project has been shortlisted for Investment Project of the Year at the 2024 UK Packaging Awards. The project, which opened in February of this year, saw a £25m investment come to fruition, replacing the aged Larkhall site and installing the newest corrugator in the UK. Frank Hay, Group Managing Director, Board24 commented; “Eurocentral was a huge project and one that has changed the production landscape of Board24. “It was a hugely complex project, but one made possible by a great team who gave it their all to ensure it was a success.” Additionally, other Logson companies were also shortlisted in this year’s awards. Boxes and Packaging, Doncaster and Manchester, Jardin Corrugated and Challenge Packaging are shortlisted in the Supply Chain solution of the year category. B&P (Doncaster) also made the shortlist for Best International Pack, whilst Boxes and Packaging (Swindon) was shortlisted for Corrugated: Online Retail and Consumer Goods. Winners will be announced at the glittering awards ceremony on Thursday 10th October 2024 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London. To view all those shortlisted visit https://ukpackagingawards.co.uk/ukpackagingawards2024/en/page/home-page
Meet the Team – Ollie Barson
Ollie Barson is our business analyst at our Coalville site. He joined our team around 18 months ago. As a business analyst, Ollie works with data and uses business systems to create and maintain reports to help the business make decisions about our future. Before joining Board24, Ollie was temping as a payroll administrator at Everyone Active. “I had just finished my degree and was sure I wanted to be a business analyst but couldn’t find anywhere that offered the support and training I wanted,” said Ollie. “It was great to join Board24 and I enjoy my role as I get to learn about all aspects of running the company and also learn more about this fascinating industry.” Recently, Ollie achieved his Anaplan level 2 model builder qualification, started the long journey of studying for his CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) accreditation whilst (nearly) finishing his LEAN project management qualification. Adam Rennocks, Ollie’s manager and Commercial Manager for Board24 said, “Ollie has come a long way in his short tenure, being thrust into an important and expansive role right from the off. He’s taken on all challenges presented to him and impressed at every opportunity. There’s an incredibly bright future ahead for him as he continues to seek growth both personally and professionally.” In his free time, you might find Ollie playing or watching rugby. Ollie’s a big Rugby Union fan – he supports Leicester Tigers and currently plays 2nd row or backrow for a local team in Market Bosworth. It’s not just the sport that Ollie enjoys, socialising with teammates brings a welcome escape from the pressure of the pitch. When the rugby’s season is over, Ollie keeps match fit by attending the gym.
Preston customer services team smash fundraising target
Nicky Bulmer and Gemma Parr from our customer services team at Preston have smashed a fundraising target they set recently. The pair took part in the annual 11 mile Walk in the Dark from Chorley Hospital to Royal Preston Hospital to raise money for charity that is dear to them; Rosemere Cancer Foundation. Originally, they set a target of £500. To date they have raised an amazing £2582! Nicky commented; “We both really enjoyed taking part in the walk and doing something for a charity that is in our local community. “We would have been delighted to reach our £500 target, however, thanks to the generosity and kind support of colleagues, friends, family and customers we raised over five times that amount. Thank you to everyone who supported us, it meant the world.”
Coalville site invests in new wastewater system
Our Coalville site has invested in a new wastewater system to effectively treat water utilised during our manufacturing process for our Cases24 operations. Manufactured by JLJ Holdings based in Cheshire, it is a semi-automatic machine called the Euro FP and is capable of processing up to 15,000 litres of wastewater in approximately 6 hours. The process washdown wastewater is treated with suitable levels of chemicals to coagulate and flocculate the wastewater. The sediment is then filtered through a press, separating the solids from the filtrate with the filtered water being discharged to our trade effluent sewer and the dry solids collected and discharged appropriately. Alex Morris, Managing Director, Board24 Coalville, commented; “This was an important investment for us to replace aged machinery to ensure we continued to meet required legislation surrounding our wastewater processes. “The team at JLJ have been incredibly supportive, adapting their technologies to suit our requirements and our industry processes with ease and professionalism.” To find out more about JLJ Group visit https://www.jlj-group.co.uk/
Meet the Team – Jodie Boyce
Jodie Boyce has been with our Coalville team for two and a half years. Having passed her apprenticeship with a Distinction in Level 3 Business Administration in 2023, Jodie is now a fully qualified Customer Services Administrator taking care of her own customers and their wide range of requirements. A diverse role, which sees Jodie enjoy daily communication with her customers, dealing with their orders and offering advice. With no two days being the same, Jodie enjoys the job keeping her on her toes! Jodie also received First Aid training last year enabling her to offer support to her colleagues if required. Before working at Board24, Jodie worked in childcare, which she enjoyed but there wasn’t room for her to progress. The opportunity arose to join the Board24 team, and the job and training gave her exactly what she was looking for. Jodie commented: ‘’My dad works in the warehouse at Coalville as a Forklift Truck driver, and he saw the job advertised and told me about it. I’d just moved to the area, so the timing was perfect. I applied and was delighted that I got the job! ‘I am looking forward to my future here at Board24 because there’s opportunities for me to progress further and the organisation is full of wonderful and supportive people, so I always feel comfortable and welcome, no matter who I’m talking to and what department they are in.” Outside of work, Jodie enjoys spending time with her partner Henry, her son Finley-Adam and their dog Stanley enjoying walks and planning days out to spend with their wider family.
Eurocentral team passes first BRC audit with flying colours
Our Eurocentral team has passed its first BRC audit with flying colours achieving the standard of AA rating. The team at the new site, which opened its doors for business in February 2024, has worked incredibly hard to ensure all its procedures and policies were in place and that the site was running smoothly. Indeed, the visiting auditor, the same person as last year, gave very positive feedback citing the ‘positive motivation of colleagues’ and what a ‘fantastic opportunity’ Eurocentral is for the future of corrugated board production. “Achieving this grade is testament to the hard work of the team at Eurocentral and to achieve this after such a short space of time is a great accomplishment by everyone,” said Frank Hay, Group Managing Director, Board 24. “Having this accreditation gives assurance to our customers that we operate at the highest standards, and we are committed to achieving and maintain them.” BRCGS is a globally recognised accreditation body that evaluates company practices and procedures to ensure they are operating at the required standards across all elements of the business including health and safety and legal requirements. Customers benefit from knowing that products are manufactured consistently to the highest standards of quality and safety. Furthermore, the team constantly strive to be the best in its field bringing confidence to the supply chain and beyond. Frank concluded; “Eurocentral is still very new to our team with so many of them having worked at our previous Larkhall site for a lot of years. Production capacity is continuing to increase, and we are proud of our achievements to date.” BRCGS certification is used in over 130 countries across the globe and sets the benchmark for good manufacturing processes.
