During the COVID-19 pandemic, UK-based Fencor Packaging Group has managed to not only maintain orders, but in certain areas actually beat targets set previously.
David Orr, group Managing Director, said “It became clear to us at the onset of the pandemic that we are part of a critical supply chain, as a number of our customers are delivering their products into hospitals, supermarkets and the home via e-commerce. We engaged with our staff in March and declared that we aim to emerge from this crisis intact as a team, with no job losses and no financial distress to any of our employees, however long it takes. We immediately implemented a number of exceptional measures to protect them, including strict hygiene and distancing protocols, segregated shifts and rota systems.”
He continued, “Their response has been magnificent – they know that our customers are relying on them and they have shown exceptional adaptability and resilience throughout the lockdown in order to ensure that we continue to deliver. Some customers have become very busy and, in periods of peak demand, we have had managers running machines and teams working through bank holidays.”
Left to right: Tony Clifton and David Orr.
In addition to the efforts of their employees they also made sure they were geared up for future growth by investing heavily in new machinery. Orr added, “Some of our recent investments have helped us to stay on top of demand. Since 2013, Fencor has invested £10m in improving capabilities, has taken on an additional 51,000 sq ft of warehousing space and has committed to another 40,00 sq ft in early 2021. In February of this year, Manor Packaging installed a new Bobst casemaker and this has proven critical in allowing us to cope with peak demand. On top of this, we shall be signing off the installation of a digital die-cutting machine in Mildenhall; this investment will significantly improve our conversion capabilities and allow us to become even more responsive.”
