UNITED CAPS has announced it will be constructing a new manufacturing plant in Dinnington, Rotherham, as part of the company’s ‘Close to You’ strategy. The initial facility will be 5,000 square meters, with an option to expand to 20,000 square meters as business growth demands.
Production is expected to begin at the end of 2019 and will initially focus on beverage and dairy closures, with options to add additional segments as needed. This project represents an estimated €20 million investment including the first phase of machinery and is expected to increase group turnover by 15% in phase one and will initially employ 20 staff.
“This expansion to the United Kingdom is in response to increasing demand there for our products,” said Benoit Henckes, CEO of UNITED CAPS. “We chose Rotherham because of its central location along the M1, available technical skilled people and the reasonable cost of land in that area. This will be our first plant in the United Kingdom, and we are looking forward to working closely with the Rotherham Council as the project proceeds.”
“We are excited to have a company of the quality of UNITED CAPS joining our community,” said Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council. “We look forward to working with them to ensure a timely completion of the new factory, as well as future expansions as their business needs dictate. The beginning of operations means 20 new jobs almost immediately, and the welcome news that we can be hopeful there will be many more jobs to come for dedicated local people in the future.”
UNITED CAPS conducted a number of market studies leading up to the selection of the Dinnington site. Henckes added, “Our studies reflected that demand was highest for beverage and dairy closures. More specifically, we will focus on the production of plastic closures for flat and medium carbonated drinks as well as fruit juices and dairy products in PET bottles. Of course, our customers in the United Kingdom will have access to our full portfolio of caps and closures, as well as to the expert resources in our Messia R&D facility.”
Following the success of UNITED CAPS Irish plant in Greystones, plant director Paul Gorry will oversee the Rotherham plant as well. He has been Greystones’ plant director for eight years and was involved in the construction of the plant at Greystones and the transfer of the production lines to the new plant in Dinnington.
Cllr Read added, “This development is further confirmation of the attractive location that Rotherham has become for investors, with United Caps sitting alongside McLaren Automotive, Rolls-Royce, Boeing, Siemens, Forgemasters and others. The Council and Local Together Partnership are working to give businesses the confidence to invest in jobs, homes and developments within Rotherham and it’s resulting in Rotherham becoming one of the fastest growing local economies in the country. As the economy continues to grow we can look forward to seeing more local people in highly skilled and entrepreneurial jobs, and Rotherham becoming a quality place to live and work, with a strong transport, digital and environmental infrastructure.”
