VPKGroup reached an agreement with COPI Holding to buy Encase Ltd, manufacturer and designer of packaging corrugated paperboard. Encase Ltd operates two integrated corrugated packaging plants in England and a foil plant in Scotland. VPK intends to merge Encase with its UK corrugated operations, formerly known as Rigid.
VPK's corrugated board operations in the UK and Ireland, formerly Rigid Containers and recently renamed VPK Packaging, have seen steady annual growth since joining the VPK Group in 2000. Under its ownership, VPK invested over £ 100 million in the division. Desborough became the UK's flagship factory, while the brand new plants in Wellington and Selby gradually increased capacity to reflect operations at all three plants.
As part of its long-term strategy, VPK now intends to fully merge Encase with VPK's existing corrugated operations in the UK. The combined businesses are expected to achieve annual sales of over £ 200 million in packaging and foil. The six corrugators combine an annual container board consumption of 300.000 tonnes, which represents a significant part of the UK's non-integrated recycled cardboard consumption.
