While Pont Europe is close to celebrating its 120th birthday, its UK operation has just reached its first decade since it was officially established as a separate entity. The first ten years of Pont Packaging Ltd has quickly shown that the UK is a happy home for the responsible packaging partner, with a 12% year on year growth taking it from £8m turnover in 2015 to £25m today.
Now based in Irlam, following a move to this purpose-built Greater Manchester location, Pont Packaging Ltd has 4500 pallet spaces available, ready to supply its wide range of plastic glass and bio-based packaging to customers across the food, beverage, personal care, chemical and VMS sectors.
Credit: Pont Packaging
5942-Logo 10 ans-V03
Commercial director Kirsty Mumford, who has been with Pont for nearly all of its decade in the UK, shares how the company has enjoyed its 'big jumps' during this first 10 years. "We've seen so many big jumps since we launched in the UK in 2015. There's a lot of innovative ranges that build on our established packaging knowledge, we've brought on board many new customers and suppliers, we've seen trends and markets evolving. It's exciting to be part of something that values the past, the present and the future."
Staying aligned with the evolving trends that impact on the packaging industry is crucial for the ongoing growth of Pont, with Kirsty explaining how the company's commercial strategy is beneficial for brands of all shapes and sizes. "Something that being part of a larger group shows us is that we never really know who – or what – is going to be the next big thing. We work with some major European customers who buy from us across our different facilities and some small start-ups that only buy from the UK. We're very flexible and we give the same support to large and local customers. We can sell a wagon or a box, always with the same care and attention."
Pont Packaging Ltd is well aware that 'trends can explode', being a welcome partner for new and established brands in rapid growth markets including vape packaging, sports nutrition (including powdered collagen, protein powders and well-being supplements) and essential oils. But it's not just supporting trends that drives Pont; the company's long-term experience in supplying food and beverage packaging means that it has many customers in the proven craft beer, fruit juice and condiment sectors.
This experience is underpinned by various recognised accreditations that serve as a valuable shorthand of quality and service, with a recent AA rating from BRCGS for the second year running, as well as a silver score from EcoVadis, and various food safety certificates including FSSC 22000 and ISO 22200:2018.
Celebrate the milestone
With so much to shout about during its first ten years in the UK, as Kirsty says, 'It's important for us to celebrate this milestone.' The whole of the Pont Packaging UK team – which includes many people who've been there from the start, including two experienced employees who joined at 16 and are now marking 30 years at Pont! - enjoyed a gala dinner with a three-course meal and casino. She continues, "It was a real party, a celebration of how far we've come on this journey and a look forward to our next ten years and beyond. It was such fun; when we got to the tables there was Monopoly money for us all to spend at the casino. We had a quiz on 2015 and a presentation to thank everyone. Everyone was dressed up and it all worked so well, sharing this important time together."
Kirsty is keen to point out that this milestone 'couldn't have been achieved without the support of our Pont sister companies in the EU and our owners, the Newship Group'. This first decade since Pont Packaging Ltd was officially established as a separate entity in the UK reflects the strength of an established group, providing stability and confidence while enabling individual entities to embrace market trends and customer needs. With strong foundations and the backing of an experienced European network, Pont Packaging Ltd combines the agility to respond quickly to opportunities with the security of long-term resilience, delivering value as it moves confidently into its next chapter.