Pregis Limited is the UK headquarters of Pregis LLC, a leading US provider of innovative protective packaging materials, equipment systems and surface protection. Pregis Ltd is also home to Easypack®, the UK’s leading brand of environmentally friendly packaging solutions for all industrial.
Operations Director, Pregis Ltd
Based in Hertfordshire, Pregis Ltd manufacture a comprehensive range of innovative, high quality packaging solutions, along with a comprehensive range of value-led services that improve business efficiency whilst minimising environmental impact. The Company have offices in France and Germany and partner distributors across Europe.
Jason Cox, Operations Director at Pregis Ltd, speaks to Warehouse and Logistics News.
What are your best-known products and services?
Easypack® is undoubtedly our best-known brand and is now becoming recognized globally. First manufactured in 1992, Easypack is renowned for its innovative designs and green credentials. The range of high quality, on-demand packaging technology delivers robust and flexible 100% recycled, 100% recyclable and 100% biodegradable paper packaging, enabling customers from across all industries to responsibly pack their goods securely and sustainably.
The best-selling packmaster™pro and packmate®pro systems are commonly used across multiple industries because they allow users to pack such a wide range of goods securely and at high speed, whilst using less actual packaging in-the-box.
The Quantum™ XT and spiral pro® systems are particularly popular within the online retail and fast-moving e-commerce sectors because they are quick, reliable, manoeuvrable and flexible, making them ideal for online packing.
Which market sectors and countries are your customers in? Which ones are growing fastest?
The flexibility of our solutions means that we can supply virtually all market sectors including food, beverage, healthcare, medical devices, agricultural, e-commerce, retail, automotive, furniture, electronics, construction, and military/aerospace.
We supply our domestic and European customers direct, or via our growing network of European partner distributors. We also manufacture and ship to the US where the Easypack brand is now becoming well established and the reviews have been outstanding.
E-commerce continues to be a primary growth area for us, however headline news about the damage that plastics are doing to the environment is driving all industries to look at sourcing more socially responsible protective packaging so we’re receiving more enquiries from brands looking to improve their efficiency, sustainability and brand perception.
Who are your major customers and what do you do for them?
Many of our customers are high street names or well-known industrial brands from here in the UK and across Europe. We’re also partnered with some of Europe’s largest distributors, allowing us to extend our reach Europe-wide. As a manufacturer, we provide a very hands-on service to our customers, providing system adaptations and bespoke solutions, consultancy, staff training and efficiency audits.
How do your products benefit your customers’ businesses?
First and foremost, our customers benefit from our in-depth understanding of intransit packaging. We show them how to pack better, use less actual packaging and improve overall efficiency. Typically, our customers have two major objectives; to improve efficiency and save money, without compromising reliability. However, there’s a third objective that’s becoming increasingly important and urgent – sustainability.
Pregis solutions are renowned for being reliable, adaptable and precise, allowing customers to cost-effectively fulfil orders all day, every day. In addition to all of the benefits that our customers enjoy, there’s the added bonus that by using Easypack solutions, their goods are shipped using 100% environmentally friendly packaging.
Why should customers choose you as their main supplier in your area?
Our customers are safe in the knowledge that they’re dealing directly with the manufacturer. This has numerous benefits; direct account management anywhere in the UK or Europe, the first to trial new products, bespoke or integrated system designs, onsite training, packaging audits, along with a complete choice of solutions to suit their exact needs.
Aside from the above our customers benefit from the ethical use of 100% recycled, 100% recyclable and 100% biodegradable paper packaging, which today is more important than ever due to the overuse of plastic and non-biodegradable packaging alternatives.
What’s business been like in the past year? How have conditions changed over this period and how have you reacted?
This year was pretty significant for us as we officially changed our name from Easypack Ltd to Pregis Ltd. We had spent the previous 12 months putting the infrastructure in place before making the announcement which was very positively received by our customers as they now benefit from a greater range of solutions.
In terms of business, it’s been another strong year. Environmental factors are driving businesses to become greener to satisfy consumers and legislation. As a longestablished manufacturer of environmentally friendly packaging solutions, we’re becoming far more consultative in terms of advice about greener solutions and cost efficiency, all of which offers great value to the customer.
What were the business highlights for you in the last 12 months?
One of our biggest successes this year was establishing Easypack as a quality packaging brand in the US. Also, we successfully achieved a smooth transition following our name change, and rose to the challenge set by our US parent company and exceeded all targets. These, along with managing our domestic operations, launching new products and still delivering a first-class service to our customers, has shown how strong we are at adapting and responding to change and demand.
What’s been your most outstanding recent project?
One of our best achievements this year is the design and development of our new Coiler system. We developed the product around the needs of customers and to offer a green alternative to expanding foam products which are damaging to the environment. The Coiler bolts on to our packmaster™ pro system which produces variable coils of robust, paper cushions using our 100% recycled paper. The Coiler not only enables the user to automatically produce multiple coils rapidly, it can also produce extra large coils which can be used to secure large heavy goods. We’re currently in the process of launching the Coiler and we will be promoting this new innovation throughout 2019.
How have you fine-tuned your offering in the last 12 months and why?
Following our change of name, we’ve invested heavily in new equipment and machinery in order to meet the growing needs of our customers both here in the UK and Europe, and fulfil large orders from the US.
What recent enhancements have you made in customer service?
As a total solutions provider, we’re constantly adapting to meet customer needs and market forces – this is what makes us unique. As well as manufacturing our packaging systems, we provide a range of value-added support services that benefit our customers including consultation, packaging audits to improve efficiency, customer training, product trials and demonstrations as well as bespoke solutions.
What new products have you brought out? During the last 12 months we launched our new Quantum™ XT, a high-speed void-fill system that can be used anywhere on the packing floor or integrated with online systems.
Our latest innovation, the Coiler, a ‘bolton’ to packmaster™pro and automatically produces large quantities of paper coil cushions. The paper ‘coil’ is one of the strongest in-the-box packaging mediums for securing goods inside the box, regardless of size. This new innovation can easily and cost-effectively replace environmentally damaging foam-in-place or loose-fill products.
What factors do you see affecting your business in the coming year? How will you turn these into opportunities?
There’s growing pressure for all of us to do more to protect the environment. The issues surrounding the use of plastics is driving all businesses to look at new ways to protect and ship their goods – we’ve already seen an increase in enquiries this year, with this being the driver. Our Easypack technology allows any business to be more socially responsible, allowing them to pack with 100% environmentally friendly packaging – we expect to see the demand grow even more over the next year.
Are you planning to branch into any new areas, target new customers and take on more people?
The short answer is yes. This coming year we will be introducing an exciting range of new solutions which are part of a strategic plan to offer a complete range of void-fill packaging solutions by 2020.
Are you investing in new premises and extra staff? What about staff development and training?
Investing in new staff has been vital for us in order to fulfil growing customer orders and to maintain our excellent customer support standards. We’ve increased staff numbers in all areas including operations, customer services and sales support. We’ve also partnered with Princes’ Trust and Herts Fire Service to offer work experience opportunities to disadvantaged youngsters which can lead to employment.
Are you involved in any major trade shows or other industry events over the next year?
As always, Pregis will be showing our packaging innovations at in the UK and across Europe. Shows include Packaging Innovations, IMHX, e-Delivery and FachPack.
What big news from Pregis can our readers look forward to seeing in Warehouse & Logistics News in 2019?
In line with our goals to become a total voidfill packaging solutions provider by 2020, Pregis will be making some significant announcements in 2019 that will make Pregis the ‘go-to’ place for innovative protective packaging solutions.
And finally, if you had to sum up your company in a tweet what would it be? Pregis is a world-leading innovator of protective packaging solutions. We fully support businesses that want to pack better, more efficiently and more responsibly.
PREGIS LTD
01438 740649
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