Packaging specialist continues its Europe-wide internationalisation strategy

Ebersdorf bei Coburg, 31 March 2020 +++

The Schumacher Packaging Group, one of the largest family-run manufacturers of corrugated and solid board packaging solutions (www.schumacher-packaging.com), has now officially renamed its new production site in Birmingham, England. On 1st April 2020, "Jaffabox Ltd" becomes "Schumacher Packaging Ltd". The Schumacher Packaging Group acquired Jaffabox, another family-run manufacturer of various corrugated board packaging solutions, in November 2019. At the same time, a new generation assumed leadership in the previous owner's family - Annette Amyes is now Managing Director in the Birmingham plant and her brother, Mark, is the Sales Director. The re-branding of the English plant emphasises that customers from the United Kingdom can now also access the entire range of solutions offered by the European Schumacher Packaging Group – including consultation, services and logistics.

Full service for packaging, now also in the UK

"Developments in the first few months since the Birmingham plant joined the Group have been very positive", reports Björn Schumacher, CEO of the Schumacher Packaging Group. "Our international customers in particular are very pleased that we can now offer them the same full service in the UK as in our other European sites in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. "Although the technology at the plant in Birmingham is already at a high level, the Group plans to continue further expansion there. "Depending on the continuing economic situation in the context of the coronavirus crisis, we plan to invest six million euros as a first step, to automate the flow of materials in the plant and construct additional processing lines", explains Björn Schumacher. "The plant in Birmingham has great potential."

Continuity and growth in Birmingham

Schumacher Packaging Ltd in Birmingham will continue to be led by the Amyes family that used to own the company. However, brothers Frank and John Amyes have gone into well-earned retirement and have passed their operational tasks on to the next generation, Annette and Mark Amyes. "Our British customers are happy about the continuity at our site," states Managing Director Annette Amyes, "they will continue to be supported by familiar faces with excellent expertise, creativity and reliability. At the same time, they welcome the fact that we are once again hugely extending our range of services. In association with the large, international Group, we can offer our customers an even broader range of packaging solutions that are as innovative as they are efficient, and can open up new possibilities throughout Europe." The response from the employees in Birmingham has been very positive, reports Annette Amyes. "We are all certain that being part of the strong Schumacher Packaging Group is the ideal basis for continuing the success story of our site."

Internationalisation strategy on a European scale

With the integration of the plant in Birmingham, the Schumacher Packaging Group now operates 16 production sites in Europe – in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Customers appreciate the widespread European market presence and the consistently high standards of technology, quality and service. The owner-managed Group, which currently has a workforce of around 3500 employees, sees itself as one of the leaders in the packaging industry when it comes to productivity and technology. In the 2018 financial year, Schumacher Packaging posted a turnover of EUR 627 million.