It’s been a busy year so far at PALpack, with two new additions to the business. Last month, we announced we were working with secondary packaging specialists Gampack Group, and now we’re delighted to announce the appointment of our first regional sales manager.
Jonathan Carmichael will cover Scotland, taking responsibility for sales enquiries and project management north of the border with a particular focus on the food and beverage sector. He joins us from the Bruichladdich Distillery on the Isle of Islay, where he spent 24 years working in bottling and production, including 15 years as Bottling Operations Manager.
Dave Wood, Managing Director at PALpack, said, “We’re very pleased that Jonathan has agreed to join the PALpack team. His hands-on experience and extensive knowledge of the food and drinks industry will be invaluable as we continue to expand into the sector and allow us to better serve new and existing clients across Scotland.”
Valued at approximately £15 billion, the food and beverage sector is the country’s largest industry and has seen exports more than double in the last 10 years. At PALpack, our experience with manufacturers including a gin distiller and a bottled water supplier makes us well-placed to work with others in the sector.
Jonathan added, “I’ve seen firsthand the dedication that PALpack brings to a project. At the distillery, our remote location and particular needs meant I spent years trying to find the right palletiser, and no one could find the answer – until I spoke to Dave. He jumped straight on a plane, measured the space and came up with a solution that helped us deliver record-breaking figures for that year.
“I’m incredibly excited to be a part of a team that brings that level of service to everything they do and play my part in expanding PALpack across Scotland. It’s a great time to get involved – as businesses face increased competition and pressure, more are seeing the value of automation to improve efficiency and stay ahead.”
According to the latest International Federation of Robotics (IFR) report, sales of individual robots to the UK food and beverage industry increased by 59% in 2023, making the sector one of the key industries contributing to the overall growth in robot installations in the UK.
There are also plans to expand the PALpack offer further through a partnership with automated labelling specialist Industrial Labelling Sytems (ILS). The agreement will see the two companies working together on projects to deliver end-to-end automation, from case packing and sack filling through to palletising and print and apply labelling.
ILS Managing Director, Denis Brett, explained, “There is a natural synergy between our two companies, which makes working together a logical step. With more and more companies seeing the advantages of automation, being able to offer solutions that improve efficiency along the whole production line benefits everyone.”
The firms will be sharing a stand at PPMA Total 2025 in September, showcasing a number of PALpack’s options for more efficient palletising and depalletizing, including from Gampack, and the FlexWipe automated pallet labelling solution from ILS.
To book a call with Jonathan or find out more about automating your production line, contact us.
