DUNGANNON-based rigid packaging manufacturer Wilsanco Plastics is investing £2.5 million in a new high bay warehouse as a first expansion step.

The company's rapid and constant growth in recent years, together with increasing requirements from customers, has resulted in the need for a new functional and ecological logistics concept, which will be met by the construction of the new high-bay warehouse.

With four existing external warehouses and increasing transport costs contributing to a negative environmental impact, the new investment tackles all these issues.

"Wilsanco Plastics, as one of UK's leading companies producing rigid packaging from plastics for the food industry, has to not only be ready to deliver innovative products to customers but also as market player pay attention to the ecological impact it has on the environment," says managing director Jarek Zasadzinski. "Wilsanco Plastics, which in January 2006 became part of the Greiner Packaging International Group based in Austria, has additional responsibilities that are part of group's agenda."

He said that, next to a high level of production know-how, it is also vital for the company to optimise logistical processes at all steps.

At Greiner Packaging, logistics is viewed as one of the key factors because the final economic result of the production facility is closely linked to flexible yet cost effective logistics processes.

The project targets such as "ecological path-breaking," "employee friendly workplace" and last but not least "long-term lower operational costs" were major directions for the planning team. The planning team consisted of competent local and international construction companies and architects on one side and on the other of Greiner Packaging logistics and organisational specialists. Thanks to this combination it was possible to design and introduce completely new and unique solutions unseen previously on the island of Ireland.