Hello Valued Stakeholders,

With us being around ¼ of the way through the year I would like to take the opportunity to update you all on the happenings here at Expac. As you will know we have moved into our new site and we are fully settled. We have been going through a tough few weeks with all of the audits taking place. But I am pleased to inform you that we have successfully passed the BRC audit for consumer products issue 3 (group 1), along with passes on the soil association audit and various supplier audits as well. If we can continue the successful start to 2012 for the rest of the year I am hopeful of a very prosperous year for Expac and our partners.

Unfortunately this good news does come with some sad news as well. I regret to inform you all that Darren Hosegood has now moved on to pastures new and has undertaken a new role with another company. All of us here at Expac wish him every success and hope that our lines shall cross sometime in the future. That being said, Darren leaving Expac has opened up an opportunity for Expac to bring in some fresh new talent to join our dedicated management team. We have recently appointed our factory relocation Project Manager, David Meredith, as a permanent replacement for Darren within the business development department here at Expac. David proved himself during our relocation as a diligent professional whom we believe to be the perfect replacement for Darren. He has a degree in Product Design and a Masters Degree in Project Management, so we are looking for him to bring a more formalised and academic approach to our processes here at Expac.

I will keep you all updated as the year goes on.

Thanks for reading.

Mark Langtree

Managing Director

Expac (Preston) Ltd

Expac goes green in £1m relocation

Expac of preston,a contract manufacturer focused upon the household, health, beauty and personal care sectors, are set to move production of all future manufacturing to their new facility. The new site is less than 2 miles from their current plant and although location was not the main priority, the convenient move does ensure that no local jobs will be lost and all employee experience and expertise can be retained.

With a view to energy saving, Expac are aiming to set new standards within contract manufacturing. The services of Lancaster University have been enlisted in order to explore the latest green science and technology available. As a manufacturer who takes their corporate responsibility seriously, the goal is for Expac to become carbon neutral within three years and they plan to utilise solar heating and collected rainwater to make this possible.

Expac who currently produce over 50pc of all talcum powder in the UK and whose services include product development, manufacturing and contract packing, are planning to invest over £1million in order to significantly upgrade their current capabilities. Their new facility is currently a blank canvas and will incorporate a new bespoke powder manufacturing facility, liquid blending, filling facility, and an on-site design suite upon completion. There is also 10,000 sq. ft. of extra capacity to take on new projects, which lies ready to be converted as required.

A 15 year lease has been signed and a moving in date is set for December 2011. Although with offices still to be built and much of the new facility still to be completed it’s all hands on deck for the committed workforce. At present a large proportion of expac’s current business is within the manufacture of personal care products however the new facility has been designed around the latest food hygiene regulations. This follows expac’s continuous endeavour to not just meet their customers’ expectations but to consistently exceed these.

 Expac are starting to see a resurgence in UK manufacture and the brand owners and retailers that once looked to the Far East and China to source their inexpensive products, are now starting to look back at the UK. The closing price gap, long lead times and difficult to control quality parameters are all factors why UK manufacture is once again a very viable option. It is expac’s plan to use their extra space for storage and in doing so intend to offer their customers very competitive, just in time manufacturing solutions.   

Mark Langtree Managing Director of Expac added it’s currently exciting times for Expac, although we remain very conscious of the difficult trading conditions we are optimistic for the future. We have been well aware that the lease of the present site was due to expire and as such investment into the current facility has been limited. We are confident that the new premises will provide extra opportunities that can benefit our current clients, as well as the potential new ones. We are looking forward to 2012 and to writing a positive new chapter in the history of Expac.

Should you wish to visit expac’s new facilities and see how they could benefit your brand please contact hello@expac.co.uk.  One of the dedicated business development team awaits your enquiry.

 N.B last blog until the relocation has been completed, please see we are moving blog for all further news/updates with reagrd to the new premises.

Expac and Carrylift Deliver Together

Expac and Carrylift Deliver Together Carrylift, part of the CorpAcq Group, have supplied two new Nissan forklift trucks to Expac (Preston) Ltd. The new Nissan DX, LPG, 1.5 tonne, counterbalance trucks have both delivered to their site located in Preston, Leyland. Outstanding Reputation Expac is a contract manufacturer focused upon Household, Health, Beauty and Toiletry sectors, with an outstanding reputation for providing quality products, people and service and are the largest talc manufacturer in Europe. They were looking to replace their existing trucks previously supplied by Carrylift, once again Carrylift demonstrated to Expac their ability to meet all the requirements, including outstanding service support provided by their Skelmersdale Service Department. Expac required reliable and efficient equipment for their 55,000 square ft UK manufacturing facility operating a one shift, 4-week rotating schedule plus any additional shifts when necessary. They also required equipment with the lowest possible emissions to allow the trucks to operate inside their facility and their external loading areas. TRI-CAT wins again As Expac has a strong commitment to environmental issues and minimising emissions, Steven Routledge, Group Sales Director for Carrylift highly recommended the Nissan TRI-CAT system fitted as standard to Nissan LPG powered counterbalance trucks. A closed loop 3-way catalytic convertor reduces LPG emissions by up to 99% when LPG is burnt, this was just one of the factors that influenced their purchasing decision. A further benefit of the TRI-CAT system is the increased fuel economy, efficiency and savings gained from the advanced engine management system, reducing costs and minimising environmental damage. Woodland Trust Carbon Scheme Carrylift are delighted to announce that Expac have chosen to purchase the Nissan LPG trucks, through this sale the residual carbon emissions will be locked up and stored by planting trees in the UK. The Woodland Trust Carbon Scheme is part of Carrylift’s long-term commitment to help reduce their carbon emissions and protect the environment. Great Partnership Speaking after the delivery of the trucks, Mark Langtree, Managing Director, Expac (Preston) Ltd said: “We are extremely delighted we have chosen Carrylift again as our materials handling supplier, we have built up a great partnership. Their excellent service support, reputation and eco-friendly equipment have all been contributing factors. The Woodland Trust Carbon Scheme is an excellent opportunity to help the environment and demonstrate our green commitment. We have also been presented with a certificate to demonstrate the area of trees that have been planted which is proudly displayed in our reception area.”

Expac have successfully maintained the BRC certification for the 7^th consecutive year.  Intertek carried out their yearly audit procedures in May 2011.

The audit was carried out in compliance to The Global standard for Consumer Products issue 3 – February 2010, and we are pleased to announce all outstanding non-conformances have been deemed closed.

In our continued effort to make expac a transparent and open organisation we have posted our certification for all to see – Expac BRC Certificate 2011

Well done to all involved in the audit, we have held the BRC certification for several years and this demonstrates our companies TOTAL commitment to quality and to continuous improvement.

Our expectations are greater than our client’s requirements.

WELL DONE –

Next audit due spring 2012

MLL

Expac would like to say a big congratulations to two of our most loyal and dedicated employees. Catrina Wareing and Mark Jackson have reached the impressive milestone of 25 years expac employment. As a thank you for all their continued hard work a presentation lunch complete with gifts was held.

Please see below for the embarrassing pictures as promised.

It’s no secret with difficult economic times now and for the foreseeable future then we are all going to have to play our part in putting Britain back on the map. As a UK manufacturer we believe with a little forward thinking and some good old fashioned resourcefulness, this can be done.

David Cameron our Prime Minister says we should all join the “big society”, being not totally clear as to what this entails we have come up with our own message. We believe our brief truly can help our little bit of the picture, help our customers, help our suppliers and ultimately help our economy as a whole. We can only imagine if this was to be rolled out to other trades and industries.

So our brief is simple:

In an effort to save money for years now brand owners and retailers have looked to source products from the Far East and China, this has meant a decreasing amount of opportunities have been available for UK manufacturers.   

Well here at expac despite this we have survived and what’s more we are in great shape, we are shortly to invest £500,000 in new facilities and methods and our growing customer base is testimony to the fact UK manufacture is a very viable option. The closing price gap between the UK and china, longer lead times than initially envisaged and large MOQ’s are all factors why manufacture in China may not be the long term answer once thought.   

So our plan is simple and we have devised a 10 point survival message as to why sourcing in the UK is the right option for all concerned.

1,                     Buy in Britain and improve the deficiency trade balance

2,                     Get credit terms helping you to keep cash in your business

3,                     Order smaller amounts on a just in time basis, again keeping cash in your business

4,                     Have dedicated account handlers that you can speak to daily in GMT time

5,                     Create British employment reducing the governments figures

6,                     Receive high quality product’s with no IP concerns (NDAs that can be honoured)

7,                    Gain competitive advantage, bring new products to market in weeks as opposed to months or years

8,                     Be able to visit your manufacturing facility at regular intervals at little cost at your convenience

9,                    Share in an open book pricing policy that gives total transparency, we believe in building our business through shared gains.

10,                 Play a part in bringing manufacture back to Britain.

If you agree with our vision or you think UK manufacture may be the answer for your brand, then speak to us. We believe we can all gain by working together to create, to grow, to add value and to ultimately put UK manufacture back in the big picture.

                                                                                www.expac.co.uk

M L Langtree – Managing Director

Expac announce extra strengthening of its operations team 

We have recently recruited two key individuals to enhance our manufacturing department 

Internal Quality Auditor, Mark Ross – email m.ross@expac.co.uk

Multi Skilled Engineer – Peter Simpson

We welcome Mark and Peter to our organisation and wish them every success in their roles

Any personnel looking to join Expac a vibrant, expanding personal care and toiletry manufacturing company then please let us know – email your CV to hello@expac.co.uk  

Without doubt Expac greatest asset is it very talented / hardworking and creative work force / that is growing” – visit www.expac.co.uk

Mick Hiscock is the creative and talented designer behind www.expac.co.uk

We have recently launched our new look website and changed our corporate image, a challenging brief, even we admit.  For years we had been trying to find a design company that was as fresh as it was innovative, that had new ideas and that met the balance between creative flair and real world functionality.

We approached www.miixckdesign.co.uk  complete with challenging brief and we have to say our expectations, as well as our requirements were well and truly surpassed. A hardworking and talented designer that deserves all the credit he has received.

At expac we believe in transparency, we believe in being upfront, honest and open. Our aim is to share our unique and specialised suppliers with our existing clients, as well as the potential new ones.  For these reasons and many more we highly recommend you take a look at  www.miixckdesign.co.uk  for your next design project.

Join our team

Expac are expanding and we are looking for hardworking and talented individuals to fill the following vacancies.

Internal Quality Auditor
This role will involve auditing and updating the current BRC quality systems and procedures as well as detailed factory audits. The successful candidate will have worked previously within a very similar role.

Multi Skilled Engineer
To assist in setting up and maintenance of assembly lines, maintaining machinery and driving improvements.

Line Supervisor
To drive all aspects of manufacturing ensuring all targets are met in full. Ideally the above candidates will have previously worked in the manufacturing of personal care, food or pharmaceutical products and have a thorough understanding of good manufacturing practices. 

The successful candidates will be able to work on their own initiative and have excellent communication skills.

If you would like to be part of the expac team please send a covering letter and current salary details by post to:

Danny Leahy, 
Expac,
Dunkirk Mill,
Dunkirk Lane,
Leyland, PR26 7SQ.  

 To get a feel for our business and to see what we get up to on a day to day basis please visit www.expac.co.uk

The Langtree family and Expac would like to thank all friends, family and business associates.

Your generous donations to the Southport & Ormskirk urology department have been greatly appreciated.