Ten new jobs as packaging firm opens city base

A drinks packaging supplier is set to open a new manufacturing, design and testing centre in Stirling this month – creating ten new jobs.

Port Glasgow-based McLaren Packaging Ltd produces a range of premium and luxury paperbased packaging for a number of major drinks brands.

And the £3 million investment will see its subsidiary Blue Box Design move to occupy a 20,000 sq ft facility on a greenfield site at Broadleys Business Park.

This will enable it to supply more packaging products to key whisky clients.

The firm will also be able to upscale production when required and significantly increase sales.

It plans to create ten new roles over the next four years, bringing the team total to 45.

Donald McLaren, managing director, said: “As a supplier in a global market it is critical for us to move with the trends and invest to deliver a competitive advantage for our business and customers.

“The Scotch whisky industry posted a record-breaking number of exports for 2017 with overseas shipments up 8.9 per cent to £4.37 billion. As a result we’ve seen our whisky clients looking to differentiate themselves in the increasingly competitive global market for brown spirits.

“We’ve seen a huge shift to more elaborate packaging with bespoke designs due to drinkers all over the world demanding quirky and premium variations of our national tipple.”