Tag Archives: Investment

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Tech, News

Eden invests in new Bruderer high-precision press to advance innovation and sustainability

Taking advantage of new export opportunities has seen a Middlesex manufacturer invest more than £300,000 into a new high-speed precision stamping press line.

Eden Limited, a specialist in optical air-blown fibre and cables fittings for the global telecommunication industry, renewed a 35-year working relationship with Bruderer UK to place the order for the BSTA 180-36B press – fitted with the latest high speed precision servo feeder.

This latest addition is being utilised to drive innovation of new product ranges and to supply existing telecoms contracts, ensuring sustainability and development of the legacy network in the UK and abroad.

This machine is already delivering greater accuracies, with Bruderer UK’s quick lift-ram technology – that dynamically adjusts bottom dead centre position whilst in operation – meaning the business can guarantee process stability and part quality to their customers regardless of the volumes required.

“A pre-owned Bruderer BSTA 30 was one of the first machines I bought when I started the business back in 1993,” explained Dave Hawkins, Chairman of Eden.

“It has given us tremendous service and reliability, so when we were looking to advance our press shops technology to make parts 10x quicker to compete with Far East made products, there was only one investment I was going to make and the new Bruderer press is going to be fantastic for us.”

He continued: “We have built our reputation on innovative products that have become and continue to be the go-to industry standard for over 20 years and, as such, are frequently copied worldwide. Investments, like the Bruderer press, ensures we keep ahead of our competition and paves the way for future expansion.

“We have seen demand increase significantly since lockdown, as we are one of the very few companies worldwide that control all elements of the manufacture in-house. This gives us a unique position in the market to supply when others could not, so much so we have invested some £1.5m over the last 18 months, culminating in the acquisition of the high-speed precision press.”

The Bruderer UK technical team, headed by Scott Baker, worked with Eden to spec the BSTA 180-36B to its exact requirements, adding a state-of-the-art high-speed precision BSV75 Servo Feeder (including automatic material thickness adjustment) and other options to help speed up tool development, tool changeovers and the efficiency of the whole process.

Adrian Haller, Managing Director at Bruderer UK, picked up the story: “This machine will future-proof Eden’s press capability for decades and delivers the unrivalled performance and repeatable accuracy it needs when manufacturing precision components.

“What is really pleasing about this project is that Dave and his team first purchased a Bruderer back in 1993 and that press has given them unbelievable service and will continue to do so. When the time came to add even further capability, there was no hesitation in coming back to us – these strategic partnerships is what our company is all about.”

Pam Gill, Managing Director at Eden, concluded: “The entire project was seamless and Bruderer’s service and support remains second to none.

“Everything was project managed for us from start to finish, meaning we could concentrate on meeting the increases in production and putting in place the platform we needed to maximise several new product and export opportunities.”

News

Family ethos continues to underpin growth of award-winning independent travel company

An award-winning travel company is targeting significant growth over the next few years – but the family ethos will still underpin everything it does.

Solmar Villa Holidays is looking to increase turnover by 25 per cent next year as it aims to establish itself as the first choice for those looking for villa holidays.

The strategy involves beefing up the senior team, with four new directors already on board and another to come.

Chief executive Julie Blake said: “Our plan is to be that go-to brand, to be a household recognised name so when people think of villa holidays, whether they be in the trade, in the public or press, Solmar is that brand that they think of, and in a positive way.

“We looked at the organisational structure and put the directors in place so we have leadership in each department. Until then, it was just me and I was becoming the bottleneck within the business.

“It has been really exciting to have the directors come in, with the experience they have, and it feels like the pressure is off my shoulders because we have like-minded people in place. Next step is to review the business below that level and put structures in place to make sure the business is future-proofed.”

Julie believes that in-resort reps, personal service and a focus on quality and customer experience help Solmar to stand out from a crowded field, and she intends to continue and develop that ethos.

She said: “We’re making sure we don’t allow quality to drop in pursuit of growth. While we will be getting on for £40 million [turnover] next year, we are still very family-friendly, both as an employer and as a company to speak to, and I think our clients like that. They like the personal touch, and we understand each client and what they are after.

“We are a family-run business, we’re not answering to shareholders, it’s not investment driven – this is about a family wanting to earn a living and be proud of what we do.

“We are pushing forward with what you would call an old-fashioned opinion really, which is looking after the customer.”

Growth plans include moving into long-haul destinations, offering full package holidays including flights, transfers and add-ons, and a 24-hour UK based helpline for customers to supplement the in-resort representative service.

The aim is to increase the number of villas on the books from 1,500 to about 2,500 and to increase staffing both in the UK and in resorts.

Julie said Solmar was also working closely with villa owners to help them maintain and improve their properties, which in turn would improve the holiday experience for customers.

She said: “It’s about trying to help the suppliers improve what they’re doing. Things like hot tubs, EV charging points, solar panels, which we’re doing already. We can part-fund their solar panels on the rooves – they pay, say, €2,000, we pay €2,000, and it means the villa is more sustainable, it means their costs are lower and we have committed to them so they want to continue working with Solmar.

“We are working with suppliers as much as customers to make them see Solmar as a positive company that wants to look after them and their property. What we’re actually doing is making sure that when the clients go there, they have a great time, and aren’t worrying about damaging the environment by putting the air conditioning on.”

Plumbed in water filters so holidaymakers don’t need to buy bottled water and an affordable purchasing scheme so villa owners can buy quality Solmar-branded mattresses to assure visitors of a comfortable sleep are among many innovations and add-ons Julie is keen to introduce to make sure both holidaymakers and suppliers see Solmar as a go-to brand.

She added: “We have to put customer experience and supplier experience to the front, so they have a good experience and want to come back.

“Post-covid, the big difference between what we’re doing and what our competitors seem to be doing, is they all seem to have pulled away from the traditional tour operator business model. Some are no longer doing in-person health and safety checks, they’re not having staff on the ground because it’s expensive.

“That’s all great, and it cuts costs and puts profit on the bottom line, but what’s the experience for the customer, what’s the retention?”

While the cost of living crisis is pushing up costs and squeezing profit margins, Julie is confident that UK holidaymakers will still head abroad in numbers in 2023.

She said: “Market research suggests that while cost of living is an issue, people might change what they do and how they budget, but there’s no way they’re giving up their holidays.

“If we hadn’t had the pandemic I think we would have been a little bit worried about how many people were going to stay in the UK, but UK holidays are so much more expensive than they used to be.

Even when you’re there, you’re not guaranteed the weather and food is much more expensive here as well.

“We’ve been through two recessions in my time here and through both of them Solmar has grown quite substantially. We don’t say “Oh no, there’s a recession, we’d better make redundancies and reduce numbers”. What we do instead is look at the opportunities.

“Holidays are the one thing people will not give up, because they work hard and are very stressed, and the only thing they have to look forward to sometimes is that week or two-week holiday.”

Solmar was created by Julie’s parents John and Maria in the 1980s after they bought their own villa and started to rent it out. The company is based in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and now has 1,500 villas on its books across Europe and the Mediterranean.

With a new logo and rebrand also complete, Julie said the focus was now on investing for growth. A £600,000 bespoke reservation system and website is up and running and staff are in the process of moving to bigger offices which will double the company’s operating space.

Finance and Banking, Investment, Investment News, News

Just 27% of UK investors have faith in Tory economic policy

A new survey of 721 UK-based retail investors has revealed their sentiments towards the Government, and how they are managing their portfolios in the current climate:

– Only 30% believe Jeremy Hunt is the right person to be Chancellor
– Even fewer (27%) have confidence in the Government’s economic policies
– 48% of investors are looking to easily tradable investments to counter economic turbulence

Only a quarter of UK retail investors have faith in Tory economic policy, with the majority concerned about slowing economic growth, new research commissioned by HYCM has found.

The online forex and CFD broker commissioned an independent survey of 721 UK-based investors, all of whom have investments in excess of £10,000, excluding the value of their savings, pensions and residential property.

It found that less than a third (30%) believe Jeremy Hunt is the right person to be chancellor.

Just 27% have confidence in the Conservative party’s economic policies, with only 22% believing the measures announced in the recent Autumn Statement will have a positive impact on their investments.

However, almost half (48%) think the Government is right to raise taxes and cut spending to tackle the budget deficit. Further, 58% said rising interest rates and inflation are their biggest concerns.

When asked about their investment activities over the past six months and their priorities when managing their portfolio, 48% said having investments they can quickly and easily trade or withdraw was important. Similar numbers (45%) are avoiding making long-term investment decisions due to continued political and economic uncertainty.

HYCM’s survey revealed that just 26% of UK retail investors are satisfied with their investment returns over the last six months. Despite market volatility, only a fifth (21%) have shifted their investment strategy to more traditionally stable assets, such as gold and bonds.

Looking ahead, 37% are more likely to diversify their investments in 2023 to ensure they can perform well in a range of potential scenarios.

Giles Coghlan, Chief Market Analyst, HYCM, said: “After a turbulent six months in UK politics, the financial markets have seen unprecedented levels of volatility. Three prime ministers, four chancellors, a disastrous mini-budget, and inflation still surging despite successive interest rate hikes – HYCM research shows UK investors are suffering a crisis of confidence in the Government.

“Interestingly, around four in five investors (79%) are not planning on decreasing their holdings in stocks and shares investments, despite the threat that raging inflation poses to their portfolios. If the UK has a deeper recession than is currently forecast, the wealth effect and the risk of a sharp capitulation in stock positions could inflict a significant amount of damage. With this in mind, at what point will those investors move away from stocks? Ironically, it could create the perfect conditions to buy when the panic selling begins.

“Although things have somewhat calmed since Hunt delivered his Autumn Statement, many investors would still benefit from exploring their options – whether this means looking to safe haven assets or diversifying their investments to boost their returns as the UK weathers a recession.”

—

About HYCM

HYCM is an online provider of forex and Contracts for Difference (CFDs) trading services for both retail and institutional traders. HYCM is regulated by the internationally recognized financial regulator FCA. HYCM is backed by the HYCM Capital Markets Group providing trading services since 1998. The Group via its relevant subsidiaries have representations in Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Dubai, and Cyprus.

High-Risk Investment Warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. For more information, please refer to HYCM’s Risk Disclosure.

News, South West

Silver Fox targets growth after coordinated investment drive

A Hertfordshire manufacturer that supplies its labelling solutions to companies such as ABB, London Underground, Mitsubishi, Network Rail and Vodafone is looking to expand after tapping into expert support.

Silver Fox Ltd has continued to invest in new plant and machinery throughout Covid-19 and, when combined with specialist external assistance, this has helped it grow considerably over the last twelve months.

The family-run business has benefitted from accessing industry knowledge through the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), an initiative designed for SMEs, funded by the European Regional Development Fund and delivered by Oxford Innovation Advice.

“We design, develop and manufacture highly durable labelling solutions, particularly for the electrical instrumentation, data, and telecoms sectors. We’re also seeing growing success in the process sector,” explained Nick Michaelson, Director at Silver Fox Ltd.

“One of our innovations is an industry-leading product called the Fox-in-a-Box®, which means clients can print our entire range of thermal labels all from one software, one printer and one ribbon.”

He continued: “This includes the highly durable Fox-Flo® tie-on cable label, which is both UV-stable and Low-Smoke Zero-Halogen. This makes it ideal for use trackside on Network Rail, in tunnels with the London Underground and across oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, data centres, public buildings and the rapidly expanding renewables sectors.”

Silver Fox, which was the first manufacturer in Hertfordshire to become carbon-negative in 2020, is a strong advocate of MGP and the specialist support it has provided.

It is urging other SMEs to tap into the remaining grants available for business improvement projects and is calling on management teams to throw their support behind the initiative as the new funding landscape is being formed.

“Industry really needs to make the most of the Manufacturing Growth Programme whilst it is here and, importantly, ensure that it is still around when the new support packages are announced,” added Nick.

“It is a helpful service, and it makes the process so easy. The impact is immediate, and we’ve also looked at using the specialist support to complement our own long-term solutions for our business.”

Amanda Freeland, MGP’s Manufacturing Growth Manager for Hertfordshire, concluded: “The company is a great example of a specialist firm that has really served its marketplace, formed strong connections with very large clients by making products that are world-beating.

“In addition, it is a carbon-negative company that builds sustainability into everything it does, from investment in energy savings and process improvements, to reductions in plastic waste and choosing biodegradable materials in its packaging for example.”

As the business grows during these challenging times, it is likely that Silver Fox will also be looking to expand its workforce in the months to come.

News

Jutexpo announce new shareholders to shake up the retail Industry

Jutexpo owner’s have announced a restructure in the shareholding with their Chinese partners now taking a stake in the business.

After a five year partnership through their HALT Alliance with manufacturing partners in China, Baichuan (Best Trade Group Limited) and FeiFei (Lai Guang Zhou), Barrie and Sam Turner, owners of Jutexpo have announced the Chinese firms will become shareholders in their business.

Baichuan are the converter of used post-consumer plastic bottles to yarn, and ultimately the fabric we use of various standards and qualities. FeiFei are the manufacturers of the finished products, with each product being made from recycled plastic bottles.

Chairman of Jutexpo, Barrie Turner has said: “In the true sense we become an international business, with a strong technical base, both at the core of the raw material, and in our product range. As senior shareholder/Chairman of this exciting company, I believe that taking this cooperative step is good for all staff, bankers, customers and our suppliers. Moreover, the blend of ownership underpins expansion and security – leaving the business free to concentrate on developing the range of unique products we supply.”

Sam Turner, Managing Director of Jutexpo added: “We are very excited to welcome our Chinese partners into the business, working collaboratively with them on the bottles to bags over the past 5 years has added to our success and this next stage in our business will shake up the reusable bag sector.

“What we are most excited about is being able to take the first steps in reducing the globablisation of the industry, and reducing the manufacturing process for our clients. Decreasing the current 3-5 month lead time to just a couple of weeks. This will be a gamechanger for our clients in the retail sector over the next couple of years.”

Lai Guang Zhou, FeiFei: “It’s our great honour to be a partner of Jutexpo alongside Baichuan. Our cooperation gives me further confidence in our vision of preventing waste. By taking this next step, we aim to make even greater contributions to environmental sustainability.”

Feipeng Zhang, Baichuan: “Our relationship with Jutexpo and Fei Fei has exemplified the idea of ‘doing well by doing good’. The nature of our work means our business will only thrive by helping people make greener choices, and our newly deepened partnership will undoubtedly help us achieve this goal.”

Jutexpo are the UK market leader in reusable bags and products made with rPET (from post-consumer plastic bottles), along with Jute,Juco, Cotton, and and their core principle is ‘Beyond the bag’ which focuses on integrity through ethical production, social responsibility, quality and trust. Supplying clients such as Sainsbury’s Waitrose, John Lewis, Tesco and Marks & Spencer.

Finance and Banking, Finance News, International News, News, North of England

WeDo Business Services makes acquires significant stake in Australian finance firm

A north west business services group has gained a foothold in the Australian market by making a strategic seven-figure investment in a Brisbane-based invoice and trade finance company.

WeDo Business Services, which is headquartered in Oldham, has taken a significant stake in Invoice Finance Group (IFG).

IFG had been seeking an investment partner to help take it to the next level by adding funding capability and new business finance products. At the same time, WeDo was looking to establish itself Down Under.

WeDo directors Mark Lindsay and Chris Robinson engaged Wayne Smith, a former senior executive at Sydney-based business finance company ScotPac, to help with this phase of their growth plan.

Wayne was able to bring both parties together and helped to structure the deal. He has become chairman of IFG following the investment, and will work with its founders and directors Paul and Angela Tonges on its expansion strategy.

Mark, group chief executive of WeDo, said: “Our invoice finance business has been built on a simple model of delivering solutions in a transparent and value-added way, working with clients to ensure they get more than they expect.

“It was refreshing to see that IFG shares a similar approach which is very client-centric.

“The independent finance market in Australia is not as competitive as it is in the UK, and therefore we feel there is scope for IFG to expand significantly and develop additional service lines, much like our UK business has done in recent years. We are extremely excited by the opportunities and growth potential for IFG.”

WeDo provides a range of services to small and medium-sized companies. In addition to invoice and trade finance and start-up funding, it provides HR, back office, IT, digital and payroll support, with a focus on the recruitment sector.

Mark and Chris founded the business in 2019 with just four staff and the company has grown rapidly through organic expansion and acquisitions. The group now employs almost 100 people across its network of offices, including sites in Colchester, Swindon, Sheffield and MediaCityUK in Salford.

IFG is a boutique business which husband and wife team Paul and Angela set up in 2011. It specialises in providing invoice finance to businesses across Australia.

Paul said: “As the founders, we are very excited about the next chapter of IFG’s growth strategy. We’re delighted to share a common alignment in our vision and values with our new investors, by continuing to exceed our customers’ expectations.

“This strategic investment will allow IFG to better service our existing clients and attract new customers by enabling us to offer a broader range of finance products and a larger deal size. With so many Australian small businesses desperate to fund growth, IFG will be able to assist many more SMEs.”

News

Acoustic Announces Strategic Growth Investment from Francisco Partners

Acoustic, a global marketing and customer experience provider for B2C brands, has obtained a strategic growth investment from Francisco Partners (“Francisco”), a leading global investment firm that specializes in partnering with technology businesses. Existing investor Centerbridge Partners remains the primary equity holder in the company. 

Acoustic helps brands deliver over 120 billion personalized messages each year using its single, unified platform that combines marketing automation with deep digital experience analytics. Acoustic empowers businesses to create seamless, data-driven digital experiences across email, web, SMS/MMS, mobile push, WhatsApp, social media and more. 

“We are thrilled to announce this new investment from Francisco Partners. As more consumer interactions take place digitally, customer experience becomes the deciding factor for whether consumers engage with your brand,” said Dennis Self, CEO of Acoustic. “This investment validates our strategy for creating unified digital customer experiences at scale. It will also help accelerate our platform vision and continue to create highly personalized multichannel experiences through our product suite that connects consumers’ online interactions with the buying experience. We’re excited to be working with two top-tier investors, Francisco Partners and Centerbridge, as we continue to evolve our platform and offerings to enable a new generation of consumer marketing and experience capabilities.”  

“Brands and marketers are looking for more effective ways to continuously improve the overall consumer experience while simultaneously maximizing the performance and ROI on their marketing investment,” said Peter Gingold, Managing Director at Francisco Partners. “Acoustic’s unified marketing and experience platform uniquely positions the company to emerge as a next-generation leader within the $344.8 billion MarTech industry. We’re excited to join Centerbridge Partners and the Acoustic team to accelerate this vision and the delivery of innovative solutions to create exceptional, personalized customer experiences across several key industry verticals including retail, financial services, insurance, tech and telecom, travel and hospitality, and more.” 

“We are excited to partner with Francisco Partners, a world-class firm specializing in investments of technology companies that are leading the way in innovation and growth, who, like us, believe in Acoustic’s vision and the value of its powerful marketing and experience platform and supporting capabilities,” said Jared Hendricks, Senior Managing Director, and Chris Litchford, Managing Director, of Centerbridge Partners. “Acoustic is a demonstrated leader in an ever-evolving industry. We are committed to helping Acoustic operationalize and scale its solutions through our continued investment.”  

SVB Securities served as financial advisor to Acoustic. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP acted as legal advisor to Acoustic. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP acted as legal advisor to Francisco Partners. 

About Francisco Partners 

Francisco Partners is a leading global investment firm that specializes in partnering with technology and technology-enabled businesses. Since its launch over 20 years ago, Francisco Partners has invested in over 400 technology companies, making it one of the most active and longstanding investors in the technology industry. With approximately $45 billion in capital raised to date, the firm invests in opportunities where its deep sectoral knowledge and operational expertise can help companies realize their full potential. For more information on Francisco Partners, please visit www.Franciscopartners.com. 

About Centerbridge Partners, L.P.  

Centerbridge Partners, L.P. is a private investment management firm employing a flexible approach across investment disciplines – from private equity to credit and related strategies, and real estate – in an effort to find the most attractive opportunities for our investors and business partners. The firm was founded in 2005 and as of August 31, 2022 has approximately $34 billion in capital under management with offices in New York and London. Centerbridge is dedicated to partnering with world-class management teams across targeted industry sectors and geographies to help companies achieve their operating and financial objectives. For more information, please visit www.centerbridge.com. 

About Acoustic, L.P. 

Acoustic, L.P. helps businesses close the digital experience gap by giving them a holistic view into the customer experience and enabling them to deliver personalized experiences based on consumer needs and preferences. The Acoustic portfolio of companies helps businesses across industries to grow customer lifetime value with award-winning technology and unbeatable client success teams. 

Learn more about the Acoustic portfolio at www.acoustic.com. 

News

Greiner Packaging UK & Ireland celebrates 50 sustainable years and announces £10M+ investments

On October 11th 2022, Greiner Packaging UK & Ireland celebrated its 50th anniversary at Dungannon, Northern Ireland, in the presence of the Greiner Family Council from Austria, representatives of regional and local government, and investors.

At the event, the company announced new investments totalling over £10M, for the installation of new bespoke machinery, commissioning of a new manufacturing hall, and the expansion of the warehouse from 3,000 to 11,000 spaces.

“For fifty years, we have produced some of the world’s most sustainable packaging for food and non-food applications at our factory in Dungannon,” says Director Operations at Greiner Packaging International, Jarek Zasadzinski.

“As we celebrate this important anniversary, we are proud to announce these new investments which follow the more than £35M we have invested since acquiring Wilsanco in 2006. Sixteen years ago, the site was turning over £15M and today we are achieving £60M. Our goal is to grow this site to £100M over the next 3-4 years.”

“These investments, by Greiner Packaging International, were partly funded by Invest NI, UK government, and EU regional development funds, and have contributed to building a highly successful and sustainable manufacturing business which services hundreds of customers across the UK and Ireland.”

“We are so proud of our achievements, of our loyal and committed workforce, and to be celebrating 50 sustainable years in Dungannon in 2022.”

To mark the 50 years, five trees were planted, one for each decade.

Investing in sustainability and aiming for carbon neutrality

“There are many sustainable highlights in our 50-year history,” says Greiner Packaging UK & Ireland Sales Director Julie Eller. “After we acquired Wilscanco in 2006, we invested over £2.5M in building Northern Ireland’s first high-bay warehouse, made from sustainable materials.”

“Three years later, through the introduction of energy consumption reducing wind power, Project SCool delivered the factory’s water-cooling needs. This was immediately followed by the need to remove excess heat from the cooling system, and Project SCool still delivers the heating requirements for the Integrated College across the road from the factory. It has not only made a significant contribution to CO2 reduction, but the energy savings made have resulted in the school being able to fund an additional four teachers.”

“The project was supported by Invest NI and UK government and preparations are now underway for Project SCool 2.0, which will see the existing school being expanded to three times its current size, with Greiner Packaging providing 100% of the heating requirements.”

“In 2019, we began the transition to meeting energy requirements solely from renewable sources, and by 2021 we reached that milestone. Plans are in place to become carbon neutral by 2030, in line with the Greiner AG Blue Plan for the entire Greiner Group.”

Investing in a sustainable future

“Since we acquired Wilsanco in 2006, we have invested close to £36M developing the site and installing a wide range of new manufacturing machinery,” says Jarek Zasadzinski.

“The K3® cardboard-plastic innovation was introduced in the following year, and since then there has been continuous investment at our UK manufacturing facility. But, alongside investing to create new packaging solutions, there has been a constant focus on investing in improving our environmental sustainability performance and pursuing our goal to achieve a circular economy.”

The first PET thermoforming machines were installed in 2009 and in-mold labelling (IML) followed in 2010. Kavoblow capability was added in 2015, followed by an upgrade of the forming hall and the introduction of the latest thermoforming technology in 2016. Further K3® and IML capacity followed in 2017 and in 2018 there was a major focus on quality, safety and efficiency. From 2019 to 2021, there was considerable growth with the installation of two more inline thermoforming machines, and another IML machine.

“Last year, we invested over £3.7m in our new PET decontamination and extrusion line,” says Jarek Zasadzinski. “We are proud to announce that the European Food Safety Authority has now approved the process we use to recycle post‐consumer PET into food contact materials, representing another significant and hugely important step in our journey to use increasing amounts of recycled material in our food grade packaging.”

“For the last sixteen years, we have steadily added a wide range of new sustainable packaging solutions, and are particularly proud of our category leading recyclable K3® cardboard-plastic combination packaging solution which has been hugely successful in the dairy and ready-meals sectors. Our new K3® r100 self-separates before reaching recycling facilities and is our most sustainable packaging solution to date.”

Delivering tomorrow’s packaging solutions

“As a business, Greiner Packaging needs to take a collective industry position and wherever possible, lead through example,” says Sustainability and Innovation Manager Rachel Sheldon. “We are already working closely with Plastic Pact and other industry bodies, and we recently joined RECOUP, the official RecyClass auditor for rigid plastic packaging in the UK. At an international level we are members of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, and in 2018, we signed the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment launched by the UK-based Ellen MacArthur Foundation.”

“Our 50th anniversary provides an ideal opportunity to remind our customers that we have been on a constant and well-planned journey to deliver the most sustainable packaging solutions. We will continue to provide our customers with the reassurance that they can avoid the dangers of greenwashing, by adopting packaging which measurably improves their carbon footprint and sustainability position.”

“Plastic has an important role to play, particularly for food packaging where it can help to extend shelf-life and therefore reduce food waste. People all over the UK and Ireland will soon see our ‘We love sustainable packaging’ message, as a fleet of newly liveried trailers heads out onto the nations’ roads from our factory in Dungannon.”

News

London consultancy firm GRAPH Strategy announces senior promotion

Specialist consultancy firm, GRAPH Strategy, has announced the promotion of Phil Craig to Partner.  

Formerly an Associate Partner, Phil has been instrumental in GRAPH Strategy’s growth since he joined the firm in 2018.  

With nearly 15 years of experience in strategy consulting and private equity, Phil’s experience has seen him work with world-leading corporations and private equity firms throughout Europe and North America.  

He currently works across many sectors including tech, healthcare and business services and his promotion follows recent work on several pioneering private equity deals within the mid-market with clients including Livingbridge, LDC, Maven and NorthEdge.  

In the new role, Phil will continue to deliver vital commercial due diligence projects to drive acquisitions and investment deals in the private equity space. He will also support wider business development initiatives and aid the development of the UK-based team. 

GRAPH Strategy, which has offices in London and Washington D.C., supports leading global corporations and private equity firms to acquire and build stronger businesses. 

James Tetherton, Founder and Senior Partner at GRAPH said: “We are delighted to announce Phil’s well-deserved promotion to Partner at GRAPH Strategy. Since joining the company, Phil has consistently demonstrated our values of striving for excellence in every project, driving deep investigation of key tops, and seeking to define and replicate best practice across assignments. 

“People are the most important aspect of a business, and our team has always been an integral part of our success. Phil’s knowledge and expertise, as well as his ability to build trusted relationships with our clients, have been fantastic to witness. We look forward to supporting Phil in his new role and continuing to see the fantastic value he brings to our clients.” 

News

GOODFOLIO Partners with Tumelo to Give its Users a Voice on Corporate ESG Issues

GOODFOLIO, a simple, transparent and customisable platform for impact-driven investors, has launched a new partnership with Tumelo to give its users a voice on key environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues within companies where their money is being invested in.

By incorporating the Tumelo Voting API (application programming interface), GOODFOLIO users are given a voice on the defining issues of our time. Users can express their vote preferences to their fund managers to influence global companies on a range of issues including: gender equality, climate change, inclusion, and human rights. Users receive access to recommendations for and against proposals before a vote and data on the outcome of their engagement.

GOODFOLIO is an innovative solution which aims to empower impact-minded investors to overcome the unreasonable difficulties in making and implementing values-driven investment decisions. This includes avoiding greenwashing, achieving transparency, and having sustainability data available at the point of use. Having developed tools for users to efficiently scan and scrutinise investments for more effective alignment with values and preferences, GOODFOLIO is targeting the global ESG and impact funds market forecast to reach $55 trillion in value by 2025 (source), growing at 40% per year in Europe (source).

The London-based company behind the platform is currently crowdfunding and has raised nearly £300K, double its initial target. This additional investment will go towards bolstering GOODFOLIO’s team and supporting further product development, marketing and customer acquisition.

GOODFOLIO was founded by its CEO Omid Pakseresht, an Oxford-educated entrepreneur with a successful track record in finance and technology product commercialisation, and his brother and Chief Technical Officer, Nima Pakseresht, a computer science technology leader with more than 15 years of experience in big data, AI and ML.

The senior management team also includes Harvard-educated social entrepreneur Farahnaz Karim, with experience in the UN and World Bank, who serves as GOODFOLIO’s Chief Impact Officer.

CEO Omid Pakseresht comments: “We are delighted to partner with Tumelo and aim to become one of the first investment platforms to bring the Voting API function to market. This will enable impact-driven investors who use our platform to directly express their views to their fund managers about what kind of change they would like to see in the corporate world. Our community views this as an important component in the equation of creating impact through investment.”

“The partnership with Tumelo marks the beginning of a journey to empower our users to create more impact through collective action.

“The success of our current crowdfunding campaign is also a significant development for GOODFOLIO. This additional investment will enable the business to further develop its unique position, better serve its community, and reach out to a larger audience of impact-driven investors.”

Georgia Stewart, CEO of Tumelo, said: “We are very excited about the partnership with GOODFOLIO, a company as passionate about providing investors with a voice as we are. Tumelo’s Voting API functionality is ideal for GOODFOLIO’s ESG-focused platform as it enables users to closely interact with companies within their investment portfolio through their fund managers, giving them a voice on the hottest issues of our time. This progressive and positive step forward empowers investors to balance financial returns and ensure their investments align with their values.”

More details on GOODFOLIO’s crowdfunding round on Seedrs can be found here.