£1m investment by Priory Press Packaging

The Minister visited Priory Press Packaging and other companies in the Ards and North Down area to hear feedback on how businesses are coping with the challenges associated with Covid-19.

The Minister said: “This is a significant investment by Priory Press Packaging. The new machinery will allow the company to increase export opportunities and the overall productivity of its business. It comes after the company spotted a niche gap in the market and will allow it to diversify to supply products for the pharmaceutical market.”

The County Down SME currently supplies printed carton packaging for manufacturers across a range of sectors including food and beauty.

The Minister continued: “It is good to see how Priory Press Packaging has identified and adapted quickly to capitalise on new opportunities. I trust this gives other businesses hope as they currently evaluate the post-Covid landscape. Diversification is going to be an important part of our economic recovery and my Department and Invest Northern Ireland are positioned to help companies adapt, recover and rebuild.”

Invest NI has been working with Priory Press since 2011 and has offered a range of support including trade market visits, job creation, skills development of staff and technical product assistance. This latest offer of £91,800 will support the company to invest in new machinery and create two new jobs.

Mark McConville, Managing Director of Priory Press Packaging, added: “While there has been a continual demand for our packaging in the food retail sector, we have recognised a gap in the pharmaceutical market for our services since the pandemic hit.

“By investing in specialist machinery, and employees with the skills to operate this effectively, we will be able to break into this new sector and grow our business in international markets, beginning with ROI.

“Invest NI’s long term support has been invaluable and has been key in bringing our business to the level it is today. It is also helping us secure our ISO accreditation for the Pharmaceutical Packaging Standard, which is important for us to be credible within the sector and will open doors with potential clients.”

The company’s Komori machine is specifically designed for the needs of the pharmaceutical sector. Its new technology utilises high-speed cameras to prevent errors on print runs and allows jobs to be remotely authorised before printing begins.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you