Product category:
Contract packing
News Release from: Assembly and Packaging Services
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 20 January 2006
UK Contract Packer Gears For Growth With
New Chief
Northumberland (UK) packaging firm Assembly and Packaging Services (APS) is embarking on a period of growth following a re-structuring and the appointment of a new chief executive.
Northumberland (UK) packaging firm Assembly and Packaging Services (APS) is embarking on a period of growth following a re-structuring and the appointment of a new chief executive Blyth-based APS, one of the UK's largest contract packaging companies, has appointed Chris Pygall, former managing director of the Dataform Group, to head up the company
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 27 Sep 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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APS director Judith Leighton formed the company, which has a 20-year history and a solid base of clients - in 1984 with her late business partner Margaret Watson.
Chris Pygall said: "This is very much a new era for APS and I'm relishing the challenge.
With the right team in place some inward investment and plenty of hard work, the infrastructure in place at APS could support a GBP15m operation.
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This will ensure the company takes its position at the forefront of the UK packaging industry and strives to become one of the most successful companies in the region." He added: "The key objectives to achieve success are relatively simple.
We need to build and offer more products, keep working on our services to existing customers and find new business.
We need to provide more products and services than the competition so my intention is to diversify and deliver a strong new business strategy." After his apprenticeship in electrical engineering, he worked in Germany before emigrating to Australia.
After returning to the UK he was a regional manager for RS Components.
In 1997 he joined Dataform as operations manager.
In eight years he moved from operations manager to operations director, managing director and group managing director, taking the company from a GBP12m turnover to a GBP40m multi-site operation.
That was largely achieved through organic and acquisitive growth, buying four businesses in five years.
Now, he is vowing to follow suit with APS and is keen to point out that he will be drawing on his experience at Dataform, which was in a similar position to APS nine years ago.
"There are real similarities between APS and Dataform in terms of the challenge ahead and it is a terrific opportunity right here in the region.
I am excited by the history, the client base and the team which has positioned the company as a leader in its field - providing an excellent infrastructure for further development," he said.
Judith Leighton added: "One of the first things we discussed with Chris was that this business has always been based on an extremely loyal and hard-working team, but to take it to the next stage of development APS was in need of new dynamic leadership and a solid management structure." She continued: "Chris has a dynamic and astute focus on growth and is keen to ensure that APS offers more to the marketplace, ensuring that we can compete and win contracts, grow organically and, through effective acquisition, we will propel the company forward in to a new period of success.".
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