Huhtamaki creating 20 new jobs in Lurgan

Huhtamaki in Lurgan is to create 20 jobs for the town as it starts work on a ground-breaking recycling project.
By The Newsroom
Published 17th Jun 2019, 13:19 BST
Updated 17th Jun 2019, 14:19 BST
Pictured (L-R) are Steve Davey, Huhtamaki Fresh Project Manager, Jill Sloan, Human Resources Manager at Huhtamaki (Lurgan) and Richard Smith, General Manager of Huhtamaki (Lurgan), standing in front of the new factory at the Lurgan plant, specially built to produce Huhtamaki Fresh trays.Pictured (L-R) are Steve Davey, Huhtamaki Fresh Project Manager, Jill Sloan, Human Resources Manager at Huhtamaki (Lurgan) and Richard Smith, General Manager of Huhtamaki (Lurgan), standing in front of the new factory at the Lurgan plant, specially built to produce Huhtamaki Fresh trays.
Pictured (L-R) are Steve Davey, Huhtamaki Fresh Project Manager, Jill Sloan, Human Resources Manager at Huhtamaki (Lurgan) and Richard Smith, General Manager of Huhtamaki (Lurgan), standing in front of the new factory at the Lurgan plant, specially built to produce Huhtamaki Fresh trays.

The packaging firm is to start work on the first stages of a  new project producing recyclable ready meal trays which will help reduce the amount of plastic sent to landfill globally.

The jobs, which include cell coordinators, production operatives, and maintenance technicians, are a key part of the innovative Finnish-owned company’s investment of £7m.

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With funding support by the BBI JU Horizon 2020 program, a new plant will make the world’s first home compostable oven and microwave safe fibre-based trays in the UK for.

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The production facility will revolutionise the ready meal market and plays a key role in Huhtamaki’s sustainability commitment to produce alternatives to plastic. The company is now hiring for the positions ahead of the plant’s full commissioning.

Huhtamaki currently employs around 230 people at the Lurgan plant which also makes egg boxes, drinks carriers and other moulded paper products.

The new fibre-based trays, known as Huhtamaki Fresh, replace the widely-used black plastic ready meal trays which, because the lasers used by recycling companies find it difficult to recognise the colour effectively, end up being sent to landfill.

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Waitrose is currently using the new trays across its Italian ready meal range after pledging to stop using black plastic trays by the end of 2019.

The switch has already saved 160 tonnes of single use plastic.

Richard Smith, General Manager of Huhtamaki (Lurgan), said: “This is one of the most exciting phases in the life of Huhtamaki in Lurgan, so far, and we want to expand our committed team to prepare for the next stage of that journey. We are providing answers to some of the biggest issues facing the packaging world today.”

Applications are open now at: https://huhtamaki.getgotjobs.co.uk/home.

Related topics:Waitrose