COMPANY HISTORY
We’re extremely proud of our history, from a humble small scale start-up company in 1973 to the innovative successful modern thermoformer we are today.
1973
The company was founded in 1973 by Chris Kershaw.
Macclesfield Packaging was set up on the first floor of an old print mill to make packaging for Dinky Toys and Meccano.
1970's
The business moves to Macclesfield
The business soon moved to Thorp Mill in Macclesfield as it rapidly grew out of the new need for the invention of themoforming. At the time machines were manually run at 4-6 cycles/minute if you were lucky.
1980's
Continued expansion
The business continued to expand and moved to Bredbury in the 1980’s.
1990
ISO9001 accreditation
In 1990 Macpac gains ISO9001 accreditation. The investment in our toolrooms meant that this was necessary for quality development of tooling.
1996
A fire prompts another move
After a devastating fire at our Bredbury factory, the business moved to our current address on Heaton Mersey Industrial Estate where we occupied a single industrial unit with 4 machines.
1997
Graham joins the family business
In 1997 Graham came back into the family business after University graduation and working overseas for ten years. During his time abroad Graham was a member of Greenpeace which might explain some of his later actions.
1998
Macpac introduces CNC
Macpac introduce the early CNC’s in their toolroom in a move away from traditional cast aluminium toolmaking to highly accurate CAD/CAM machining.
2000
Macpac wins Prestigious Starpack Gold Award for Carbon Monoxide detector.
We were also awarded the Bronze Award for technical innovation.
2003
A front runner for recycled materials
Macpac pushes RPET as one of the first companies in the UK to market this new product and drive the move away from PVC.
2005
Macpac enters the medical sector
Macpac ventures into the medical sector by designing the first thermoformed pill packaging which revolutionised administering medicines to elderly patients. This was soon followed by the introduction of Carehome packs. Made from recycled materials, these packs always had a clear blue tint due to the fact that they were made from recycled water bottles.
2008
Macpac doubles factory size
With the continued investment in new machinery, Macpac doubles the factory floor space to 10,000 sq ft. Later additions saw further expansion to make space for Raw/materials and finished goods.
2010
Macpac achieve BRC accreditation with major factory investment
Macpac wins BRC/IOP accreditation in 2010 heralding a £750K investment in state of the art machinery
2011
Macpac buys Hamilton Packaging
The aquisition provided Macpac with a share of the food packaging market.
2013
Macpac install the first Illig down stacking Machine in the UK
In conjunction with machine manufacturer Illig, Macpac help develop this new technology to help reduce tooling cost without the compromise of production efficiencies.
2013
Toolroom development
The continued expansion of the toolroom saw the introduction of Hurco CNC machines and an increase in engineers.
2014
Macpac win Silver Award at the Starpack Awards for Surecel Clam pack for Technical Innovation
2015
Further expansion
A further unit is added to expand the finished goods area significantly due to increased demand.
2015
Macpac win Bronze Award at the Starpack Awards for Snap In the category for Home- DIY, Gifts & Gardening
2016
Our innovation continues to be recognised
Macpac win Innovation of the year Award at Gro South Horticultural Exhibition for our Large Letter Pack design.
2019
MACPAC introduces Breakdown PET
Breakdown PET is a revolutionary new material which is fully recyclable AND biodegradeable.
2020
Rapid development when it counts
Macpac win The Railway Industry Awards special award for Covid -19 response for designing and manufacturing Hard hat visors in record time.
2022
Continued Investment
First ever down stacking & punch and die Thermoforming machine in the UK lands at Macpac.
2023
MACPAC is 50 years old!
We are celebrating 50 years in business.
2026
ISO13485:2016 accreditation
Macpac gain ISO13485:2016 at the first attempt.
IN THE NEWS...
We would be delighted to meet you, come and see us! We are here: Macpac Ltd, Unit 5, Barton Road, Heaton Mersey Industrial Estate, Stockport, SK4 3EG
You can also call us at 0161 442 1642 or fill out our contact form to request further information or a quote.
We make high-quality thermoformed packaging for many industries. We make all types of thermoformed packs: from simple blisters and flow wrap trays; to bespoke, complex clam packs and transit trays. Our factory in Manchester handles order quantities from a few thousand to tens of millions, for local and international clients.
© , Macpac Ltd.
