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BCMPA SUPPORTS AND INFORMS BUISINESSES AT 2026 CONFERENCE

April 2026

Collaboration and innovation in challenging market conditions were among the key outputs from this month’s BCMPA 2026 Conference, which was held at the Oxford Belfry.

Over 110 delegates and sponsors heard from a diverse range of speakers addressing the economic outlook, technology, packaging reforms and employee engagement. The presentations and panel discussions aimed to help co-packers and manufacturers understand the ever-changing business and legislative landscape. The opportunity to discuss these topics, and more, began the evening before with a networking dinner held at the venue.

BCMPA CEO Emma Verkaik said: “It was encouraging to see so many engaged delegates listening to our highly knowledgeable line-up of speakers. One of the roles of the BCMPA is to flag these important subjects to members, allowing them to be part of the dialogue that is shaping the future of the contract manufacturing, packing & fulfilment industry.

“We are stronger together and I can see that the members are embracing the positives and the learnings that can be found from industry collaboration.”

Highlights included a presentation on the state of the economy by Professor Trevor Williams, former Chief Economist for Lloyds Bank, who outlined the challenges facing businesses due to the conflict in the Middle East. In addition, Esther Carter, Chief Strategy Officer at Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme administrator PackUK, updated the conference on how the government’s flagship packaging reforms were progressing, revealing that EPR’s initial payments across the four nations totalled £1.4billion.

In addition, lead Conference sponsor Nulogy hosted a discussion panel titled ‘Optimising quality and traceability in Contract Packing’. Nulogy CCO Europe Josephine Coombe was joined by David Loughlin, Senior Director Packaging Solutions at DHL Supply Chain, and Stephen Nicholls, Managing Director at Complete Co-Packing Services.

BCMPA members were impressed with the breadth of content and quality of the speaker programme.

For further information please visit our Conference page here.

Industry Association Leaders Unite to Tackle Print & Packaging Talent Crisis at Landmark Collaboration Meeting

February 2026

The first cross-association meeting focused on addressing the print and packaging industry’s growing workforce challenges was held on 19^th February, bringing together senior trade association leaders from across the UK to drive a more unified approach to talent attraction, development, and retention.

The meeting was convened and led by Joanna Stephenson, managing director of packaging and print specialist marketing agency Think B2B Marketing and co-founder of voluntary organisation Young People In Print (YPIP). YPIP has an ongoing mission to champion industry collaboration and create sustainable career pathways for the next generation of print and packaging professionals.

Representatives from leading packaging and print trade bodies, including IPIA, GPMA, the Packaging Federation, SPA, FIA UK, CPI, BPIF, BCF, BCMPA and PICON, alongside the YPIP team, attended the session, reflecting a shared recognition that talent attraction and retention and workforce skills shortages are a sector-wide issue requiring collective action.

The day was kindly hosted by Fujifilm at its Bedford site, providing an ideal setting for open dialogue and industry reflection. A standout moment came from a presentation delivered by one of Fujifilm’s younger employees, who shared their perceptions of the industry prior to joining versus the reality of working within it today, highlighting the innovation, career opportunity and creativity the sector offers. The presentation powerfully underscored the industry’s perception challenge and set the tone for the day’s discussions.

Key Challenges Identified

Discussions centred on several critical issues impacting the sector’s future workforce pipeline, including:

• Poor or outdated industry perception from the general public
• The need for education system development to create career pathways
• Recruitment challenges – competition with more attractive sectors
• Employer support – ability to attract and retain skilled employees
• Ability to connect with the next generation in the education system
• Training and development provisions
• Compensation and benefits

While each association outlined the work already underway within their respective organisations, there was strong consensus that greater alignment and joint initiatives are essential to achieving meaningful, industry-wide impact.

Driving Industry Collaboration

The meeting marked the first step toward a more coordinated strategy, with YPIP facilitating discussions designed to break down silos and encourage shared solutions.

A collaborative action plan was developed on the day, focusing on practical initiatives to improve industry visibility, strengthen early-career pathways, and provide employers with the tools needed to attract and nurture emerging talent.

Participants committed to ongoing partnership working, with the group set to reconvene later this year to review progress against agreed actions and identify further opportunities for collaboration.

A Collective Responsibility

The session reinforced a unified message: workforce development is not a challenge owned by any single organisation, but one that affects the entire print and packaging ecosystem.

By bringing associations together for the first time in this format, YPIP has laid the groundwork for a more connected approach ensuring the industry is better positioned to promote its strengths, modernise its image, and secure the talent it needs for the future.

BCMPA highlights the power of outsourcing and the growing dialogue within the BCMPA community at 2026’s Contract Pack & Fulfilment Show

February 2026

The BCMPA – the Association for Contract Manufacturing, Packing, Fulfilment & Logistics – believes that this year’s Contract Pack & Fulfilment Show firmly underlined the strength of outsourcing specialists and the vital role they play in the packaging supply chain.

The exhibition, co-located with Packaging Innovations & Empack, also highlighted the extraordinary entrepreneurial talent in the industry with start-ups looking for third parties to take their business to the next level. It was a theme endorsed by the debut of the BCMPA sponsored Pitch the Co-Packers Final, which took place on the Supply Chain Stage.

The Dragons’ Den style competition showcased the many ways that outsourcing helps young brands with their packaging and supply chain, enabling them to focus on their own business plans. The winner was Renata Sa founder of HANGOV a premium UK-based supplement designed to support the body before and after alcohol consumption.

“This year’s Contract Pack & Fulfilment Show put forward the positive case our members can make to assisting brands and retailers – big or small,” said Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA. “We are building a community of businesses with the expertise that can unlock the true potential of a brand. Start-ups taking their first steps need our members’ help to get their product to market. Without supply chain specialists – including contract packers, manufacturers, and ecommerce and fulfilment specialists – it does not matter how good the packaging is; you need to get your products out efficiently and safely. Using the expertise of third parties enables and accelerates this process.

“It’s why Pitch the Co-Packers was such a success. Not only were the four finalists incredibly passionate about their brand, with compelling and inspirational stories, it showcased what our members can do to assist them. Congratulations to Renata for her impressive pitch – a worthy winner.”

In addition, Emma was among the judges for the Future Trailblazer Awards, which this year was won by Dhruvi Thakkar of Sleeve Office whose entry demonstrated her passion for packaging and showcased a powerful vision for the future that truly embodies the spirit of a Future Trailblazer.

“Supporting young entrepreneurs benefits the entire supply chain,” said Emma. “I was heartened at just how much exciting, ambitious talent is out there. Congratulations to Dhruvi who demonstrates that the future for the packaging industry is bright.”

The 21st edition of Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026 attracted 8,021 unique visitors, an 8% increase on the previous year according to the show’s organiser Easyfairs. This year’s edition also featured over 500 exhibitors, highlighting the exhibition’s rapid growth and increasing industry relevance.

Demand for third-party partnerships is as strong as ever despite challenging economic headwinds and concern over the direction of industry-wide packaging regulation, particularly Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). But despite this uncertainty, the show underlined the knowledge of contract manufacturers and their ability to innovate irrespective of the market conditions.

The conversation over the impact of EPR, plus a wide range of other topics, will continue at this year’s BCMPA Conference which takes place at the Oxford Belfry from 31 March – 1 April. For more information visit the BCMPA Conference 2026.

London Packaging Week 2025 welcomes record visitor growth

October 2025

The BCMPA was delighted to be back at Excel for the 15^th edition of London Packaging Week. There was a very healthy 15% growth in footfall with 5752 unique visitors in attendance across the two day event, and over 90 speakers and 200 exhibitors. Despite the uncertain economic conditions visitors and exhibitors showed a healthy appetite to do business together.

Josh Brooks, Divisional Director of Packaging at Easyfairs said ‘There was something different in the air at London Packaging Week this year… It wasn’t just busy; it was alive, a true reflection of the energy and ambition driving the packaging and design community in London right now'.

The BCMPA witnessed the energy on the stand with a flow of visitors looking for deliverable outsourcing options to help them take their products to market – whether a new project, or scaling up – the BCMPA search function on the website provided multiple options for customers looking to find 3^rd party solutions.

To answer this growing need the BCMPA was delighted to launch the Pitch the Co-Packers, a Dragons Den Style Competition. The format of the competition is that the chosen finalists will be invited to pitch to judges at The Contract Pack and Fulfilment Show, co-located with Packaging Innovations and Empack at the NEC Birmingham on 11^th – 12^th February 2026. Entries to the competition are invited from SMEs with a turnover of under £100,000 with exciting, scalable product concepts. They need to be on the lookout for co-packing, manufacturing or fulfilment support as well as facing packaging or production challenges

The Dragons scrutinising each entry include IPS CEO Andrew Dawson and Mike Williams Co-Founder of Flake Bake, winner of Aldi’s Next Big Thing and Matt Hopkins founder of Indie, supporting SME brands with their product journey. The shortlist of finalists will be revealed in early January, and the winners will receive a cash prize and a consultancy to help take their product to market.

“It was encouraging to meet inspiring entrepreneurs with some amazing ideas and concepts,” said Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA. “Collaboration with third party manufacturers, packers and logistics providers can unlock a successful product launch and help with critical production scale-up. Pitch the Co-Packers will demonstrate how vital these partnerships are while also offering a platform to the next generation of innovative and entrepreneurial talent across a wide range of markets.

“It’s already clear that this competition will go a long way in helping and encouraging smaller businesses to connect with critical partners,” added Verkaik. “It will also give next generation brands valuable insight from experienced third-party experts on how they can take their start-up to the next stage of development.

“Outsourcing was pivotal for visionary entrepreneur Levi Roots. Over 20 years ago he pitched his idea on Dragons’ Den and today he runs a thriving food empire. Understanding how third-party partnerships can boost your business in the same way it did for Levi.”

BCMPA celebrates industry excellence at the 2025 UK Packaging Awards

October 2025

The 2025 UK Packaging Awards, held on 8^th October at the Hilton Park Lane in London, marked a spectacular celebration of innovation, sustainability, and creativity across the packaging sector. As the event commemorated its 20th anniversary, leading brands, manufacturers, designers and supply chain partners came together to honour the very best in UK packaging.

The BCMPA was proud to sponsor two prestigious categories at this year’s ceremony – Co-Manufacturer & Packer of the Year and the new award of E-Commerce & Fulfilment Company of the Year. Both reflect the growing importance of outsourcing in today’s packaging landscape, recognising companies that deliver exceptional service, adaptability, and innovation in a fast-evolving market. 

Emma Verkaik, CEO, congratulated Expac and Zeus Packaging, respective winners of these categories, and whose achievements exemplify the high standards and capabilities of BCMPA members.

The evening also highlighted the progress across the wider industry, with winners in 31 categories showcasing developments in materials, design, and sustainability. From luxury whisky gift boxes to plastic-free innovations and recyclable formats, the awards demonstrated how packaging continues to evolve to meet consumer demands and sustainability goals, within an ever-changing legislative environment. 

The BCMPA’s continued sponsorship of the UK Packaging Awards reinforces the association’s commitment to promoting excellence in third-party outsourcing and supporting companies driving transformation across the sector. 

Our congratulations to all the winners and finalists, including BCMPA members Prism eLogistics, Rain Nutrience, WePack, Granby and Staci as we all look forward to even greater achievements in the years ahead.

Women in Packaging Excellence Awards 2025: Celebrating Leadership

July 2025

The BCMPA was proud to sponsor the inaugural Women in Packaging Excellence Awards (WIPEA), held at The Hilton Bankside. The evening was a heartfelt celebration of the achievements and contributions of women across the packaging industry, shining a spotlight on the innovation, leadership, and passion that are driving meaningful change.

Our CEO, Emma Verkaik, took to the stage to represent the BCMPA. Congratulations to Joanne Scrimshaw, Packaging Development Manager at Coveris UK, who received the BCMPA-sponsored Co-Packing Leader Award - a well-earned recognition of her outstanding contributions to the sector.

The event was hosted by Olympic Gold Medallist Sally Gunnell OBE, who shared her inspiring journey to success with honesty and warmth, adding a personal and motivating touch to the evening.

Congratulations to all winners and nominees for their well-deserved recognition.

Demand for outsourcing continues at CHEMUK 2025 with strong show presence and packed panel discussion

CHEMUK proved to be another standout event for the BCMPA and its members, as the Association took centre stage at the NEC Birmingham to showcase the power of outsourcing in the chemical sector.

Marking its 25th anniversary year, the BCMPA used the event to continue its #outsourcingis campaign, helping visitors explore the critical role third-party providers play in driving business growth, ensuring compliance, and accelerating speed to market.

Exhibiting from the new Formulated Product Manufacturing Zone, the BCMPA team was joined at the show by seven member companies – Biodeg, Briar Chemicals, Cod Beck Blenders, Libra Speciality Chemicals, Safapac,The Rakem Group and WeFill – all demonstrating their expertise in contract manufacturing and supply chain services for the chemical, household and industrial sectors.

A highlight of the show was the BCMPA’s panel discussion on Thursday 22nd May, which attracted a large and engaged audience. Led by CEO Emma Verkaik and joined by Eduardo Moriya (Expac), Matt Wood (HI&I Technical), and Martin Usher (Grotech Production), the session explored how outsourcing supports brands in meeting rising regulatory demands, cost pressures, and operational complexity.

The discussion also acknowledged the increasing challenges faced by the chemical sector, including enhanced risk management, sustainability requirements, and the need for agile response strategies amid geopolitical uncertainties and supply chain disruptions. The panel underscored how outsourcing partners provide the expertise and infrastructure needed to navigate these challenges while maintaining compliance and efficiency.

BCMPA at Making Pharmaceuticals & Distributing Pharmaceuticals 2025

The BCMPA were delighted to be back at Making Pharmaceuticals & Distributing Pharmaceuticals this week at the Coventry Building Society Arena for the two day exhibition. The BCMPA was joined by exhibiting BCMPA members Chester Medical Solutions, GMP Manufacturing and Origin Healthcare, as well as Associate members AddParts and Corplex.

Emma Verkaik CEO of the BCMPA said "It was good to be back at the show and supporting BCMPA members in the Pharmaceutical sector. Having a UK event allows us to easily connect and network with industry friends and members old and new, to discuss the many topics that are currently challenging the pharmaceutical industry, from sustainability to global supply chain issues, and the use of AI in manufacturing."

BCMPA Continues To Celebrate 25th Anniversary #outsourcingis Campaign With Speaker Panel At IFE Manufacturing

April 2025

The BCMPA was pleased to be able to further endorse the benefits of outsourcing at IFE Manufacturing at ExCeL in March. The BCMPA moderated speaker panel discussed how finding the right contract manufacturer and packer enables brands to grow quickly and become successful.

Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA was joined by BCMPA members Chris Sadler, Founder of Brand Tap Bottling, Mateusz Wolf, Founder of FoodBuzz Consulting, Richard Bailey, Commercial Director of Huegli UK, and Mike Williams Entrepreneur and Co- Founder of the Jamaican Patty brand, Flake Bake, a recent winner of Aldi’s Next Big Thing.

The panel were able to help the audience understand the full range of possibilities of how outsourcing can enable brands to focus on their own business, allowing them to escape the day-to-day operational issues and take advantage of the range of services offered by 3^rd parties. From NPD, regulatory, production, ingredients sourcing, bulk buying, inventory management, automation, digitalization, customer interface and end-to-end delivery, the discussion looked at how co packers can offer a range of solutions for their customers.

Visitors to the panel were able to interact at the end of the session with a healthy Q&A session.

Follow the #outsourcingis campaign here.

Contract Pack & Fulfilment Show at Packaging Innovations & Empack 2025

February 2025

BCMPA #outsourcingis campaign launch success, as PI Show announces record attendance figures

The February 2025 edition of the Packaging Innovations & Empack show was a great success, with visitor attendance figures at 7,424 across the two days, breaking all previous records. The depth and robust scope of content provided by the organisers ensured that visitors had plenty of opportunity to engage with the dialogue around the packaging industry.

The BCMPA Hospitality zone hosted over 20 members who were able to showcase the ways in which they can provide outsourcing solutions to brand owners and retailers by offering contract manufacturing, packing and fulfilment services across a range of sectors, from food, drink, personal care, medical, ecommerce/fulfilment and many more. We were pleased to launch the #outsourcingis campaign which also marks the 25^th Anniversary of the BCMPA and is designed to highlight what outsourcing means across the industry and the vital part it plays in the supply chain. The results of the #outsourcingis campaign will be released over LinkedIn and the campaign will continue across 2025.

Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA, took part in two speaker panels. The first, hosted by software provider Nulogy and including BCMPA Members DHL and Prism eLogistics, explored how technology enables co packers to work more efficiently, thus providing better outcomes for customer and supplier. The second fireside chat was with Rob Smith of Arrowtown Drinks, a startup drinks company using 3^rd party fulfilment to grow his business, and Laura Ball of PHL Group. The conversation looked at how 3^rd party fulfilment makes all the difference to growth and scale up for startups, allowing brands to streamline operations, cut costs, and focus on their own business plans.

Emma was also asked to judge on this years Future Trailblazers Campaign and was very pleased to be able to present awards at the show to BCMPA member Mailways’ Robert Rigby for his Award in the Delivery Management Category, and James O Rourke for his Production Delivery Entry. Verkaik said “Rewarding the talent within our industry is a great way to future proof what we do, but also to encourage innovation within the industry – it is very satisfying to see two BCMPA members in the frame for these awards and I am also delighted to see that the Contract Pack industry is becoming more widely recognised for its overall value in the Packaging Supply Chain.”

The BCMPA also held its Gala Dinner after the first night of the show at the Lake Lounge, Genting Hotel, Resorts World. The evening was attended by 70 guests who were able to relax after the first day of Packaging Innovations & Empack, and be entertained by Gary Jones, a Gold Star member of the Inner Magic Circle.

Packaging Innovations Show 2025 Preview

January 2025

The BCMPA will celebrate its 25^th anniversary at this year’s Packaging Innovations & Empack show by unveiling its #outsourcingis campaign. This new initiative aims to define the value of outsourcing, demonstrating how BCMPA members can support brands and retailers with enhanced operational efficiency.

“Many businesses may not fully understand the transformative benefits of outsourcing or what it truly involves when applied to contract manufacturing, packing, fulfilment and logistics” said Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA. “This campaign aims to bridge that gap, showcasing outsourcing as a strategic advantage that drives growth and encourages collaboration between brands and third-party providers to take their products to market.”

The dynamic new campaign will feature insights and video vox-pops from BCMPA members, offering an in-depth look at the wide range of outsourcing services available across sectors such as food and drink, personal care, nutraceuticals, household, chemicals, eCommerce, fulfilment, pharmaceuticals, and beyond. The campaign will provide a dedicated social media handle to encourage engagement from members and a wider audience.

Frozen Food Growth – November 2024

January 2025

Third party outsourcing is playing a critical role in supporting the continuing growth of the UK frozen food industry. With many of the BCMPA’s members investing in facilities and technologies for manufacturing, storage and distribution, this helps brand owners maximise opportunities with greater supply chain flexibility and resilience.

“Frozen food is undoubtedly one of the success stories of recent years, and the retail value of the market has increased by 50 per cent over the past decade,” said BCMPA CEO Emma Verkaik.

“With on-going cost of living pressures, frozen foods are popular for their value for money positioning, but for brands to deliver this value effectively, it is essential that all areas of their operation from manufacturing to distribution operate as efficiently as possible. This is where local outsourcing specialists can help, focusing wholly on day-to-day operational issues to enable businesses to concentrate on brand building and sales.”

Associate Membership Launch

December 2024

The BCMPA is launching a new category of membership from the 1^st January 2025, as it invites organisations who provide goods, services and advice to the manufacturing, packing, fulfilment, and logistics sectors to network and collaborate with the UK’s outsourcing industry.

The BCMPA Associate Membership programme offers businesses an opportunity to enhance their visibility within the association’s extensive network of over 200 contract packers, manufacturers, ecommerce and fulfilment houses. Those joining will be able to attend BCMPA events, conduct webinars, connect with industry professionals, share insights, and explore potential business collaborations.

IPS win the BCMPA 2024 sponsored Co Manufacturer & Packer of the Year Award at UKPA!

October 2024

This year’s 2024 UK Packaging Awards took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London on Thursday 10^th October and was attended by over 600 guests. 

The prestigious black-tie event was another night of celebration of the endeavour and industry from companies and individuals providing clever packaging and packing solutions to brand owners and retailers.   The BCMPA sponsored Co Manufacturer and Packer of the Year Award was won by Integrated Packaging Services (IPS) and they took to the stage to receive the trophy from Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA and Waqas Qureshi the editor of Packaging News.  The ceremony was overseen by compere, Phil Jupitus.

This year’s event was particularly poignant for the BCMPA as they paid tribute to their ex CEO Rodney Steel who headed up the Association for over 20 years and passed away earlier this year.

Congratulations to BCMPA members Expac and Granby Marketing Services who were also shortlisted for the award.

BCMPA returns to London Packaging Week at Excel

September 2024

London Packaging Week returned to London’s ExCeL on the 11^th and 12^th September for yet another successful show.

With many visitors looking to find 3^rd party outsourcing solutions for their projects, the BCMPA was delighted to be able to showcase the services of its 200 plus members to attendees via the ‘search a member’ function, which helps to find specific support via the services required. From NPD to production, packing and ecommerce and fulfilment, visitors were able to pinpoint suppliers to help them with manufacture and end delivery to customer.

Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA said, "London Packaging Week allows us to speak to the right people about 3^rd party outsourcing and this year we saw a very good quality of visitor with specific needs. It is very satisfying to be able to help visitors in their search and to be able to put them in contact with BCMPA members".

The BCMPA were joined at London Packaging Week by BCMPA Members Charles Kendall, PHL Group, Lyte Packaging and Poppypac who were also exhibiting at the show.

The Association will next head to the Co-Pack & Fulfilment Zone at Packaging Innovations & Empack, at the NEC in Birmingham on 12-13 February 2025, where we will be joined by approx. 20 BCMPA members who will be exhibiting.

BCMPA CELEBRATES SUCCESS OF 2024 CONFERENCE

July 2024

The future direction of the Contract Manufacturing Packing, Fulfilment and Logistics industry was in the spotlight this month at the BCMPA 2024 Conference.

Held at the Delta by Marriott Hotel in Nottingham, over 85 delegates and sponsors attended a series of engaging presentations and panel discussions, geared towards helping co-packers and manufacturers to navigate their way through an ever-changing business landscape.

The Conference prioritised the key themes of the day around the essential role that third-party outsourcing plays in taking products to market, the ongoing packaging and sustainability directives, retailer and brand owner insights, as well as giving delegates the opportunity to network across the day.

BCMPA CEO Emma Verkaik, said: “I was delighted to see so many members and delegates at the BCMPA Conference and to be able to share the important information regarding the many ongoing developments within our industry.

“We were pleased to see such a great turnout and with the positive feedback to our varied programme. It was particularly interesting to hear from representatives from Tesco, Danone and Nestlé on their views around the ways in which collaboration with third parties will help achieve better outcomes and how essential our members are in the value chain. It was also fantastic to have the experience of the Packaging experts from OPRL, ProAmpac RAP and Benchmark to give their expert counsel.”

In addition, Professor Trevor Williams, ex Chief Economist for Lloyds Bank, delivered a detailed presentation on the global and UK economic risks and prospects beyond 2024. The Conference covered a range of topics with Sustainability continuing to be one of the most important considerations for businesses and the conference dealt with several issues, including sustainable packaging design, how to effectively assess a company’s overall environmental impact, and an in-depth explanation of and discussion around the forthcoming Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation.

In addition, lead Conference sponsor Nulogy, a specialist software provider for the co-packing industry, led an informative discussion panel titled: The benefits of Digitalisation, moderated by Chief Commercial Officer, Nulogy Europe, Josephine Coombe. Additionally, delegates received presentations on how automation, and the use of digital stockholding and 3D printing of components can improve operations and efficiencies and avoid costly downtime. The role of exhibitions in supporting the marketing activities for businesses looking to raise their profile to a wider audience, the potential savings of using solar energy, and advice on effective succession planning completed the wide-ranging conference programme.

BCMPA members were impressed with the breadth of content and quality of the speaker programme.

BCMPA Visit to USA helps to open doors for US Trade Partnerships for UK Manufacturers

June 2024

BCMPA CEO Emma Verkaik was delighted to take part in the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s (CDA) trade visit to the USA this month. The visit took place across two US states, Colorado and New Mexico, and included trips to manufacturing sites in the food and drink sector, as well as a series of one-to-one meetings with companies looking to export their brands overseas.

The BCMPA was able to promote the ways in which US Companies can use onshoring to help them find 3^rd party outsourcing partners in the UK as well as highlighting some of the differences in UK regulatory practices and how to overcome these.

With 4 BCMPA members on the visit; Brand Tap Bottling, Food Buzz Consulting, Huegli and Sauce Shed Group, it was satisfying to see how the BCMPA has helped the CDA identify potential outsourcing solutions. Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA said 'I was pleased to be able to represent UK Manufacturing whilst on the trade visit and be able to help form partnerships and synergies to encourage businesses to find manufacturing options at source. This is an exciting opportunity and an important relationship between the CDA and the BCMPA, and we look forward to further collaboration between all parties to help companies to be able to get their brands to market in the geography where they will be sold'.

CHEMUK highlights growing demand for UK outsourcing

May 2024

The BCMPA – the Association for Contract Manufacturing, Packing, Fulfilment & Logistics, saw an increased demand for UK outsourcing from visitors to its stand at this year’s CHEMUK, held over two days at the NEC. In what was the biggest show to date, experts from the BCMPA fielded an increased number of enquiries for UK manufacturers in the chemical sector, with growing demand for localised products and services, particularly from European businesses.

Emma Verkaik, CEO at the BCMPA said; “CHEMUK once again provided a vital platform for our members to showcase their UK expertise to a wider audience who are looking to outsource their chemical filling, repacking and production.

“Demand for UK manufacture would appear to be on the increase due to the difficulties from new legislation and transportation across country borders, and our members are increasingly proving to be ideal outsourcing partners for overseas businesses to overcome these challenges.”

Six members of the BCMPA also exhibited at the show, including Biodeg Chemical-Co, Cod Beck Blenders, Libra Speciality Chemicals, Project 7, Rutpen, and Safapac. The event presented an excellent opportunity for networking with key players in the industry and gave the opportunity for visitors to learn more about the value of contract manufacturing, packing, fulfilment and logistics across the chemical supply chain.

Emma Verkaik, concluded; “As a founder supporter & headline partner of the show we are delighted in its success and look forward to being a continued part of this important industry event next year.”

IFE Manufacturing 2024 – ExCel London

March 2024

IFE Manufacturing, part of Food, Drink & Hospitality Week, returned to ExCeL London on 25-27 March providing valuable insights into the trends and hot topics in the world of food and drink. The Food, Drink & Hospitality Event welcomed more than 30,000 visitors from the food, drink, & hospitality industry.

The BCMPA was pleased to be able to represent its 200 members and those involved in the manufacture, packing and distribution of food and drink projects on behalf of brand owners and retailers.  Visitors to the BCMPA stand were able to learn the value of using a 3^rd party supplier to take their products to market and to be able to easily circumnavigate some of the operational challenges within the supply chain.

The BCMPA hosted panel on the importance of 3^rd party outsourcing in providing the best outcome for startups and established brands was very well received. The panel included Nick Henson, Independent food and drink development Consultant, alongside BCMPA Members, Olly Reynolds from the Sauce Shed Group and Scott Stripp from Rain Nutrience.

In addition, the Association was able to further cement its relationship with overseas contacts looking to find UK Based manufacturing solutions.  A point in case was the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s (CDA) International Marketing & Business Development Team who were faced with distribution issues for their products in overseas markets and who initially contacted the BCMPA hoping to help build better relationships in the UK. The team met the BCMPA at IFE Manufacturing , with the Association showing how it could help US brands find effective third-party outsourcing partners in the UK.

BCMPA CEO Emma Verkaik commented: “This is a very exciting initiative, and we are delighted to be working with the CDA and promoting the many benefits of UK contract manufacturing for US food producers. Working with a reputable supplier can make all the difference to successfully launching products and as an Association we work hard to help overseas companies find their perfect outsourcing partner in the UK market."

Exciting two days at White Label Expo 2024

March 2024

The BCMPA were back at ExCeL London in March, for the 2024 White Label Expo. Following on from the previous year the White Label Expo was very well attended with 8,786 visitors across the two days. 

The wide range of industry sectors covered by brands visiting the BCMPA stand, and the different service needs across eCommerce, fulfilment and Manufacturing, resulted in a busy show for the BCMPA team in signposting how best to use the BCMPA search facility to find a 3rd party supplier with white label capabilties from our 200+ membership.

Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA said "The White Label show is always an exciting one with a range of startups and entrepreneurs, as well as established businesses, attending. It is always satisfying to help visitors to find 3rd party outsourcing solutions for white label products from the BCMPA Membership and we are very pleased to be part of the event.

"I was also delighted to be part of the judging panel for the White Label 'Leading Manufacturer of the Year Award'. We look forward to returning to the show in 2025". 

BCMPA hails Contract Pack & Fulfilment Show success and sees growing demand for UK Manufacturing

February 2024

The BCMPA was delighted to host 24 of its members at the Contract Pack & Fulfilment (CP&F) zone at Packaging Innovations & Empack at the NEC as retailers, brand owners and entrepreneurs continued to seek the support of UK contract manufacturers, packers and eCommerce/fulfilment providers.

Alongside the CP&F show area, BCMPA CEO Emma Verkaik contributed in two speaker Panels, titled ‘The Value of Collaboration as an External Supply Chain Partner’, with Kinaxia Fulfilment & Logistics MD Anita Donohoe and Michael Briggs Managing Director of Marsden Packaging. The panels, moderated by Josephine Coombe from software provider Nulogy, showcased the benefits of partnerships in the external supply chain and discussed the ways in which collaboration remains key to the success for brands and retailers.

Verkaik said; “Contract Pack & Fulfilment was once again a great success and demonstrated the importance of UK manufacturing in challenging times. It was great to actively showcase how outsourcing is so vital and how third-party suppliers are providing innovative and workable solutions for their clients. The adeptness of the supply chain in helping brands and to take their products to market against a background of geopolitical and economic factors has never been more important.”

Emma Verkaik also took part in the Women in Manufacturing Panel debate, moderated by Zoi Roupakia from Cambridge University, alongside fellow panellists Joanna Stephenson from PHD Marketing, Nicola Jones from Tata Steel and Lizz Ross Martyn from The Printing Charity.  The panel discussed the ways in which women are underrepresented within the UK Manufacturing sector and how this imbalance can be overcome in the future. 

BCMPA Announces death of Rodney Steel

January 2024

It is with great regret that the BCMPA announces that Rodney Steel, former CEO of the BCMPA has died following a short illness.

A well-known figure across the contract manufacturing, packing and logistics sectors, Rodney had successfully led the BCMPA since 2003 until his retirement in June last year. During this time the Association developed into a major force, promoting the services of the UK’s contract manufacturing, packing, fulfilment and logistics sectors to global brands, retailers and entrepreneurs.

Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA expressed her deep sadness and paid tribute to Rodney’s many qualities and his leadership of the Association for over 20 years.

"We are all hugely saddened by this news and send our deepest sympathy to Rodney’s family and friends. Rodney was the driving force in building the BCMPA into the respected Trade Association it has become today. He will be deeply missed by myself, the BCMPA members, and the industry at large.”

BCMPA Member Survey

December 2023

In October we conducted a BCMPA member survey, the first one for over 5 years, with the aim of understanding the needs and challenges of our members. We were delighted to receive a high level of response and to record that 89% of members were happy with the services offered by the BCMPA, achieving a high +50 score on the Net Promoter Scale, which is used to measure loyalty and satisfaction (an average score is +32).

The report has offered us the scope to plan strategically for the future, to look at ways in which we can add more networking into our agenda and hone the information that we provide to members to ensure we are keeping them abreast of industry wide topics and challenges. We are looking forward to putting the plans into place and announcing a BCMPA Conference in 2024 to act upon the survey and provide additional networking for our members.

And the winner of the 2023 Co-Manufacturer & Packer of the Year is…!

October 2023

The 2023 UK Packaging Awards took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London on 12^th October and the prestigious black-tie event was attended by over 600 guests. 

It was another night of celebration of the endeavour and industry that takes place within the Packaging Industry, and for the BCMPA a chance to recognise the solutions that their members offer brand owners and retailers to help them take their products to market.

Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA, was delighted to present BCMPA member Neatcrown Corwen as the winner of the ‘Co-Manufacturer & Packer of the Year’ and to congratulate all the finalists of the BCMPA sponsored award: Expac, Granby Marketing Services and RESCU Solutions.

BCMPA exhibits at ECOMMERCE EXPO for the first time

September 2023

The BCMPA were excited to exhibit at the ECOMMERCE EXPO for the first time, at London’s ExCeL. The Association was pleased to be able to inform visitors of the support offered by its members in the ecommerce and fulfillment sector. 

There were 3 BCMPA members exhibiting at the show; PHL Group, Whitehouse Solutions and Worldwide Logistics, and visitors to the show were able to explore all areas of the ecommerce fulfillment supply chain from point of purchase to delivery. The interesting speaker programme covered a range of varied subjects from ‘How to drive retention strategies and repeat purchase’ to ‘What does a generative AI ecommerce world look like in the future?’

The BCMPA panel moderated by Emma Verkaik CEO of the BCMPA explored ‘How to get the best out of your ecommerce/fulfilment Partner’ and she was joined by Laura Ball, Business Development Director of the PHL Group and Glenn Hayes, MD of Worldwide Logistics. The talk was well received and offered insights into the many solutions that outsourcing partners offer to help their customers navigate the complicated and fast changing world of fulfilment. 

Verkaik said ‘It was great to be part of such a vibrant exhibition and advise brand owners and retailers on the many ways in which BCMPA members can help them to get their products to market quickly, efficiently and cost effectively. From reverse logistics, storage, cross border strategies – 3^rd parties provide expertise to allow their customers to focus on their own business and not the day to day operational challenges’.

The show was attended by 11,000 visitors across the two days.

BCMPA Exhibits at London Packaging Week, ExCeL

September 2023

The BCMPA was delighted to take part at London Packaging Week. The show took place for the first time at London’s ExCeL and was a great success.

The Association saw a large number of visitors to its stand, and along with four of its members Fillcon, Lyte Packaging, PHL Group and Poppypac enjoyed a very busy show. Outsourcing was a core theme with many businesses seeking support in the manufacture, packing and fulfilment of goods and services.

Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA said; “London Packaging Week is an essential part of the exhibition calendar, and we are delighted with how it has helped us to continue promoting the key role outsourcing plays for businesses.

“Our members perform a pivotal role in ensuring products hit the shelves or arrive at consumers’ homes exactly when they are needed and the value they add to a growing number of brands and retailers was clear to see in the interest from visitors at the show.”

Representing a host of industrial sectors including food, drink, personal care, nutraceuticals, general contract packing and eCommerce fulfilment amongst others, the BCMPA stand championed its 200+ members’ capabilities.

The Association will once again be represented at Easyfairs sister show in Birmingham, which features the BCMPA’s Contract Pack and Fulfilment zone, providing the perfect opportunity for people to meet face-to-face and discover how outsourcing delivers essential support for brands, retailers, and manufacturers.

UK Packaging Awards 2023 – shortlist revealed for Co-Manufacturer & Packer of the Year Award

July 2023

Packaging News have announced the finalists for the UK Packaging Awards. This year there were 27 categories for the Awards which were judged by brand owners, retailers and industry bodies. The finalists for the BCMPA sponsored ‘Co-Manufacturer & Packer of the Year Award’ are Expac, Granby Marketing Services and Neatcrown Corwen.

The UK Packaging Awards is now in its 17^th year and the event brings together over 600 industry professionals at the dinner and awards ceremony. Judged by respected packaging buyers and influencers from across the sector the event is a highly prestigious one in the Packaging Calender.

The awards will be announced at the UK Packaging Awards Presentation Dinner which will be held on Thursday 12^th October at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane.

BCMPA exhibits at CHEMUK, NEC

May 2023

The BCMPA were delighted to take part at the CHEMUK show on 10 & 11  May at the NEC. The show was a great success and registered a remarkable 41% increase in visitors, with a total of 5,559 visitors across the two-day show. The BCMPA showcased the services provided by their members in the chemical sector and helped companies looking to outsource their manufacturing and packing projects in finding 3^rd party suppliers from the BCMPA database as featured on the BCMPA website.

In addition Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA, moderated a speaker panel around ‘The benefits of outsourcing chemical manufacturing’, where the panel made up of Steve Meyer MD of Cod Beck Blenders, Martin Usher MD of Grotech Production and Dave Roberts, MD of Rutpen discussed the value added by 3^rd party manufacturers and the ways in which CMO’s help to find solutions for their customers. Verkaik added, ‘CHEMUK 2023 was a great success for the BCMPA, there was a real appetite from visitors looking to find 3^rd party outsourcing partners, and the record number of visitors was a tremendous endorsement of the hard work put in by the organisers of the event, we look forward to being back in 2024.’

BCMPA returns to ExCel for IFE 2023

March 2023

IFE Manufacturing, co located with the International Food & Drink Event, held at ExCeL in March 2023 provided a great opportunity for the BCMPA to promote their members within the contract manufacturing and contract packing and filling sectors to a targeted audience, including retailers, wholesale, hospitality and brand owners.   Co-located with IFE International Food & Drink Event, Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC) and The Pub Show, IFE Manufacturing is a dedicated trade show for the food and drink sector, and forms part of the world’s largest food, drink, and hospitality event

With more than 27,000 visitors over the 3 days, there was a good appetite for meeting potential suppliers face to face and talking about ways in which to find outsourcing partners. 

Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA, said ‘We were delighted to see so many visitors at this very important show and facilitate introductions to 3^rd party outsourcing solutions via the BCMPA search facility.  She added ‘The continued challenges within the industry have proven that the role of outsourcing has never been more vital to brands and retailers in keeping supply chains moving and BCMPA members are delighted to report an increased collaboration with their customers.  IFE Manufacturing provided a great platform for these conversations to take place and we look forward to being back in 2024.’

BCMPA showcase White Label production at ExCeL

February 2023

The BCMPA returned to ExCel, London, for it's third showing at White Label Expo and was pleased to find business sentiment significantly improved over the last year, with a range of enquiries from start-ups through to established brands, all looking for additional product ranges or ways in which to distribute goods to their customers. This concurs with the BCMPA seeing a 50% growth in white label enquiries from clients using the BCMPA websites free search facility or online enquiry form. The White Label market is consistently growing, with companies looking to take products to market quickly and economically and the White Label Expo caters for brands and retailers looking to grow via White Label Production.

In addition to exhibiting the BCMPA panel talk on 'Outsourcing your White Label and Private Label Manufacturing', was full to capacity and created a flurry of additional enquiries with participating Members, moderated by Emma Verkaik, BCMPA CEO, she was joined by BCMPA members Anthony Chatwin of Rain Nutrience, James Allen of Oxford Contract Manufacturing and David Goodings of Redrose Manufacturing.  

Packaging Innovations returns with a bang in 2023!

February 2023

This years Contract Pack and Fulfilment show, as part of the Packaging Innovations Exhibition at the NEC, was deemed to be one of the best ever, with over 7000 visitors across the two-day event. The Contract Pack & Fulfilment Show is the flagship event for the BCMPA and offers a great opportunity for brands and retailers to attend and engage with 3^rd party outsourcing companies in the Food, Drink, Personal Care, Nutraceutical and eCommerce /Fulfilment & Logistics sectors. With help from BCMPA personnel, visitors were able to learn how to use the BCMPA website to find outsourcing partners and talk to exhibiting members about the challenges in taking products to market and find workable solutions.

With over 20 BCMPA Members exhibiting in and around the BCMPA Hospitality Zone the 2023 show was the best attended by BCMPA members over the last few years and underlined the value in meeting suppliers face to face and talking around specific projects.

Seminar sessions, hosted by Emma Verkaik, included 'The benefits of working with 3rd party suppliers in eCommerce and Fulfilment during an economic downturn' and 'The benefits of using 3rd party outsourcing partners to take your products to market' were well attended, with the Q&A section proving useful for attendees.  These sessions provide a valuable platform for contract manufacturers and packers to explain the value of their services and why outsourcing makes sense in an economic downturn.

‘Co-Pack & Fulfilment Company of the Year’ is awarded to Staci UK

October 2022

Nearly 600 guests representing the packaging industry gathered at The Grosvenor House in London’s Park Lane for the black-tie celebration and presentation of the UK Packaging Awards, organised by Packaging News. On stage to host the evening was actor & producer Sally Phillips. There were 27 awards categories including ‘Co-Pack & Fulfilment Company of the Year’ sponsored by the BCMPA.

The finalists were Complete Co-Packing Services, Expac, Granby Marketing Services, Staci UK and Worldwide Logistics. It was a hotly contested category with Staci UK announced as the Winner and Granby Marketing Services was Highly Commended.

UK Packaging Awards 2022 – shortlist revealed including ‘Co-Pack & Fulfilment Company of the Year’

July 2022

Packaging News, organisers of the UK Packaging Awards, invited industry experts to cast their eye over this year’s entries covering 26 categories. Judging has now been completed and the shortlist of finalists announced. The judges were made up of representatives from household names including Nestlé, Waitrose, Tesco, Reckitt Benckiser, Tesco, Pret A Manger and Premier Foods. In addition to the retailers and brands, judges from industry bodies – including the Packaging Federation, the MPMA, the Foodservice Packaging Association and INCPEN – were on hand to examine the contenders.

The finalists shortlisted for the BCMPA sponsored ‘Co-Pack & Fulfilment Company of the Year’ category are: Complete Co-Packing Services, Expac, Granby Marketing Services, Staci UK and Worldwide Logistics Group.

The winners will be announced at the UK Packaging Awards Presentation Dinner, to be held on Wednesday 19 October 2022 at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane.

BCMPA featuring strongly on the 2022 exhibitions scene

May 2022

With the events industry getting back on track from last Autumn, the BCMPA has wasted no time in taking full advantage of face-to-face opportunities by exhibiting at 5 shows between March and May. And in all cases, our members have been taking stands too.

First up was the White Label World Expo. Whether in vitamin supplements, personal care or CBD, visitors’ appetite for private label and white label products is growing at a prodigious rate.  Entrepreneurs with a smart idea and professional website can rely on BCMPA members to take on the production and packing of their products, and if they are short on warehousing or order fulfilment expertise, those operations can also be outsourced to enable them to benefit from an end-to-end service.

IFE Manufacturing, part of the International Food & Drink Event, provided a great opportunity to promote manufacturing and filling in this core industry. The BCMPA’s Membership & Marketing Director Emma Verkaik hosted a panel discussion on ‘How to work with Contract Manufacturers and Packers when scaling up production’ (see photo). The session was very well attended with standing room only.

As founder supporters of two specialist shows, the BCMPA exhibited at Making Pharmaceuticals and CHEMUK in April and May respectively, to promote our members’ services in these sectors. Both events are firm favourites in the UK calendar.

Online shopping continues to grow rapidly and it was therefore an ideal opportunity for the BCMPA to exhibit at the Internet Retailing & eDelivery event to demonstrate how our members could support companies by operating their ecommerce fulfilment operations.

For future shows, please see our Exhibitions & Events page.

And the Winner of the ‘Co-Pack & Fulfilment Company of the Year’ is...

November 2021

Over 600 guests representing the packaging industry gathered at The Brewery in the City of London on 12^th November for the black-tie celebration and presentation of the UK Packaging Awards, organised by Packaging News. On stage to host the evening was one of Britain’s best impressionists, Jon Culshaw. There were 28 Awards up for grabs including ‘Co-Pack & Fulfilment Company of the Year’ sponsored by the BCMPA.

The Award attracted a record number of entries including Carlton Forest 3PL, Chester Medical Solutions, Complete Co-Packing Services, Expac Preston, Granby Marketing, Mixtio Labs, Oxford Contract Manufacturing, Staci UK and Worldwide Logistics. It was a hotly contested category with Complete Co-Packing Services and Granby Marketing both being Highly Commended.  And the Winner was . . . . Expac Preston!

To see the winners of the other Awards, please click here.

IRX/eDX – Delivering solutions direct to customer

October 2021

The BCMPA was delighted to be back at the NEC in September for our first time exhibiting at the Internet Retailing Expo/eDelivery Expo. In a year where ecommerce fulfilment has been key in ensuring the delivery of products to the customers front door,  it was excellent to have the opportunity to meet with brand owners and retailers face to face and to familiarise them with the capacity and scope of BCMPA members in the fulfilment and 3PL sector.

With over 3000 visitors and 114 exhibitors there was much to talk about. BCMPA member Huboo was exhibiting at the show as well as being one of the main sponsors of Internet Retailing/eDelivery Expo. BCMPA members Linney and Prolog moderated sessions respectively on digitisation within the supply chain and sustainability within the delivery network.

The show will return to the NEC on the 11^th and 12^th May and we look forward to exhibiting again.

Please see the exhibition dates published on the BCMPA website.

Innocent, Oliver Bonas, Gymshark, DPD & British Retail Consortium lead learning programme at IRX

October 2021

Experts from Innocent Drinks, Oliver Bonas, Gymshark, Lounge Underwear, DPD and British Retail Consortium are among the speakers at the UK’s number one digital retail show, at which the BCMPA are pleased to be participating for the first time. IRX (InternetRetailing Expo) & eDX takes place on 13 & 14 October 2021 at the NEC, Birmingham. The free conference programme across the two-day show has been created to directly address current challenges and issues faced by the retail sector with tracks covering Customer Experience, Data & Insights, Fulfilment and Sustainable eCommerce.

The theme of powering growth sits front and centre of two of the keynotes. Alongside the free learning programme, which also includes interactive workshops, retail professionals can meet with over 150 leading suppliers - including Huboo, Trustpilot, WorldLine, RedEye and more – all with cutting-edge technology and innovative services to enhance customer experiences, increase sales and deliver efficiencies across online and in-store operations.

BCMPA members Linney and Prolog Fulfilment will also be moderating panel sessions on both days.

To read the full article please click here.

CHEMUK Exhibition - Good to be getting out again!

September 2021

The last couple of weeks has seen us getting out again and what a joy that has been to see real people face to face and have interesting conversations with colleagues and new contacts. 

The CHEMUK Exhibition which had been delayed due to the pandemic, took place at the NEC on the 15-16 September.  It was a real achievement by the organisers to get twice as many exhibitors compared to the inaugural show in 2019 at Harrogate.  And a 20% increase in visitors demonstrated the need for business to get out and about and to create traction with suppliers, customers, brand owners, retailers and to be able to talk about the challenges and trends in the industry.

The BCMPA was proud to be exhibiting on behalf of its members and to raise the profile of the value of outsourcing in the chemical sector.  Exhibiting alongside the BCMPA were members Cod Beck Blenders, Grotech Production, Maker Industrial, Libra Speciality Chemicals and Safapac.

The dates for the CHEMUK 2022 have been announced and they are 11-12 May at the NEC, Birmingham. The BCMPA will be there.

Exhibition dates are published on the BCMPA website under the Events listing.

BCMPA supports membership growth with appointment of new director

July 2021

Emma Verkaik has been appointed Membership & Marketing Director at the BCMPA – the Association for Contract Manufacturing, Packing, Fulfilment & Logistics - as the organisation continues its growth and support for members across the outsourcing sector. Since joining the team as a consultant 10 years ago, Emma has been pivotal in developing the membership, now heading towards 200 members, and has increasingly taken on additional roles within the organisation.

Emma came from a contract manufacturing/packing background running her own companies in the sector prior to coming on board to develop the BCMPA, and prior to that was involved in the world of advertising. Her expertise, insight and experience have been invaluable in recognising and promoting the key role that the third-party outsourcing industry plays in supporting brands and retailers. Furthermore, her background in the industry has developed a deep understanding of the marketing and support that members’ look for in a trade association.

BCMPA plus 5 members to exhibit at CHEMUK in September

June 2021

The BCMPA will be exhibiting at CHEMUK, the Chemical Industries Supply Chain Expo, on 15 & 16 September at the NEC Birmingham. The BCMPA is a Founder Supporter of the event and the five participating members are Cod Beck Blenders, Grotech Production, Libra Speciality Chemicals, Maker Industrial and Safapac.

To view our ad in Chemical Industry Journal please click here.

BCMPA announces Plans to exhibit at 7 Exhibitions from September 2021

June 2021

The BCMPA has announced its plans to engage in a robust exhibition programme across a wide range of industry events from September 2021 to March 2022 in order to support its 180+ membership. With signs of the Exhibition industry finally edging out of lockdown and subject to government guidelines, the BCMPA will be working to raise the profile of their members and highlight the wide variety of 3rd party manufacturing, packing, ecommerce, fulfilment and logistics services available across 7 shows.

New to the programme will be the Internet Retailing/eDelivery EXPO at the NEC Birmingham on 13-14 October, enabling the BCMPA to showcase members in the world of ecommerce and fulfilment. The BCMPA will also exhibit for the first time at food and drink sector show IFE Manufacturing Solutions (formerly IFE Pro2Pac) at ExCel on 21-23 March 20, supporting members in the food and drink sector show.  In addition, the BCMPA will be at CHEMUK 2021 at the NEC, Birmingham (15-16 Sept), Packaging Innovations London Olympia (22-23 Sept), Making Pharmaceuticals Ricoh Arena Coventry (5-6 Oct),  Contract Pack & Fulfilment (part of Packaging Innovations at the NEC – 16-17 Feb 2022) and the White Label Expo at ExCeL (2-3 March 2022).

More details are on our regularly updated Exhibitions page.

The BCMPA adds over 40% to website search functionality

February 2021

The BCMPA has updated the search facility on its website to make it even easier for companies looking to outsource their contract manufacturing, Packing, Fulfilment & Logistics projects. Over 50 new search terms have been added, increasing the range of searchable terms by over 40%. This new functionality will help customers to identify potential suppliers with even greater accuracy, with the opportunity to refine their search with additional sectors, filling services, manufacturing processes, fulfilment and logistics providers, and also packaging formats and certifications.

The latest enhancements underline the continuing growth in demand for specialist outsourcing services, with the BCMPA website experiencing an increase in traffic of over 40% during 2020. The new terms were identified across all sectors, responding to market changes and the emergence of new products and services, such as increased demand for healthier foods, more sustainable supply chain options and ecommerce solutions.

Amongst the new terms included are White Label and Private Label, reflecting strong growth in entrepreneurial start-up businesses over the past 12 months, while the huge increase in demand for hand sanitiser during the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the product having its own search term. Continuing interest in healthy eating among consumers has seen Vegan and Plant Based Alternatives being added to the search tool, and the strong growth in cannabidiol-derived products (CBD) means they have also been given a separate listing.

‘Co-Pack & Fulfilment Company of the Year’ announced

November 2020

The UK Packaging Awards Ceremony, organised by Packaging News, was due to be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London in October. The pandemic sadly meant this didn’t happen but we are pleased to announce that the Awards were presented via video link over the course of 23-27 November. The Award for Co-Pack & Fulfilment Company of the Year, sponsored by the BCMPA and presented at 10am on Thursday, was won by Granby Marketing Services. Congratulations!

Please click here to view the video announcement on the Packaging News website.

BCMPA adds new Resources area to website

August 2020

Alongside the work in developing and reinforcing relationships with relevant trade bodies and publications over the summer months, we have added a new Resources section to our website, offering searchable listings of Trade Bodies and Trade Magazines that we engage with. We have also added a Tips for Start-Ups page to provide practical advice for budding entrepreneurs.

One of the strategies of the Association, in the absence of exhibitions, has been to focus on promoting members’ services via the trade press, resulting in a significant increase in our coverage. The new Resources section includes a comprehensive list of Trade Magazines with whom we have developed ties and hopefully the fresh content will help to enhance their readership.

BCMPA develops trade co-operation

July 2020

The challenges of 2020 have required some fresh initiatives and willingness to cooperate during difficult times.

Continuing to build our relationship with other key Trade Bodies has become even more important during the pandemic and we have been pro-actively working together with them on a number of governmental, legislative and packaging issues that confront our industries. The Association has highlighted the valuable role that BCMPA members can play in providing outsourcing services, which have been widely taken up across the sectors in recent months. 

BCMPA adds Online Events & Webinars to website

June 2020

With so many exhibitions being postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic, show organisers are starting to move into virtual or online formats in order to satisfy visitors keen to keep up with the latest trends, and to provide valuable sales routes for their exhibitors. As a consequence, we have introduced a new page within Events dedicated to online and virtual conferences and seminars, and we anticipate that they will form an important part of the content of our website in the future.

Please click here for further details.

BCMPA members help fill essential production gaps

April 2020

The British Contract Manufacturers and Packers Association is rising to the challenges presented by Covid-19 to support its members through these difficult times. With the restriction on movement curtailing potential customer visits, brand owners and retailers looking to outsource their manufacturing and packing requirements, are only a few clicks away from finding a quick solution for their projects through the BCMPA website.  Whether it’s a requirement for hand sanitisers, anti-bacterial wipes, food parcels or kits, or increased pick & pack and e-commerce fulfilment demands, BCMPA members can help.  In March alone the website attracted over 21,000 page views with a record breaking number of enquiries for the online 'Send a project enquiry’ feature. 

Our contract manufacturing and packing members are showing their resilience and flexibility, adapting production lines and reorganising packing teams to suit the demands of this rapidly changing environment. 

Trade Shows rescheduled due to Covid-19

April 2020

Over a dozen events scheduled for the Spring and Early Summer on the BCMPA’s Exhibitions & Events page have been postponed.  This includes shows where the BCMPA is exhibiting such as Making Pharmaceuticals and CHEMUK.  We recommend checking on the relevant websites for further information.

BCMPA at UK Warehousing Association Conference

March 2020

The UKWA Conference took place in Chester on 3-4 March with over 160 delegates including the BCMPA chief executive Rodney Steel.  The 2-day event provided an excellent range of logistics-related seminars and panel discussions, co-ordinated by the UKWA CEO Peter Ward (pictured).

“With BCMPA members offering value added services and 3^rd party expertise across the supply chain, there is a positive synergy between the two Associations,” said Steel.  “We plan to stage some joint initiatives with the UKWA later in the year,” he added.

Around twenty BCMPA members are currently also members of the UKWA and those present at the event included Granby Marketing, Great Bear Distribution, The Green Group and XPO Logistics.

Packaging Innovations NEC attracts over 7000 visitors

February 2020

The BCMPA again featured strongly at February’s Easyfairs show with the title of the zone developed from ‘Contract Pack’ to ‘Contract Pack & Fulfilment’ to reflect the breadth of services offered by our members. This aligns with the BCMPA’s strapline introduced a year ago ‘The Association for Contract Manufacturing, Packing  Fulfilment & Logistics’.

Nearly twenty members were exhibiting around the BCMPA Hospitality Lounge representing contract manufacturers and co-packers from a wide range of industry sectors and included established names from the fulfilment and logistics arena.  Exhibitor feedback was extremely positive.

Our seminar sessions covered topics on value added services by XPO Logistics, kitting & collation by Communisis, reverse logistics by LGI and finally e-commerce by our guest speaker Peter Ward, CEO of the UK Warehousing Association. The hot topic which ran over both days was the Carbon Debate.

Inaugural White Label Expo supported by BCMPA

November 2019

The increasing demand for White Label/Private Label products provides a valuable boost to BCMPA members with contract manufacturing and co-packing capabilities, so the new exhibition held at London’s ExCel on 27-28 November, offered a prime opportunity for members to showcase their services.  “When the launch of the White Label Expo was announced, we were delighted to support the event,” said Rodney Steel, BCMPA chief executive. 

The show spanned a range of sectors, including health supplements, beauty, nutraceuticals, toiletries, cleaning chemicals and also featured companies producing CBD and vaping products.  The BCMPA stand was hectic both days and participating members included Ideal Manufacturing, Poppypac, Redrose Manufacturing, VMS Solutions and Wyepak.  As a direct result of the BCMPA’s support for the show, exhibitor Vitrition UK have since joined the Association.

BCMPA facilitates roundtable discussions at Food Matters Live

November 2019

Food, drink and nutraceutical enquiries keep the BCMPA busy all year round, so we were once again pleased to support this important event as Food Matters Live opened its doors on 19-20 November at ExCel London. As well as exhibiting, the BCMPA also facilitated well-attended roundtable sessions for starts-ups.

There is always a strong contingent of young entrepreneurs visiting the show and BCMPA members Eurofins Product Design and Huegli UK demonstrated their expertise in areas such as concept development, shelf life testing and commercial viability. The trend for development of health foods and sport supplements and the demand for manufacturing free-from, vegetarian and vegan products also featured strongly.

Granby victorious at UK Packaging Awards

November 2019

BCMPA member Granby Marketing came out on top for the coveted ‘Co-Pack & Fulfilment Company of the Year’ Award, fending off hot competition from the short-listed finalists Carlton Forest Warehousing, Compete Co-Packing Services and Lemonpath.  Grotech Production’s entry was recognised as Highly Commended.  Congratulations also to Clifton Packaging who won the ‘Packaging Company of the Year’ Award.

The glittering ceremony took place at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel and was attended by over 800  Guests from across the packaging industry.  The BCMPA was a sponsor for the event, which was organised by Packaging News.

Pictured here from left are Philip Chadwick (Editor, Packaging News), Rodney Steel (Chief Executive, BCMPA), Ken Shackleton (on behalf of Granby Marketing), Colin Murray (Packaging Awards Host).

Easyfairs London show benefits from Luxury Packaging

September 2019

The addition of Luxury Packaging to the established Packaging Innovations show staged in London, continues to draw visitors and exhibitors from a very different demographic compared to February’s NEC exhibition.  Designers, marketeers and branding gurus clearly find the Olympia show irresistible.

So whilst food and drink packaging always attracts significant attention, there’s nothing like luxury to pull in the beauty sector, as witnessed on the BCMPA stand where beauty enquiries exceeded any other category.  Of the 5000+ visitors, many were without in-house facilities and therefore outsourcing production and packing was the defined option.  And of course with the rapid growth of e-commerce, BCMPA members are ideally placed to provide the required end-to-end service.

BCMPA members are winners at Logistics Awards

September 2019

The Logistics Awards took place on 26 September at The Vox, Resorts World Birmingham, celebrating excellence in the supply chain and logistics sectors with 500+ senior professionals from across the industry, including BCMPA award-winning members Clipper Logistics and Kuehne+Nagel. The event was co-located with IMHX (International Mechanical Handling Exhibition) which was held at the adjacent NEC.  Pictured here from left are Rob Fisher (Event Director, IMHX), Kirsty Adams (Editor, SHD Logistics Magazine), Rodney Steel (Chief Executive, BCMPA).

The Environmental Packaging Summit

July 2019

Rodney Steel, pictured here with Liz Bonnin of the BBC’s Drowning in Plastic and Blue Planet Live, attended the inaugural Environmental Packaging Summit. It was a sell-out event focusing on how we should tackle the pressing topic of packaging and single-use plastics in the environment.

There was an impressive mix of speakers and delegates from the world of packaging, retail, environment, sustainability, recycling and government. It was refreshing to hear experts contributing to the debate, expressing a positive understanding of the issues and a real desire to solve the problem, in contrast to the headline-grabbing and often unbalanced information dished out to us by the national press. It was agreed by all that we the public are keen ‘to do the right thing’ when it comes to recycling, and one of the major challenges is bring clarity to what exactly the right thing is.

The Summit aptly took place at The Crystal London, one of the world’s most sustainable event venues.

BCMPA invited to the BFFF Gala Dinner & Awards

June 2019

The British Frozen Food Federation’s new Chief Executive Richard Harrow (left) invited the BCMPA’s Rodney Steel (right) to celebrate the BFFF Gala Dinner & Awards in London. Representing XPO Logistics, who are members of the BCMPA and were headline sponsor for the Event, were Nila Patel and Martin Atkinson. The BCMPA has a strong contingent of food members including around 20 in the chilled/frozen sector. Other members attending the Gala Dinner included Kuehne+Nagel and Rick Bestwick/Magnavale.

BCMPA attend SHD Logistics Conference

May 2019

BCMPA Chief Executive Rodney Steel visited the SHD Logistics Conference at the British Museum on 14th May, pictured here with Kirsty Adams (Editor of SHD Logistics magazine) and Joanne Kimber (MD of BCMPA member Granby Marketing Services). Other members attending the conference were Clipper Logistics, Kuehne+Nagel, SGL Co-Packing and Gavin Williams of XPO Logistics, who presented one of the conference sessions.

Inaugural CHEMUK Event exceeds all expectations

May 2019

It came at last! Having had no chemical show in the UK since 2010, CHEMUK in Harrogate was greeted with enormous enthusiasm last week by exhibitors and visitors alike. The floor space had sold out before Christmas with apparently 50 companies on the waiting list. So with over 170 exhibitors, 74 presentations and 2000 visitors over the 2 days, the Yorkshire Event Centre was buzzing.

The BCMPA was a founder supporter and exhibitor at the event. Rodney Steel, together with Martin Usher of Grotech Production contributed to the seminar progamme, talking about contract manufacturing/tolling in the chemical sector. Grotech and Libra Speciality Chemicals both had stands.

Such was the support for this inaugural event, that CHEMUK 2020 will be relocating next year to a larger venue - Event City in Manchester on 13^th and 14^th May.

Record attendance at CONTRACT PACK 2019

March 2019

The BCMPA Hospitality Lounge in the CONTRACT PACK zone was the busiest ever as Easyfairs recorded 6922 visitors to the NEC event, 18% up on 2017. Attendance by brand owners, retailers and e-commerce companies looking to outsource their projects, meant that feedback from our exhibiting members was extremely positive with over half already rebooked, plus new members keen to take part next time. To reflect developing trends towards ‘full-service’ outsourcing, next year’s show will be rebranded CONTRACT PACK & FULFILMENT 2020 – the future of contract manufacturing, packing, fulfilment & logistics.

BCMPA reveals brand new look for 2019

February 2019

The BCMPA is delighted to reveal an exciting new-look refinement to their identity for 2019. The update follows a strategy to build on the existing brand values with a logo that has successfully represented the Association for a number of years. The new brand consolidates these values while also managing to create a more bold and modern look reflecting the positive direction the association is heading in, which is to represent more fully the breadth of service types supplied by our members, including logistics and fulfilment. See how many changes you can spot!

Food Matters Live at London ExCel

November 2018

With food and drink manufacturing representing a significant part of BCMPA membership, the Association once again had a stand at the show. The demand for health foods, nutraceuticals and vitamins was very much in evidence, as was the trend towards organic and vegan. It was noticeable how strongly the younger visitors and exhibitors were represented at the show. The BCMPA held round table discussions for start-ups and scale-ups to provide guidance as to how best to engage with contract manufacturers.

Contract Packer of the Year 2018

October 2018

Held at the Grosvenor House Hotel London, the UK Packaging Awards organised by Packaging News was a glittering black tie event attended by over 800 key figures across the packaging supply chain.  The title of Contract Packer of the Year, sponsored by the BCMPA, was keenly contested between finalists Glowcroft, Granby Marketing and Steller Packing vying for the Award, with Steller emerging as the winner.

BCMPA Conference 2018

October 2018

The content for this year’s Conference was right up there as one of the best yet with the spotlight on plastics, recycling, Brexit and intelligent labelling, with contributions from Dick Searle of the Packaging Federation, Kevin Vyse of M&S and Andrew Manley of AIPIA.  Josephine Coombe of Nulogy introduced their specialist software for the contract packing & logistics industry.  With the Association featuring every month in Packaging News, Jeremy Fordrey highlighted how readers and BCMPA members have benefitted from the coverage. Finally Richard Smith of Charapak provided an insight into the opportunities for personalisation in packaging for direct mail fulfilment.

BCMPA at Olympia

September 2018

The Association has been exhibiting and representing our members at Packaging Innovations London, since the exhibition was launched in 2011 and this September’s show at Olympia was definitely the best yet. Personal care & beauty brands followed by food topped the visitor list, with attendees overall up by 6% on last year. The footfall and visitor quality to the BCMPA stand was excellent and in the months ahead, we anticipate a significant volume of enquiries from companies looking to outsource their production and fulfilment operations to our members. The profile of the event has been greatly enhanced with the growth of the Luxury Packaging section of the show.

BCMPA Supports Nutraceutical Sector at Vitafoods

May 2018

With the global Nutraceutical market set to reach US $ 241.1 Billion by 2019, last week’s Vitafoods Europe Exhibition in Geneva saw over 20,000 visitors attend across the 3 day show, proving how important the Exhibition is for the Nutraceutical and Food Supplement sector.

The show brings together brand owners, retailers and manufacturers, and the BCMPA stand, participating for the first time within the Packaging Zone, provided one-to-one consultations for visitors looking to outsource their contract manufacturing and packing projects. The shared feature with Innova Insights prompted considerable interest as visitors were able to interact with the packaging displays and discuss worldwide packaging trends.

Emma Verkaik was gratefully supported by visiting members from Chrysalis, Complete Co Packing and Unette, who helped to field the enquiries and Covance Food Solutions who were exhibiting at the show.

Positive growth at Making Pharmaceuticals

April 2018

For a show only launched five years ago, this week’s Making Pharmaceuticals Exhibition & Conference at the Ricoh Arena Coventry has shown impressive growth both in exhibitors and seminar content. The organisers reacted positively for extra demand to accommodate over 150 exhibitors and 30 conference sessions. Rodney Steel and Emma Verkaik had a busy two days on the BCMPA stand and exhibiting members included Chester Medical, PCI, Quay Pharma and Recipharm.

Quality leads at Contract Pack 2018

March 2018

Extreme weather didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the visitors or exhibitors this year, and whilst attendance numbers may be down due to heavy snow, our exhibiting members were pleased with the quality of visitors who took the trouble to brave the elements. The Contract Pack zone attracted a lot of attention and overall there was a very positive atmosphere at the show.

There were 25 members exhibiting in all and the BCMPA Hospitality Lounge was busy both days dealing with enquiries from a wide range of brands. Packaging Innovations and the co-located sections make it the top packaging show in the UK, with Contract Pack providing BCMPA members with a major opportunity to promote their services. As testament to the value of the show, around two-thirds of our exhibitors have already provisionally re-booked for next year.

Orean scoops Contract Packer of the Year Award

November 2017

Contract Packing yet again took centre stage at the UK Packaging Awards with five companies vying for “Contract Packer of the Year”, sponsored by the BCMPA. The Winner was Orean Personal Care, with runners-up Dalepak and PCI Pharma Services both highly commended. Congratulations are also due to Evolve Pack and Granby Marketing for reaching the Final. The event is not only testimony to the growth of outsourcing, but also demonstrates the range of sectors and services where third party support is required.

Pictured are (L to R): Hal Cruttenden (Host), Rodney Steel (BCMPA), Dan Williams (Orean), Philip Chadwick (Packaging News).

Attracting beauty at PI London

September 2017

The BCMPA stand was rammed with visitors at this year’s Packaging Innovations London/Luxury Packaging Show on 13-14 September.  Olympia tends to have a different audience compared to Packaging Innovations/Contract Pack in the Spring at the NEC, but that did not stop a healthy volume of outsourcing enquiries, particularly from the beauty, personal care and food sectors. It was undoubtedly the busiest London show to date, attracting well over 4,000 visitors.

Record visitors at Making Pharmaceuticals 2017

April 2017

April’s Making Pharmaceuticals Exhibition & Conference broke all records attracting 1055 visitors over the two days, with exhibitor numbers up 43%, including a number of BCMPA members.  This year’s move to the Ricoh Arena Coventry proved to be a great success.

The BCMPA, which had a stand at the show, is delighted to have played a part in developing Making Pharmaceuticals from its inception with the result that it has now become the UK’s leading free-to-attend event in the sector.  To have a focused cost-effective show in the UK provides BCMPA members with an ideal opportunity to promote their services.

With overlapping dates, visitors also had the chance to visit Med-Tech Innovations, the medical device show, at the same venue.

Contract Pack 2017 builds on success in 10th year

March 2017

Now in its 10th year, Contract Pack has become a major component of Easyfairs Packaging Innovations at the NEC. The Contract Pack hospitality area, hosted by Rodney Steel, Emma Verkaik and Paul McKenzie, was particularly busy this year, fielding outsourcing enquiries from major brand owners, developing businesses and SMEs. Almost 6000 visitors attended the event, confirming the belief that meeting face to face is still a great way to do business. Twenty four BCMPA members exhibited, representing expertise across a wide range of industry sectors, and with 15 members having already booked for 2018, it once again confirms that this is an event that cannot be missed.

BCMPA Annual Conference 2017

27 Jan 2017

This years event was a refreshing development from previous years, both in its location and content. Attendees were welcomed to a new venue at the DoubleTree Hilton in Nottingham, which provided bright and modern facilities for 2017. Nearly 30 Member companies were represented and 39 delegates, agreeing that face to face networking is as vital as ever, particularly in response to issues such as negotiating in uncertain times (Richard Savage, Scotworks) and generating leads (Nick Brooks, 4CM). Further valuable contributions from Jeff Deighton (Insight Engineers) provided an in-depth review of the Members survey, and Paul McKenzie (PM Studio) on BCMPA website analysis and developments for 2017. Josh Brooks (Packaging News) guided Members as to how to provide the best content for publication, while Nicholas Mockett (Moorgate Capital) helped us understand the mergers and acquisitions market. Simon Warren (Joshua Jacob) followed with strategies to cope with disaster as an SME and Phil Tooley (RANDD UK) closed with an insight into R&D tax credits.  Feedback from the delegates was extremely positive and the scene was set for a healthy year ahead for the co-packing and co-manufacturing industry.

BCMPA at Food Matters Live

30 Nov 2016

Exhibiting at Food Matters Live last week was a first for the BCMPA and we came away with a very positive view of the event.  Visitors’ realisation that the Association could provide the swift solution to finding accredited companies capable of handling their projects, was very much welcomed and those who had already used our service, came to say Thank You.

The event had over 600 exhibitors and featured 300 expert speakers in 80 seminar sessions.  It was the third staging of this annual event at London ExCel and the visitor numbers were up by over 30% compared to last year.

Steller Packing win 'Contract Packer of the Year' 2016

28 Oct 2016

The UK Packaging Awards were celebrated in style last night at The Grosvenor House Hotel London by over 750 leading figures in the industry including BCMPA members.

Steller Packing Ltd won the coveted “Contract Packer of the Year” Award with the Judges commenting “Excellent business trajectory shown here with expansion in site and equipment paying off in addition to the most important investment – people.”

This is the fifth year that the BCMPA has sponsored the Award and previous winners include Expac, PrimePac Solutions and Central Pharma.

BCMPA member Clifton Packaging was Highly Commended for SME of the Year and won the Award for Investment Project of the Year.

Rodney Steel’s special guests included Chris Sturman (CEO of the Food Storage & Distribution Federation) and Peter MacLeod (Editor of SHD Logistics magazine).

PI London "The BCMPA search facility is brilliant!"

23 Sep 2016

So said many visitors who came to the BCMPA stand at Packaging Innovations London to say thank you and to explain how much time it had saved them in finding the right outsourcing partner. That’s what the BCMPA is here for of course, but it was nice to be told. The feedback from the BCMPA’s exhibiting members was also very positive, probably helped by record visitor numbers of well over 4000

A unique pharma event for the UK

29 Apr 2016

This year’s Making Pharmaceuticals Conference & Exhibition broke all records with 70 technical seminars and over 100 exhibitors. The outsourcing of pharmaceutical manufacturing and packing projects is an important element of the event and the BCMPA was there in force to promote the services of our members. To accommodate its dramatic growth, Making Pharmaceuticals will be moving to the Ricoh Arena Coventry in 2017.

Contract manufacturing at Making Cosmetics

21 Mar 2016

The combination of a comprehensive seminar programme and an exhibition attracted top people in the personal care market.  L’Oreal, Sainsburys, Body Shop, PZ Cussons, Molton Brown, Tesco, Superdrug, Boots and GSK were amongst the 836 visitors to visit this 2-day event at the Ricoh Arena Coventry. The BCMPA, supported by Association members, organised a session on contract manufacturing and also met with potential clients on the BCMPA stand.

H3i creates opportunities for our chemical members

14 Mar 2016

The H3i event at the National Conference Centre Birmingham focused on technical seminars and the raw materials, ingredients, formulation and contract services used in creating household, industrial and institutional cleaning products.  “It is the first time the BCMPA has taken a stand at H3i and we were very pleased with the positive response” said Rodney Steel (BCMPA Chief Executive).  “In the absence of chemical shows in the UK, this could provide an excellent platform in the future for our members to exhibit.”  The show returns to Birmingham on 6-7 March 2018.

NEC show attracts over 6000 visitors

1 Mar 2016

The Contract Pack Show has once again reaffirmed its place in the exhibition calendar as THE place to come for companies wanting to outsource their manufacturing, packing and logistics operations. The focal point was the BCMPA Hospitality Stand which featured demonstrations of the Association’s website search facility, enabling visitors to shortlist members offering the services they need. And with over 20 BCMPA members exhibiting in the Contract Pack zone, there was plenty of opportunity for visitors to meet members face to face. The wide range of sectors represented included personal care, food, pharmaceutical, chemical together with general and luxury gift packing. Contract Pack forms part of the Easyfairs Packaging Innovations event, incorporating Empack, Ecopack and Label & Print.

Hot topics at the BCMPA Conference

29 Jan 2016

The Annual Conference was hailed as the best yet, with nearly 50 delegates and an array of topics including the National Living Wage, developments in digital print and 3D printing, communication systems for large warehouse areas and a case study on the pros and cons of exhibiting in the USA.  Haulwen Nicholas of Muller Dairy announced the launch of packaging training initiatives in conjunction with Chester University and there was a presentation by Peter Ward, CEO of the UK Warehousing Association.  There were also focused break-out sessions for each industry sector and in particular for our pharmaceutical members with updates on the Falsified Medicines Directive and the implementation of Serialisation.

Expac win ‘Contract Packer of the Year’ 2015

13 Nov 2015

Expac were victorious at this year’s UK Packaging Awards held on Wednesday night at the London Hilton on Park Lane.  This is the 4th year the BCMPA has sponsored this prestigious event which attracted over 700 leading figures from across the packaging supply chain. Runner-up was Glowcroft who were highly commended.

Please read the full story here.

New venue … fresh opportunities!

30 Sept 2015

There’s nothing like a new venue to spark fresh enthusiasm and this was the case with Packaging Innovations’ move to Olympia. This is the 5th year that BCMPA has featured at Easyfairs’ London show and we weren’t disappointed. Visitor numbers exceeded 4,000 we were delighted so many clients from leading household brands to eCommerce start-ups were on the lookout for BCMPA members who could help them with their manufacturing, packing and logistics projects.

The extension of the Luxury Packaging section of the show certainly added value: customers attracted to purchase beautifully designed packs will need BCMPA members to collate and pack the products into them. We will definitely be back next year.

Looking ahead to Packaging Innovations in February at the NEC, the BCMPA and around 30 members will be there in force. Come and see us in the Contract Pack zone.

BCMPA Sailing Day

11 Sep 2015

Two yachts took to the high seas from Lymington last Friday heading West along the Solent towards Hurst Castle and the Needles. The breeze was a gentle Force 2-3 and all 14 crew members took turns in helming, winching and navigating their way to the Royal Solent Yacht Club in Yarmouth for lunch.  The competitive instinct of the co-packing teams took hold for the afternoon race, although you will notice one crew member very relaxed on the foredeck!

It was a very successful day which we plan to extend to 4 or 5 boats in 2016, with ‘Team Glowcroft’, ‘Team Lemonpath’ and ‘Team Broad Oak’ amongst those keen to complete for the America’s Mug!

Visitors up nearly 30% at Making Pharmaceuticals

5 May 2015

This event has aroused a lot of interest in the UK pharmaceutical industry, not least because it has filled a much-needed gap in the exhibition calendar. Visitor numbers at the second Making Pharmaceuticals grew by nearly 30% indicating that the seminar content and exhibitor profile were even more popular with the industry professionals than in its first year.
 
The BCMPA, as sponsors of the event, welcomed visitors to their stand and a number of BCMPA members also featured at the show.

Making Cosmetics makes its mark

28 Mar 2015

This event has really established itself in the exhibition calendar with a first class seminar programme, a growing exhibitor list and a significant increase in visitor numbers.  As an official supporter of Making Cosmetics, the BCMPA is pleased to have played its part in developing this much needed and very focused event which enables brand owners on the lookout for contract manufacturing/packing partners to meet BCMPA members face to face.

Contract Pack exhibition reaches 8th Year

9 Mar 2015

The BCMPA hospitality stand at Contract Pack, which forms part of Easyfairs Packaging Innovations event, was busier than ever this year – all going to show that the trend towards outsourcing is growing apace.

Twenty five BCMPA members took part, representing a wide range of industry sectors including fulfilment, logistics, food, chemicals, personal care, gift packing, pharmaceuticals and more. Visitor numbers to the NEC were up 10% on the previous year, proving this has become the premier event for our industry.

BCMPA Annual Conference 2015

26 Jan 2015

The theme of January’s BCMPA Conference held at Nailcote Hall revolved around responsible business practices, starting off with a presentation on sustainable supply chains by Jane Bickerstaffe of INCPEN, followed by Dan Murray of the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX) – a code to which many BCMPA members subscribe. Linda Boyle of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority defined the staffing responsibilities for companies in the packaging sector and, as an alternative to recycling, Paul Young of DHL challenged delegates to ‘eat their packaging’ explaining  how mushrooms, bamboo and straw might shape the future.

The BCMPA team of Emma Verkaik and Rodney Steel outlined the Association’s strategy for 2015, with Melissa Yearley announcing the launch of the BCMPA LinkedIn Networking Group. A major part of the BCMPA’s continued success is down to the website, in particular the search facility, and our designer Paul McKenzie revealed some impressive statistics of how traffic to the site had dramatically increased with resulting benefit to our members.

Alison Church, Event Director at Easyfairs outlined the company’s future plans and thanked all the BCMPA members who participate in the Contract Pack exhibition at Packaging Innovations.

Contract Packer of the Year 2014

17 Nov 2014

‘Contract Packer of the Year’ is part of The UK Packaging Awards organised by Packaging News, which took place at the prestigious London Hilton Park Lane last week, attended by over 700 leading figures in the packaging industry. The ‘Contract Packer of the Year’ Award went to delighted BCMPA member Central Pharma. The Bedford based company has two 3,900sqm sites and 20 production suites with capacity for more than 150m packs per year. 

Congratulations also go to our other finalists Glowcroft and Mailway.

Pictured from left: Philip Chadwick (Editor of Packaging News and The Contract Packer), Rodney Steel (BCMPA Chief Executive) Peter Frost, Lynne McConnell, Amy Berridge (all from Central Pharma), Andy Parsons (Host/Comedian)

ICSE Paris featured 6 BCMPA members

13 Oct 2014

CPhI Worldwide is the premier pharmaceutical event of the year and was this time held in Paris, attracting well over 30,000 visitors. The International Contract Services Expo zone in Halls 1 & 2 featured BCMPA members Dechra, PCI, Penn, Quay, Recipharm and Trinity. “The feedback I received was extremely positive," said Rodney Steel BCMPA Chief Executive who visited the show on Day One. “With visitors coming in from 140+ countries, it is a truly international exhibition providing our members with a magnificent stage on which to promote their services.”

Packaging Innovations London

6 Oct 2014

Once again a record-breaking attendance (almost 4,000) confirmed easyFairs continued success with their London show, this time enhanced with Luxury Packaging 2014. The BCMPA Hospitality Stand in the Contract Pack zone was thronged both days with visitors keen to talk to us about projects that they were looking to outsource. It was also a good opportunity for BCMPA members to meet Melissa Yearley, our new addition to the BCMPA team.

Making Pharmaceuticals 2014

1 May 2014

The BCMPA supported the Making Pharmaceuticals event last week at the National Motorcycle Museum Birmingham. Created to help the pharmaceutical industry address the complex demands of developing, manufacturing and packing pharmaceutical products, this new UK event exceeded expectations and will feature more prominently on the calendar next year. Exhibiting BCMPA members were Fleet Laboratories/Trinity Scientific and UDG (UniDrug Distribution Group).

Making Cosmetics 2014

27 Mar 2014

The Making Cosmetics show, held at the Ricoh Arena Coventry on 26-27 March, was supported by the BCMPA and eight exhibiting members: Design Plus Packaging, Fleet Laboratories, Flexible Medical Packaging, Hampshire Cosmetics, Inovia International, Orean Personal Care, Reabrook Health & Beauty and Statfold Seed Oil.

Contract Pack 2014 breaks visitor attendance record

12 Mar 2014

Contract Pack 2014, part of the easyFairs Packaging Innovations event at the NEC Birmingham, and the annual showcase for the UK’s contract packing industry, had 25 BCMPA members exhibiting at this year's event alongside the BCMPA hospitality suite.

The two-day show ran from the 26th to the 27th February, and is now firmly established as a must-see event. With visitor numbers at over 6,000 for the first time, a record attendance figure up by 18% on last year, and additional features laid on by the organisers, exhibitor feedback was very positive and over two thirds have already re-booked for next year, proving once again that this is the place for brand owners and retailers to come when they are looking for professional outsourcing partners.

Contract Pack 2014 is go!

24 Feb 2014

Contract Pack 2014, part of the easyFairs Packaging Innovations event at the NEC Birmingham, is the premier showcase for the UK's contract packing industry, aimed at clients looking to outsource all or part of their packing, manufacturing or logistics operations.

The BCMPA will be there hosting the hospitality pavilion and supporting 25 exhibiting members for the duration of the show, which runs on Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th February.

New search feature enhances Members' profiles

6 Jan 2014

Shortlisting of BCMPA members via our search tool has been further improved by the addition of relevant industry accreditations. This facility allows any and all of the listed accreditations to be selected to help identify outsourcing partners with appropriate expertise. As with other filters, Accreditations can be selected on their own or in combination with other criteria.

Accreditations held by members are displayed at the foot of their profile pages, along with their other details. Do let us know what you think of these new enhancements - we welcome your feedback.

David Patterson joins BCMPA Management Team

8 Nov 2013

We are delighted to welcome David Patterson, MD of Chester Medical Solutions, to the BCMPA Management Team. Chester Medical have been members since 2006, and with Pharmaceutical/Medical being such an important sector within the Association, we welcome David’s experience and input. He held brand management roles at Rank Xerox and Kraft Foods, before joining Chester Medical in 1994. He is also a Director of Quay Pharmaceuticals, who joined the BCMPA in January 2013.

BCMPA launches new UK Contract Packers Map

24 Oct 2013

The BCMPA has launched their new UK Contract Packers Map as a feature of the website. All 120 members are flagged on the map enabling brand owners to locate contract manufacturers or packers in their area. By clicking on a flag, the identity of the packer pops up and by clicking again, the client is then linked to the BCMPA member’s profile page which provides information on the services provided by the company and full contact details. Further search refinements by industry sector will be introduced to the Map shortly.

“It’s an exciting new initiative which will be welcomed by clients looking for outsourcing partners in their locality” says Rodney Steel, BCMPA chief Executive. “We launched a major upgrade to the BCMPA website back in the Summer and further developments are planned for 2014.”

BCMPA members at CPhI/ICSE

24 Oct 2013

The BCMPA's main interest in Frankfurt’s massive pharmaceutical show CPhI was the International Contract Services Expo (ICSE) where seasoned BCMPA exhibitors included Packaging Coordinators Inc (formerly AndersonBrecon), Dechra Manufacturing, Trinity Scientific (part of the DDD/Fleet Laboratories Group) and Quay Pharmaceuticals (with support from Chester Medical). Rodney Steel was also in attendance and noted that: “CPhI is a great networking event and I am sure the visit will result in new members joining the BCMPA”.

Contract Pack Feature at easyFairs' London show

1-2 Oct 2013

The BCMPA and seven of our members exhibited in the Contract Pack Feature at Packaging Innovations London on 1st and 2nd of October at the Business Design Centre Islington. The annual event was well attended with visitor numbers up by 18% compared to 2012.

The Contract Pack Feature included Alexir Co-Packers, Design Plus Packaging, Evolvepack, Hampshire Cosmetics, Mailway Packaging Solutions, PrimePac Solutions and Steller Packing.

The focus now will be on the larger sister show at the NEC Birmingham next February where over 30 BCMPA members will be exhibiting.

BCMPA Annual Conference

3 Jul 2013

One of the highlights of the BCMPA calendar, the Annual Conference provided a unique networking opportunity for BCMPA members across all sectors to get together and discuss the many exciting developments in the contract packing industry. The event featured 6 guest speakers including Simon Oxley of Marks & Spencer, Joanna Griffiths of BRC Global Standards, plus two very thought-provoking interactive business strategy sessions. There was also a hands-on workshop organised by LinkedIn to enable members to brush up on their B2B social media skills, and time for relaxation too, with David Woodhead of Selden Research winning the Golf Tournament on Nailcote Hall’s Cromwell Course.

New BCMPA website launch

1 Jun 2013

With the outsourcing of packing and manufacturing projects growing at a prodigious rate, the launch of the new BCMPA website in June fulfils an essential need for clients and contract packers to have a means of finding one another.
 
The new site provides visitors with the ability to refine their search and by ticking just a few key tick boxes on the dropdown menus, they can create their own shortlist of potential outsourcing partners. Every member has their own profile page with a summary of their capabilities, full contact details and a link to their own website.
 
Another really valuable feature of the new BCMPA website is the online Enquiry Form. This provides clients with an easy way to enter their project details online, with helpful pop-ups to ensure they give the BCMPA the key information required. This can then be circulated to members and those with the appropriate facilities for the project would normally respond within 24 to 48 hours. It’s a free service.
 
Other features of the new site include definitions, exhibition calendar and news, all of which provide a valuable resource for the packaging industry.

Exhibitors Marketing Training Day

23 May 2013

This half-day training was designed as a hands-on session to enable BCMPA exhibitors to learn how to maximise the many free marketing tools that easyFairs provide for their CONTRACT PACK/PACKAGING INNOVATIONS exhibitions. The shows have enjoyed year-on-year increases in visitor numbers, but the more that can be done to promote the exhibitions and attract potential customers, the better.

“It definitely met its objectives” said Debbie Hayler of March Foods. Paul Price of Lemonpath said “This workshop was exactly what we needed to ensure that we meet new potential clients at the next show.”

The day was organised at the BCMPA’s headquarters in Old Amersham in conjunction with easyFairs, who also sponsored the event. In addition to hosting the CONTRACT PACK zone at London this October, the BCMPA is anticipating over 30 exhibiting members at the NEC in February 2014.

Medtec UK

1-2 May 2013

Medtec UK, held this year at Olympia London, is the UK's leading event for medical device manufacturers and featured BCMPA member Riverside Medical Packaging Ltd.  Feedback from Neil Riddolls, sales director of the Derby based company, was very positive.

There were over 100 exhibitors in all and the show is scheduled for the same London venue on 14-15 May 2014.

Making Cosmetics

12-13 Mar 2013

Making Cosmetics, held at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, focused on personal care and associated markets enabling visitors to get up to date information about the sourcing, manufacturing and outsourcing of Cosmetics & Toiletries, and taking products from concept to consumer.

The event consisted of 74 exhibitors and a very comprehensive seminar programme, attracting 930 visitors over the two days. BCMPA members Fleet Laboratories and Hampshire Cosmetics both had stands.

The BCMPA stand not only attracted visitors looking for potential outsourcing partners, but also contract manufacturing companies applying for membership of the Association, two of whom are now members.

easyFairs CONTRACT PACK 2013

27-28 Feb 2013

February saw 5093 visitors at the NEC Birmingham, a 12% increase on the previous year, with 30 BCMPA members taking part. Two-thirds of the Association’s exhibitors have already booked for 2014, proving yet again that this is the place for brand owners and retailers to come when they are looking for professional outsourcing partners.

One of the key messages on this year’s BCMPA Hospitality Stand was to emphasise to visitors that there is a lot more to the Contract Packing Industry than just packing. “Members’ services encompass a broad spectrum of operations from pack design, formulation and filling right through to services such as warehousing distribution and fulfilment” said Rodney Steel, BCMPA chief executive.

“We had an unprecedented number of enquiries for membership” said Emma Verkaik, who is responsible for the BCMPA’s new membership development. “There are some very competent contract packing companies out there who now have the mind-set to be more pro-active in promoting themselves. We can definitely help them” she added.

The CONTRACT PACK exhibition is the flagship event for the UK contract packing industry, having been launched in 2008 as a BCMPA/easyFairs initiative and forming part of the easyFairs PACKAGING INNOVATIONS portfolio.