Boardlink joins BFFF and invests £100K into its Carton Board Tray and Plate Forming Facilities

Boardlink the largest paper plate manufacturer in the UK and producer of some of the most resilient Ovenable Board Ready Meal Trays in the industry, has announced an investment of £100,000 to increase its capacity. The contribution is set to increase capacity on key lines by 25%, meeting the demand for recently secured business and future opportunity in this growing market.

Boardlink, based in Harwarden, North Wales, currently supplies its sustainably sourced and widely recyclable range of Dual-Ovenable board trays to major food retailers, food service providers and manufacturers throughout Europe. Its range of over 50 board trays, which are available in white and black and can be printed to meet requirements, are suitable for industrial and conventional ovens, as well as freezing. They can sustain extremely high and low temperatures (-40°C to 200°C), satisfying a broad range of uses including; ready meal applications, hot puddings, pies and raw meats.

Boardlink’s technically advanced carton board tray products appeal to those companies wishing to offer a more aesthetically appealing, durable and sustainable product. Recently joining the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF), the company’s products have growing appeal to this industry as they are far less likely to ‘shatter’ than plastic based products when frozen, resulting in less breakages in the supply chain. Equally when heated, the carton board trays provide better insulation than aluminum and plastic based products, making them less likely to burn to-the-touch and remaining rigid when containing hot products.

Ben Still, Managing Director of Boardlink, comments: “Feedback from customers and a considerable increase in new business orders has demonstrated the high demand for this sort of product. This growth is based on a number of patterns that are emerging in the ready meal market, firstly, vast improvements in ingredients, and in turn products, as well as a need to match this with sustainable, recyclable packaging. The industry is also seeing squeezed household spending lead to an increase in the purchase of frozen ready meals, which ultimately help to reduce food waste.

Still continues: “This all feeds the rise in demand from manufacturers for carton board products that can sustain extreme temperatures. Joining the BFFF cements our commitment to this sector and we look forward to welcoming new opportunities as well as maintaining our current business. This substantial investment will allow us to increase our production ability whilst maintaining the exceptional level of quality that our customers have become accustomed to.”

Boardlink’s trays are PET (Polyethylene tetraphalate) coated, providing excellent grease barrier properties, high temperature resistance, good WVTR resistance and excellent formability. The range is also available in numerous shapes and sizes and have been classified by WRAP as ‘widely recyclable’. This mean that any of Boardlink’s trays can be recycled through domestic paper waste streams, on the understanding that the products are clearly labelled ‘rinse before recycling’.