Can printing specialist to create £4 million operation in Peterborough

Expanding ‘craft can’ experts Bevcraft Group will invest more than £4 million in facilities at Titan Drive, Fengate, over the next three years.

It has already started recruiting for the 20 jobs - for technical, manufacturing and administrative roles - the new operation will create.

The company has partnered with Cambridgeshire based Tonejet to commission what will be the first system of its kind in Europe.

By printing directly onto the beverage can, Bevcraft will be able to offer a new and environmentally sustainable way to decorate cans for volumes of between one to 50,000 units, which traditionally rely on the application of labels or shrink sleeves.

In addition to digital can printing, the facility will also host a mobile canning fleet, distribution hub and service and maintenance depot.

These will complement Bevcraft’s existing distribution hub in Merseyside as well as operations in Ireland and the Netherlands.

Darren Fenton, chief operating officer of the Bevcraft Group, said: “By adopting this new and exciting technology, we can now completely eliminate minimum order quantities and provide yet more choice and flexibility to the hundreds of fantastic beverage producers we are so fortunate to work with across the UK and Europe.

“This solution will complement our existing mobile canning, can distribution and can decoration offerings so that we can continue to offer maximum choice and flexibility to our clients.

“We expect 330ml print capability to come on stream within the next two months and 440ml to go live close to year end.”

Ciarán Gorman, CFO of the Bevcraft Group, said: “This is the single most important investment to date for the Bevcraft Group and represents a vote of confidence in British manufacturing and innovation.

“We are particularly satisfied to see genuinely world leading technology that has been developed locally in Cambridgeshire now being commercialised here.

“Peterborough was the natural choice for us as our can manufacturing partners, Crown, CanPack and Ball are all located within a short radius.

“This decision has been further validated by the exceptionally high calibre of new hires to date and the genuine enthusiasm shown by Opportunity Peterborough.”

Henry Reilly, Commercial Director of the Bevcraft Group, said: “Our roots are in the craft beer sector where creativity, variety and sustainability have been so important to the growth story.

“This is a sector that is full of energy and passion and we really look forward to seeing our customers push the boundaries of what digital can printing can deliver.

“Over the years our mobile crews have completed thousands of canning runs and the one absolute constant is that there are quite literally no two craft producers the same – everyone has a story to tell and a different approach to doing so.”