It’s hard to truly grasp the scale of Sheard Packaging until you arrive on site. Stepping through the gate to this sprawling Yorkshire facility, you’re immediately met by 37,000 square metres of corrugated ingenuity, with 16,000 devoted purely to manufacturing. Operating 24/7 throughout the year, it is one of the largest corrugated case manufacturing plants in the United Kingdom.
However, look closer, and the physical scale is not the most impressive thing to be found here. Instead, it’s the people who make it all happen.
On arrival, visitors are taken aboard Sheard Packaging’s Mobile Innovation Centre, or MiC, which was showcased at Packaging Innovations & Empack. This industry-leading creation brings the full capabilities of the Innovation and Design Centre directly to clients with a fully functional design studio, a Zünd cutting table, and a full testing laboratory. Every idea, sample, and test is backed by Sheard Packaging’s Value Engineering analysis, which considers design, shelf fit, automation, warehousing and logistics to identify immediate opportunities for efficiency and optimisation.
Visitors are next guided to the factory floor. The contrast is deliberate. Where the MiC showcases speed and hands-on innovation, the factory embodies scale, precision and enduring craftsmanship. Rows of high-quality printers, die cutters and high-speed case makers operate in synchrony, while experienced staff oversee every fold, crease, printing and glueing process.
A boardroom tour follows, tracing the company’s journey from its founding in 1860 to its current status as a fifth-generation, family-owned business. Roger Whittaker, entrepreneurial owner, and Lee Shackleton, managing director, embody the ambition that has propelled Sheard Packaging to a turnover of £85 million. Producing over 175 million square metres of corrugated board annually, the company remains debt-free and independent, reinvesting profits into people, technology, and innovation.
Roger reflects on the philosophy that has guided the business: “At the heart of Sheard Packaging is a simple principle. We look after our people, we look after our customers, and we keep investing in the future. If you get those things right, growth tends to follow naturally.”
Walking through the facility, the human scale becomes as impressive as the industrial. Colleagues greet each other by name, and the staff canteen looks out across the factory floor, a daily reminder that everyone remains closely connected to the craft. Steve Carroll, who has been with Sheard Packaging for 47 years, reflects: “I started out making recycled boxes and now I look after our biggest heritage accounts. It really does feel like a family. We eat, sleep, and breathe this business.”
Of 283 staff, 65 per cent have been with the company for more than five years. “Every department, every individual contributes to the bigger picture,” says Lee. “It is the dedication of our people that allows us to consistently deliver for our customers, even when the market presents hurdles.”
At the heart of this rhythm is the Innovation and Design Centre (iDC). From new product development to packaging reviews and value engineering, this custom-built facility combines creativity with practicality. Designers leverage tools including the Zünd digital cutting table to bring ideas to life, supporting both FMCG giants and agile start-ups alike.
Growth at Sheard Packaging is measured as much by relationships and capability as by turnover, guided by a philosophy of being agile, personal, and unwaveringly reliable. Success has been built steadily over more than 160 years, from paper bags and wrappings in 1860 to £10 million turnover in 2003, £50 million in 2019, and £85 million today, with output nearly doubling in less than five years.
The next chapter is already taking shape with the arrival of a third Göpfert rotary die cutter, no other UK manufacturer has three, a physical symbol of Sheard Packaging’s technical ambition.
Operating as an entrepreneurial independent allows Sheard Packaging to maintain duplicates of critical equipment: two existing Göpfert die cutters, six case makers, two flatbed die cutting lines, and three specialist gluers. Multiple suppliers ensure production continues uninterrupted, and machinery is fully interchangeable so work can seamlessly move between lines. A dedicated maintenance team works seven days a week to keep every machine at peak performance.
As its customers have changed, so too has the business. Five years ago, trade work accounted for roughly 45 per cent of output.
Today, FMCG represents 75 per cent. Each client is supported by a dedicated team of account manager, technical contact, internal sales support and CAD designer, operating not merely as a supplier but as a fully integrated partner.
Behind the scenes, Sheard Packaging is developing SheardSense, a suite of digital tools delivering data-driven insights into packaging performance and supply-chain efficiency. The results are striking: clients have improved pallet cube utilisation from 22 per cent to 86 per cent, recovered £2.5 million in potential lost sales, and saved tens of thousands in labour costs.
Sustainability is integral throughout. Sheard Packaging has achieved Ecovadis Gold and is targeting Platinum, with FSC-certified supply chains standard across the business.
Construction on site signals growth driven by real demand, with a new project expanding warehouse capacity by 3,400sqm. “Being independent gives us the freedom to take the long-term view,” says Roger. “We can make decisions today that strengthen the business for the next 10, 20, even 50 years.”
Sheard Packaging is a place where scale meets soul, where ambition, craftsmanship and human ingenuity coexist at an industrial scale.
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