Left to right: Mark Furman and Greg Burton of Lesters

Staffordshire-based Lesters, one of the packaging sector’s fastest-growing companies is targeting further expansion after making two high-profile appointments. The company, which has seen revenues grow 120% over the last year, has recruited Mark Furman as head of sales and Greg Burton as it’s new design manager.

The former has more than 33 years’ experience working in the industrial corrugated marketplace for blue-chip companies and is bringing his knowledge, processes and experience to support the Burntwood firm’s desire to hit £25 million turnover by 2025.

He will also be tasked with aligning ‘state of the art’ design and manufacturing capabilities with the group’s in-house warehousing and logistics operations, providing a seamless solution for clients in the aerospace, automotive, bike manufacturing, mail order and third-party logistics space.

Mr Furman, who started his career as a junior designer, said: “This is a very exciting time to be joining Lesters, with a £7 million investment drive in the latest technology and a focus on providing sustainable packaging solutions proving extremely popular with customers.

“I will be looking to add my corporate sales experience into the mix, implementing more processes and the strategic targeting of new markets alongside the agility, creativity and innovation that is seeing us transform a sector that has been weighed down in tradition for too long.

“Supply chain challenges are a big talking point for our customers. Recent events and uncertainty have created a need for many UK businesses to increase their security of supply for the critical packaging lines they require.

“This is where we come into our own, providing security of supply aligned with the most sustainable solutions. Working alongside our customers, we create efficient and cost-effective bespoke packaging that saves time and money, not to mention reducing their carbon footprint in the process.”

Second shift introduced
The last two years have been extremely busy for Lesters, with 15 staff taken on across production and in administration/support, while a second shift has been introduced to keep up with demand. This has helped support the design and manufacture of a growing range of products, including octabins, pallet boxes, heavy duty packaging, bespoke die cut units, corrugated cartons and retail-ready packaging. The company is also keen to innovate the materials it uses, as well as looking for new applications outside the world of packaging.

Mr Burton added: “Strengthening the design team was fundamental to achieving this objective and I am really enjoying the freedom we have to challenge industry perceptions and develop new packaging solutions. There are some big questions out there currently. How do we make packaging lighter, greener and more versatile? How can we maximise the efficiency of the process by adding in a storage/logistics solution?

“Some of these we are finding answers for ourselves, others we are looking to collaborate with universities and R&D specialists to push the boundaries of what we can achieve with materials and applications.”

Billy Hutchinson, managing director of Lesters, concluded: “Attracting Greg and Mark to our team is a massive coup and sends out a strong message of where we are and where we intend to go. We are doing things differently in the packaging sector and customers are responding by moving their business over to us. More investment, more innovation and more talent will only make the Lesters offer even more appealing.”