The Scott Group and Marlaw group of companies, whose core activities include pallet manufacture, management and recovery, packaging and agricultural boxes, report a combined turnover in excess of £117 million and a combined operating profit of more than £5 million for the period ended 31 December 2008.
John Scott, chief executive, comments: “Our acquisition of Marlaw in September 2007 has made a significant boost to our turnover and profitability, seeing the combined companies easily break through the £100 million barrier. “Operationally, in response to the economic concerns the group undertook significant, decisive rationalisation to attain efficiencies and financial resilience to ensure that the business continues to perform profitably.
“It is well documented that trading conditions have been difficult with the economic downturn” he adds, “but the pallet division has performed strongly and has benefitted from significant loyalty from its key customers. Innovation has always been a strong feature of our offering and our environmentally positive, cost effect pallet repatriation service delivered through our ELM business has been very positively received.”
He continues: “United Box, a joint venture manufacturing agricultural boxes, has traded strongly, recording its best ever year and has plans in place to build on this with significant further capital investment in automation. Restructuring has also stimulated a re-energised focus on the packaging division, with the development of an ambitious plan to replicate the well documented success of our pallet division. We are now looking at further acquisitions in this sector and have recently opened a new site in Uddingston.”
With 28 sites across the UK, the private company now employs more than 1,000 people. The Pallet Division is the UK's largest importer of pallet material and the packaging operation includes Scott Packaging, in South Wales, George Hill, in Wolverhampton, Henry Sutcliffe, Manchester, and Tripack Solutions, near Uddingston
