A devastating fire last May (Packaging Today – July/August 2004) gutted the Newburn plant's roof and office complex, leaving the company, which provides a fast turnaround service to clients in the US and European food, gift, toy, household, healthcare, DIY and gardening sectors, no choice but to operate from portakabins. The 40,000 sq ft factory has since been comprehensively rebuilt and equipped with a stable of new printing and finishing equipment, including two new and one fully refurbished Komori press, three new and one refurbished Bobst cutting and creasing machines and new gluing lines. There is also a new origination department and dedicated cleanroom, while PDG has created sufficient office space and computer technology to give it the capability to increase its turnover from £16.2m - £20m.
"It is wonderful to see the factory back to how it should be and we are looking forward to a successful year," says md Gordon Scorer, who founder PDG with joint md David Gillender in 1983. "As a consequence of the fire we have been able to make an investment that is unparalleled in the European and US packaging business in the past five years. We now have a world-class manufacturing base."
PDG marked the re-opening with the announcement of a "substantial new packaging contract" from Birds Eye Foods.
