Nobody runs a B&P site like a Deer!

Ok, so a little play on a well-known John Deere advertising slogan, but it’s a true statement about the Production Supervisor at our Manchester site, Mark Deer. We caught up with him to chat about all things corrugated.

When did you join the company? – Thirty-five years ago, although it really doesn’t seem that long! I started at Pemberton Packaging in Hazel Grove, moved to Rocor in St Ives (which is now known as our sister company Jardin Corrugated Cases) and then came back to Manchester in 1993 when I was getting married.

Talk us through a typical day in production at Boxes and Packaging Manchester – It always starts with a coffee and a chat with the other early birds before shift starts. With Bredbury being such a busy site it’s all about keeping the workflow efficient, customers happy and the staff safe.

To give us an idea of scale, how many boxes pass through the factory on average each day? – Literally thousands! And with us having our second Manchester site at Bolton there is always lots of liaising with the team there to make sure the magic happens!

What do you like about your job? – Pretty much everything really – it’s so varied that there’s never any time to get bored! It’s a great team at Manchester and many of us have been here for years; it feels like a real family atmosphere but we’re super resilient, changing with the times and always pushing to be that little bit better.

You’ve been in the industry for 35 years. Why would you say packaging is a good career to have? – Well, I’ve never been out of work so that shows the security of the industry if you’re prepared to put the work in and be a team player. With sustainable packaging being so prevalent now I can only see that security, longevity and career opportunity continuing to flourish in the years ahead.

How has the packaging industry changed during your career? – Significantly where technology is concerned, and our ability to do more with the same raw material has changed massively. I’ve worked for five different owners and seven different Managing Directors so it’s been quite a journey, however the goal has been consistent. To deliver quality products, to grow and develop the business and its people, and my own personal goal – to make work an enjoyable place to be. We all spend a lot of time at work so there’s no other approach really is there?

What do you think the future of the industry looks like? – Pretty good in the short term, and retirement for me in the long term! No, seriously, I think the corrugated industry will continue to grow hugely in the next few years as people ditch single use plastic and find new ways of packaging that are made from corrugated. I still think that not everyone, even those in packaging purchasing, really understand the capabilities of corrugated as packaging material. When you’ve worked in an industry for so long, you think you’ve seen everything, but our designers still create new products that are so resilient, strong, and innovative.

Stuart Clarke, Managing Director, Boxes and Packaging Manchester commented; “Mark is a truly inspiration member of the team and is at his happiest on a Monday morning especially if his beloved Arsenal have won over the weekend (although that’s not happening as often as he’d like!) His ability to adapt and keep the team motivated is superb and he’s a great asset to the business.”

Mark is also a keen footballer and plays in the over 50’s Stalybridge league, however, he often gets outpaced by the 70-year-olds!