The Packaging News review of 2009: honours all round

Packaging News, 24 December 2009

COURT CASE OF THE YEAR
Winner: Quinn Glass
If Quinn Glass ended 2009 on a high after communities secretary John Denham decided not to reject the most recent planning application for its glass bottle manufacturing and filling facility, it was anything but an easy ride.

The year started in a cloud of uncertainty about when enforcement action would need to take place. The local authority concluded that there was no immediate need for action, but the judge at the subsequent case at the High Court in London, brought by Ardagh Glass against the councils, ruled that the plant was indeed "unlawful".  As a result, Cheshire West and Chester Council issued an order in May to "cease production within nine months and demolish unauthorised buildings", which Quinn appealed. At the end of the summer, though, the council approved the planning permission and the government did not overrule the decision. Quinn director Adrian Curry said the firm was delighted at the result and thanked staff and customers for their support during the process. Ardagh, meanwhile, said it would consider its position regarding more legal action.

Runner-up: Red Bull
The drinks giant hit the headlines in August after it was handed the biggest-ever fine issued under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations. The firm said it was now well placed to meet the obligations, but the £271,800 fine for failure to comply for an eight-year period highlighted concerns that more needed to be done to raise awareness of the rules.

MOST FASCINATING COMPANY AWARD
Winner: SAICA
Our readers' fascination with Sociedad Anónima Industrias Celulosa Aragonesa (SAICA) continued this year as the corrugated packaging behemoth announced restructuring plans. Visitors swarmed to the website to read about the company's £40m investment in facilities and talks of plant closures - affecting up to 264 jobs - making it the second most-read online story of 2009.

Following the announcement, the company chose Packaging News to quash rumours that it was to shelve its £250m recycled paper mill in Manchester. SAICA confirmed the project would go ahead, but said it was looking to reduce costs for the mill to what it called an "acceptable level". The latest development is the news that the company is investing £42m to bring its UK plants up to group level. This includes a new 3.3 corrugator at its Wigan plant, a 2.8 corrugator at Thrapston and investments in Thatcham and Hartlepool. Yet restructuring continues and the latest round of redundancies are to be at the firm's Peterlee site.

And still little is known about the elusive Spanish owners of SAICA  - an established player in continental Europe, the company is something of an enigma in the UK. As a result, the industry continues to watch with curiosity.