Polythene manufacturer ramps up ‘click and collect’ bag production

Packaging supplier Duo UK has invested £25k into machinery to accommodate an increasing demand for mailing bags with handles.

The Manchester-based firm, which also manufactures the plastic bag and food container material polythene, has seen a sharp rise in the demand for handled mailing bags over the last 18 months.

With the £25k investment, Duo UK has carried out modifications on a number of its machines that it believes will give it the capacity to produce an additional 20m handled bags every year. Retailers like fashion website ASOS and department store John Lewis use such bags for ‘click and collect’ orders.

Dale Brimelow, the firm’s operations director, said: “Listening to our customers and being able to react quickly to trends we see in their industry has always been something we pride ourselves on.

“Many of the brands that we work with are significantly extending their delivery and collection services, and as such ‘click and collect’ is becoming the preferred way to shop for many busy Internet shoppers.”

He continued: “The investment means we’ll now be able produce 14% more of this style mail order bag each week resulting in significantly improved productivity and faster lead times for our clients.”

The firm has likewise experienced a rise in the number of brands requesting an additional glue strip on their mailing bags, which allows a bag to be resealed in the event that a customer wishes to return their order.

Duo UK’s clients include ASOS, JD Williams, Tesco and Keep Britain Tidy.