Can do, will do as gamble pays off for company

In the past year, CarnaudMetalbox has recorded a turnover of £100m through manufacturing state-of-the-art machinery that, in turn, produces the reliable tin can.

And, with increasing demand for the equipment in areas such as Asia and the Middle East, managing director Ian Scholey is convinced it will continue to play a part in our lives for a long time to come.

After focusing on the UK market and then Europe, CarnaudMetalbox now sells to more than 80 countries.

The company has faced its fair share of challenges, battling through a downturn in trade following the boom years of the 1980s.

Mr Scholey said: “We had a piece of equipment that sold like hot cakes, but in the 1990s we weren’t as busy and the 2000s were very quiet. To put it in perspective, in 2004 we sold something like four machines. This year, to date, we’ve sold 180.”

The dramatic turnaround was catalysed by a brave decision to take a risk when the going got tough.

Mr Scholey explained: “In times of trouble, many companies start to shed overheads – and one of the common victims is development. But we decided to focus on this area. We recognised product development would get us out of this, so we invested in bringing forward new equipment for the industry.

“We aimed it at existing and emerging markets, particularly Brazil, Eastern Europe and Asia, but we’ve had our main success in the Middle East. We’ve sold to Iran, Iraq – all the Arab countries. We’re truly global.”

He added: “We’re also selling into Nigeria, Angola and South Africa. China is also becoming a substantial market for us as it’s becoming more affluent. We just continue to go from strength to strength.”

CarnaudMetalbox started life at Lee & Crabtree in 1853, manufacturing textile machinery at Windhill, Shipley. It was bought by The Metal Box Company in 1930 – an expanding company in the UK – and the firm began to make three-piece tin cans such as those seen on supermarket shelves.

In 1963, the business moved to its current home, a purpose-built site at Dockfield Road, in Shipley, and employed 600 engineers.

Can-making technology changed significantly in the 1970s with the introduction of the two-piece can for soft drinks, beer and some high-volume foods. At this time, the company began to produce new machines – and business started to take off.

French company Carnaud bought the firm in 1986, giving rise to the present name. In the same year, the business won the Queen’s Award for Technological Achievement for developing a way to spin a shaped neck onto a two-piece can – a process since used throughout the world.

Although CarnaudMetalBox was subsequently taken over by an American business in 1996 – now known as $7bn packaging company Crown Holdings – the Shipley operation retained its name.