The machines are capable of speeds up to 150 BPM depending on pack types. To date we have run containers from 60ml up to 500ml on this machine and it is the second machine of this type to be installed at UPL. The system is capable of applying a single label or 2 labels in orientation to each other, around the circumference of the product.

A series of other investments in new machinery is planned throughout the year as part of our ongoing commitment to improving our performance, and full details will be provided as each machine is put into production.

We are pleased to confirm that Neil Ebbrel, Packaging Technologist and Anthony Rawcliffe, Maintenance Team Leader both successfully attended the Leadership and Management Training course in March as part of UPL’s commitment to developing key employees.

We are also delighted to confirm that Andy McKenna (UPL Warehouse Supervisor) has successfully passed his Dangerous Goods by Air, Road and by Sea qualifications. Andy is the only member of staff who has this qualification.

He needs to re-sit the exams every 2 years to maintain ongoing validation.

This year Andy successfully achieved the following results:                                                    

Dangerous goods by Road – revalidation: pass mark is 80% and Andy achieved 99.5%

Dangerous goods by Air – revalidation: pass mark is 80% and Andy achieved 94%

Dangerous goods by sea – revalidation: pass mark is 80% and Andy achieved 92%

-   Many congratulations to Andy on a fantastic set of results

Background information on the comprehensive training that is required in order to be approved to handle the transportation of dangerous goods by road, air or sea:

If UPL is transporting goods by road, air and sea there is always the element of risk. If the goods are dangerous (product or waste) there is the risk of an incident such as spillage of the goods and causing hazards such as fire, explosion, chemical burns or environmental damage. To limit incidents and to ensure that loads are safe, regulations outlining the need for a D.G.S.A. have been set in place by the Health and Safety Executive to regulate the transport of dangerous goods. D.G.S.A. is short for Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor.

These regulations place a duty upon those involved in the loading, unloading, filling and/or carriage of dangerous goods to ensure that they know about the measures needed to minimise the associated risks. Whatever our involvement – whether we are going to send, carry or receive dangerous goods by air, by sea or by road.

By Air:

It is a requirement by law that comprehensive and approved training must be given to all staff involved in the packaging, documentation or handling of dangerous goods.

The regulations covering the transportation of dangerous goods by air are issued by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) publish an annual Dangerous Goods Manual which is recognised as the industry standard and is used on the course.

All students who pass the examinations are registered as internationally approved to sign for dangerous goods consignments.

It is also a requirement of law that revalidation training be carried out every 24 months.

Cargo Training International trainers are approved by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

·         Apply the information given in the ICAO and IATA regulations to dangerous goods shipments

·         Check that packing, marking and labeling meet ICAO/IATA standards

·         Interpret dangerous goods lists

·         Recognise prohibited items

·         Understand packing instructions

·         Recognise marking and labeling

·         Understand the shippers and the carriers responsibilities

·         Complete dangerous goods documentation

On completion of this course – which includes a written examination – candidates will receive a certificate endorsed by the UK CAA. All certificate holders are registered with the Approval Authority.

By sea:

The IMDG Code contains clearly defined recommendations for the training of all staff who handle or process dangerous goods shipments for transportation by sea. The full training requirements can be found in the IMDG Code Volume 1, Chapter 1.3 (page 25). This Chapter also includes reference to “refresher training”.

This programme will enable students to use IMDG codes to prepare dangerous goods shipments and associated documentation. A certificate of competence will be awarded to those who successfully complete the course and the written examination.

The course objectives are:

·         Legal responsibilities

·         Documentation

·         Dangerous Goods classes

·         Packaging, marking and labeling

·         IBCs

·         Stowage, separation and segregation

·         Limited quantities

·         EmS

·         MFAG

·         Validation

By road:

This programme covers the regulations relating to the carriage of dangerous goods by road both in Great Britain (Statutory Instrument 2007 No.1573) and Europe (ADR). The full training requirements can be found in the ADR (European Agreement concerning the international carriage of dangerous goods by road) Volume 1, Chapter 1.3 (page 33). This Chapter also includes reference to “refresher training”.

The two day revalidation programme is available for those who have previously attended the full course but need to refresh their knowledge (due to changes in the ADR and the GB Regulations). This should take place when the regulations change which is currently every two years. We have incorporated the revalidation course into the three day programme and students will attend on days two and three.

The course objectives are:

·         Legal responsibilities

·         Documentation

·         Dangerous Goods classes (restrictive and non restrictive)

·         Packaging, marking and labeling

·         IBCs

·         Mixed Packing

·         Accident Instructions (TREM cards)

·         GB Road Regulations

·         Placarding of Vehicles

·         Validation

The British Safety Council has announced the winners of their International Safety Awards for 2013, given to organisations in recognition of their proven commitment to workplace health and safety, and UPL are extremely proud to have earned a 6th consecutive award with a mark of 40/60.

The International Safety Awards scheme seeks to promote high standards of health and safety management practice in order to prevent workplace injury and ill health. The award winners have to demonstrate to the judges their commitment and determination to prevent workplace injuries and work-related ill health.

Winning an award for 6 consecutive years is a great achievement and congratulations go to everyone at UPL on this well earned recognition.

The exhibition saw over 900 unique visitors which is an increase of 48% on last year. This is a great achievement for an exhibition that is only in its second year, and shows what an exciting industry we work in.

Mike Peters also gave an extremely well attended seminar on successful start-ups, and copies of his presentation are available on request or by clicking on this link>

We were very proud that many existing and potential customers remarked on the quality and impact of the UPL stand, and on our professionalism. The special gift bags containing samples of new body, hair and skincare products that were developed in our NPD Lab, were also considered to be a valued gift.

All in all it’s been a very rewarding, successful and enjoyable few days and a positive way of meeting existing and potential customers.

In order for them to qualify they had to complete an off-site training course at St John Ambulance and pass practical examinations / assessments at the end of the course.

Congratulations to them both.

Several members of UPL’s packaging development team, recently visited the Packaging Innovations exhibition in Birmingham.

Packaging Innovations is probably the biggest Packaging Show in the UK & focuses on the latest trends and developments in design and high-end packaging. Taking place at the NEC, it provided the opportunity to review a wide range of packaging solutions and concepts from leading packaging companies.

UPL firmly believes that attending such exhibitions is critical to enable us to remain at the forefront of what’s new & exciting within the industry and to maintain our level of packaging development expertise.

If you would like to discuss any of your packaging development requirements with UPL please do not hesitate to contact us.

Stephen Jackson has recently joined UPL as an Assistant Development Chemist working as part of the Development Team. He will be lab based and will be involved with the preparation of samples for submission to customers as well as assisting in the formulation of new products. We wish Stephen the very best of luck in his new role.

Marcin Szewczyk originally joined UPL as a temp assisting with our product compatibility testing. Very quickly it was noted that Marcin’s work ethic, together with his aptitude meant that he was the right calibre of person to join UPL on a permanent basis. Marcin was subsequently offered a full time position & he has now embarked on a two year training programme in our Packaging Development dept. We all wish Marcin the very best of luck in his new role & we are sure that he will be an asset to UPL.

Amanda Fitzpatrick has also recently joined UPL in the role of Team Leader in the Production dept.

We are sure that they will all work effectively alongside the existing team and add further strength to our award winning business.

A year ago Ian decided to find out more about the work of The Anthony Nolan Trust when a friend of his donated stem cells to help someone with blood cancer. The Anthony Nolan Trust is a charity that aims to find stem cell and bone marrow matches for people dying of blood cancer, typically leukaemia and lymphoma.  Ian applied to go onto the bone marrow and stem cell donation register and was asked to complete a DNA test to ascertain whether he was a match for anyone.

In October he received notification that he was a preliminary match for someone who was seriously ill and he then had to undertake several blood tests to make sure he was compatible with the recipient and that no mistakes had been made. If he was not compatible and his stem cells had been transplanted into the patient they would almost certainly die.

Once the results proved that he was a match Ian needed to go for a medical at the London Cancer Clinic. He passed the medical and was told that he was needed for a PBSC (peripheral blood stem cell) donation to someone. They needed a stem cell donation as their immune system had become cancerous. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy had been unsuccessful, meaning that their only chance of survival was to completely destroy their own cancerous immune system and replace it with a new one created from Ian’s stem cells. This is why the doctors had to be sure that Ian was a match or their body would reject his stem cells and they would be left with no immune system at all which would mean a quick death for the patient.

Ian was then informed that a nurse from a private health care company would visit him at home to inject him with G-CSF, this is the hormone responsible for stem cell growth. These were administered to ensure that Ian would have enough stem cells to donate without any adverse impact on his own health. Several days later Ian went to London and had a final course of G-CSF injections at the London Cancer Clinic, and the following day he donated his stem cells.

The actual donation process was quite simple. It consisted of blood being pumped out of his body and fed into a cell sorting machine where the stem cells were removed along with a small amount of plasma, with the rest of Ian’s blood being returned to him. This procedure lasted for four hours followed by a two hour recovery time.  During this time they had to check that the correct amount of stem cells required by the patient had been extracted, otherwise Ian would have had another course of G-CSF and repeated the donation process all over again the next day.

The process is anonymous and Ian does not know who he donated to or how they are doing, but he will be given feedback on their condition in 6 months time.

Making a donation is really simple to do and there is an amazing reward at the end of it as by donating stem cells people can actually save somebody’s life. If anyone is interested in becoming a donor please visit www.anthonynolan.org for full details.

In addition to exhibiting at Making Cosmetics, UPL’s Managing Director Mike Peters will also be giving a talk at the Contract Manufacturing Seminar on March 13 about Successful Start Ups.

Making Cosmetics is free for visitors to attend – including all the seminars – but your entry will be faster if you pre-register. You can get your free invitation to this event by clicking on the following link >

Click here to download your 2013 Making Cosmetics Ticket from UPL

The first half of the session was a presentation on different types of fragrances and the key elements which are used to create these fragrances, whilst the second half involved smelling lots of different fragrances and individual fragrance ingredients to gain an appreciation of the different types of aromas used to create a fragrance.

The participants were then challenged to work with the available ingredients to create their own new fragrance which was then put before a panel of judges.