Krehalon’s £2m purpose-built factory opens in Hull

Packaging firm Krehalon has just opened its £2-million purpose-built factory on iPark Industrial Estate, in Hull.

The president and CEO of Japanese parent company Kureha Corporation, Yutaka Kobayashi, cut the ribbon to officially open the new building on August 28, watched by Naoki Fukuzawa, the senior vice president and general manager of Krehalon global division.

The new factory’s general manager Steven Hinchly was also joined by Hull MPs Diana Johnson and Karl Turner, along the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce’s Director of International Trade, Pauline Wade, who were among the invited guests who attended the opening ceremony and enjoyed a champagne reception, buffet and tour of the Innovation Drive factory.

Krehalon, which employs more than 30 people at its Hull site, is the packaging division of Kureha Corporation, a Japanese Speciality Chemical company with its headquarters in Tokyo. Krehalon focuses on extending the shelf life of fresh foods with high barrier materials which provide a barrier to gases and moisture. Food is packaged in a controlled atmosphere which minimises bacterial growth, so the products stay fresher for longer, helping supermarkets to distribute and sell fresh foods with minimal food wastage.

Mr Hinchly said: “We are moving to Hull from a small unit in Beverley. The business has doubled its turnover in the last five years, since 2009, which means we outgrew our old premises. We simply wanted to move to Hull where most of our employees live and to gain more space for expansion in the future”.

The factory supplies packaging for local companies like meat producer Cranswick and other firms across the UK and Ireland. It also produces specialist packaging which is exported to France, the Benelux countries, Germany and Poland.

Having recently joined the Chamber, which plays a very active role in the food and drink supply chain, Mr Hinchly said: “I am looking forward to Krehalon forging a closer working relationship with the Chamber and was pleased the Chamber’s International Trade Director Pauline Wade attended our opening ceremony.”

Caption: Pictured during the official opening of Krehalon’s new factory are staff and VIPs during a tour of the new facility.