Assuring quality and integrity
Image: RMP
CanTech International visits Roberts Metal Packaging, UK-based specialist in pre-threaded caps and containers
All images in this article courtesy of Bell Publishing with permission from RMP
With a history of over 130 years, UK-based Roberts Metal Packaging (RMP) stands firm as a premier European manufacturer of pre-threaded metal caps and aluminium jars and containers. Its clients range from global cosmetics, healthcare and food companies through to independent manufacturers of home and leisure products.
Located a short distance away from Bell Publishing’s offices in Kent, the company’s 30,000 square foot Thamesmead factory houses stamping and thread-rolling machines – which make up the biggest part of production – as well as liner insertion machines, ovens, material stores and a tooling room.
Production manager, Egle Zurauskiene, hosted CanTech International’s tour around RMP’s factory in June 2024. We were first shown the stacks of metal sheets in aluminium and tinplate. Some were in their ‘raw’ colourations, but others were black. Zurauskiene explained that, despite modern trends pointing toward more colourful, playful packaging, monochrome is still high in demand for RMP customers. “We receive a lot of orders for black and white packaging. Sometimes, a classic is unbeatable,” she remarked. RMP also works with local, sustainability-focused brands who favour a simpler, sophisticated packaging look.
An employee feeding metal sheets through a stamping machine, which is operated by foot
We were shown a range of machinery at the Thamesmead site. From a hand-fed stamping machine creating 12mm to 18mm caps, to a more modern system handling 10,000 caps per hour, the company’s production is diverse. Zurauskiene also explained how important automation has become to RMP’s operations for speed and ease. The company now has seven PV15s, with the most recent machine arriving at the end of 2023, as managing director, Chris Saunders, told CanTech after the tour.
“We ordered the seventh machine not necessarily needing it, but the lead times after Covid were terrible and we didn’t want to run out of capacity,” Saunders said.
Last year, the company also installed a third automatic liner insertion machine. “These machines put in around 20,000 liners per hour, whereas when I first started at Roberts, the output was 1,000 allegedly, but probably closer to around 500 per hour,” Saunders commented. Additionally, because the machines run so quickly, “they don’t need to run all the time,” he said, which not only helps save energy, but offers spare capacity if needed.
RMP started building its own thread-rolling machines around five to six years ago, Saunders told CanTech with pride. “We wanted something better than what we had, as some of the machines were probably 70 to 80 years old – they still worked, but we wanted something more modern in design with higher output.
“In the UK, there are only really two companies including us that are making pre-threaded screw caps, and there aren’t many others in Europe,” he said.
In 2023, the company relaunched its Softline Extreme aluminium jar range in Shallow & Deep variations, which feature continuous threading. The Softline Extreme Deep includes 75ml up to 250ml capacity, with a 170ml option and is best suited for health and beauty products such as hair care and body butter. The Softline Extreme Shallow is available from 25ml up to 120ml capacity, but with a 100ml pack also available for products such as hand and face creams, or household products such as natural furniture polish.
Depositing scrap metal sheets ready for recycling
Clean environment
What was notable on our tour was how orderly RMP’s production floor looked. Saunders commented that the company’s previous site in Peckham, (when the company was named Roberts Capsule Stopper Company, until 2007), never felt as clean as the current Thamesmead site. Saunders stated that the excellent standards instilled a desire within the staff to keep this environment clean and waste-free “more than ever before.”
Additionally, every scrap piece of metal not used in production is neatly stored. “All of this is put away, ready for recycling,” Zurauskiene said – “nothing is wasted.”
In April 2024, Roberts received an AA+ packaging materials global standard rating from BRCGS (Brand Reputation through Compliance Global Standard) after an unannounced visit. This rating signifies that all pre-threaded screw-caps, godets and aluminium and tinplate containers are quality assured, legally compliant, and authentic for customers and manufacturers. “This is something our clients look for, so they know we can guarantee top quality,” said Saunders.
RMP’s staff number is between 80 and 90 people on-site, which Saunders noted is spread across 24 hours a day, Monday to Thursday, with a single shift across Friday, Saturday and Sunday if needed.
“In very busy times, we normally increase numbers using temporary staff – I think we’ve gone up to about 120 people before,” Saunders said.
Walking the production floor, the team seemed close-knit and were enthusiastic in showing us their work. Zurauskiene herself started 20 years ago with RMP as an operator, and, when asked about her future, she beamed. “I’m not planning on leaving,” she said.
RMP’s sales and marketing manager, Kirsty Taylor, and managing director, Chris Saunders
Uncertain economy
The last time CanTech saw RMP was at Paris Packaging Week at the beginning of 2024; an opportunity which Saunders said was fruitful for “generating enquiries,” however, the economic conditions in France “are not dissimilar to the Germany and the UK.
“Before Covid-19 hit, there was quite a lot of momentum toward more recyclable materials such as aluminium and tinplate,” Saunders said, but commented that UK government delays in implementing extended producer responsibility (EPR) and the much-debated deposit return system (DRS) have thrown confusion into the mix and blurred education about the infinite recyclability of metal packaging.
He added: “One of the possible negative outcomes from DRS is that, with beverage cans disappearing from household waste, there could be funding issues with councils in terms of waste collection.
“The aluminium we produce – ‘non-DRS’ aluminium – could be lumped together in household waste with, for instance, takeaway foil trays, which are notoriously difficult to recycle. We could be paying much higher EPR charges than we should be. There could be unintended outcomes,” he said.
Saunders noted another problem in that larger brand owners only seem to want to recognise and promote recycled content, rather than products with infinite recyclability. “Some larger brands have shifted their ‘eco focus’ to capitalise on more immediate trends in the hopes of regaining profit they might have lost during Covid,” he said.
Saunders also said that the “TikTok generation” are “being exposed to and encouraged to buy cheap, poorly-packaged products by influencers and millionaires online,” which is adding to the problem.
He recognised the trends toward sustainability with some younger consumers but added that more focused education is required to truly turn the tide. RMP is a member of the Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association (MPMA) which, along with other associations in the UK, lobbies government to ensure metal packaging is not disadvantaged in any way during decision-making for EPR and DRS implementation.
RMP is perhaps more uniquely suited to ensuring longevity in its packaging, providing the type of metal packaging that can easily be repurposed after use, compared to an aluminium beverage can, for instance. The company takes a lot of pride in creating high-quality products that last and that people want to keep, rather than throwing out (even if it is to recycle).
Looking ahead
At the time of our interview with Saunders, the UK’s general election was pending, and Saunders was correct in his prediction that there would “certainly be a change of government.” His general outlook for this and the future of metal packaging was positive – “We’re in a strong position… and it is all going to get better,” he said, but added that the timing of government decisions on EPR and DRS will be paramount for the industry.
“I think in the next five years, we’re probably going to see more change than in the last 20 or 30,” Saunders concluded.
- Head to @CanTechInternational on YouTube to watch footage of CanTech’s site visit to RMP.
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