Celebrating 70 years of platinum products at Parkside
70 years and still going strong.
We’re proud of our history, and the many talented “Parksiders” who have all played their part. As part of our platinum anniversary celebrations, we spoke to some of the team about their time here, and the many varied projects they’ve worked on over the years.
Here are a few thoughts on our portfolio of platinum products.
What has been your favourite product you’ve worked on during your time here, and what made it stand out to you compared to others?
Steve Hallford – Product Development Technologist
For me, it would have to be the development of laser lidding film. Seeing its introduction and how quicky it developed and spread out into multiple applications and markets was rewarding to see.
Carol Clark – Production Planner
It has to be the Two Farmers Crisps compostable crisp packet. Developing a compostable solution that was fit for purpose came with many technical challenges, and overcoming those challenges was immensely rewarding for the team.
Kirsty Plovie – NPD Technician
To be honest, I’m struggling to pick a favourite! I’ve always really enjoyed working with some of the smaller brands and businesses in general. You tend to get a little bit more creative freedom and end up building such a great relationship with the customer because you’re working together as opposed to working for them. Sometimes they may not know much about packaging, or it may be a new product that hasn’t been packed before, so you guide them through the process, and it ends up being a learning journey for both parties.
Can you share a memorable story or experience related to one of the products you’ve helped develop or launch?
Paula Birch – MD
When I first joined Parkside as a customer service representative over 25 years ago, one of my first accounts was British Sugar and we worked with them to develop a shrink sleeve for their Treats Ice Cream topper, which was a new product launch at the time.
The pass at press was through the night and we literally stayed in the press approval room all night with the customer working on getting all the designs in the range passed. What really stands out in my memory was shrinking the sleeves onto the bottles with a hair dryer to mimic the packing process, and how technical the product was to shrink to the correct size but still maintain the design integrity with no distortion of the pack. We all left site around 6am the following day.
I then remember dragging my sister to the supermarket and running to the shelf where all the bottles were displayed and shrieking in excitement that the pack I had worked on was there in the supermarket. She still doesn’t get it to this day, but I guess that’s a packaging thing!
Steve
As I was making the transition from laser machine operator to laser specialist during the development of the Seabrooks share pack, it was an eye opener to see the sheer amount of development work that goes into getting a product to market. This was the first time I saw the full process, from the early material development work and laser CAD work to get a reliable, functioning pack. Getting to see the packs on the supermarket shelves after that was great.
Which product do you think had the most significant impact on our customers, and why do you feel that way?
Steve
Laser lidding film, for me, would have to be the one. It has grown over the years from its early development to what it is now. The market it covers is wide, from fruit and veg, nuts, chocolates, to even pet advent calendars. The concept is very adaptable and versatile.
Carol
Our compostable bag that we developed for Dark Woods Coffee stands out. The customer was a coffee roastery that had built its own closed loop waste strategy, and a high-performance compostable packaging solution was central to that.
We created a home compostable bag along with an industrially compostable CO2 valve. This enabled Dark Woods to collect waste from its customers and compost it in its own commercial composting facility. The compost from this facility was used to nurture the garden at the Dark Woods café, which makes a wonderful circularity story that we were proud to be part of.
Is there a particular product that you feel especially proud of contributing to, and what was your role in its development?
Steve
There has been too many to pick just one, so I will choose one of the latest ones.
Seeing the introduction of Popflex™ to the market has been great. I have been involved from the initial concept to developing the function of the pack through lots of different versions to what it is now.
Carol
Again, I’m very proud of our collaboration with Two Farmers. Earlier this year I was involved in actioning further improvements to these solutions, making the customer very happy.
How has working on your favourite product influenced your perspective or approach to your work within the company?
Kirsty
I’ve become much more confident in working with people outside of the business and am not afraid to make suggestions based on things I’ve learnt in previous projects. I’m always willing to have a go at something new too, even the crazy ideas!
Steve
It has highlighted to amount of work that goes into getting a product to launch.
There are some very skilled people at Parkside and working closer with them over the years, through product development, trials, and so on, makes me personally want to raise the bar higher, do things better, and constantly improve.
Carol
It has ensured I always take time to look for ways to improve products, however I can. I believe any challenge can be solved with the right combination of innovation and expertise, and we prove that every day at Parkside.
What would you consider the most successful product(s) that has stood out the most in your time working at Parkside?
Steve
Basically, the whole laser portfolio. The laser was a totally new process when it was brought into Parkside, and the sheer amount of work that the team of people involved put into it is amazing.
We have probably spent thousands of hours trialling, developing, and testing to get to where we are now, and I genuinely think we are the best in the world at what we can do.
Kirsty
Although I didn’t work on the project, I think the crisp packet we designed for the Beavertown x Smug campaign was successful as the print really stands out and the purpose behind it was admirable. The fact that it’s design-led caught my attention immediately as a graphic designer. I also really like the fact the purpose of the project was to highlight a mental health campaign. It’s an example of functional packaging without physical functionality, which is quite clever.
Our story has been going for 70 years, but we’re just getting started – and we can help you make the next chapter of your packaging story a success. Get in touch today to learn more about how we can help.
