New Scottish Distribution Centre for Macfarlane Packaging at Bullet Express’s Glasgow Logistics Hub
Macfarlane Packaging, the UK’s largest distributor of protective packaging products, is investing in a new Scottish distribution centre in Glasgow within the newly opened distribution and storage hub of Bullet Express, one of Scotland’s leading logistics businesses.
The move follows Macfarlane’s £1.8m acquisition in May 2016 of the packaging business of Glasgow-based Edward McNeil and sees Macfarlane combine the operations of the McNeil business with its existing distribution centre, currently based at Linwood, into one, state-of-the-art facility. The new facility at Baillieston in Glasgow will complement Macfarlane’s other Scottish distribution centre located in Inverness.
Macfarlane is establishing its new Scottish distribution hub in 28,000 square feet of the facility’s 190,000 square feet of storage and distribution space at Baillieston, close to the main Scottish arterial motorway network. As part of this imaginative deal, Bullet Express, which provides transport and logistics services to over 400 customers UK wide, will source all of its protective packaging from Macfarlane Packaging. Macfarlane will utilise Bullet Express’s logistics services to support its existing distribution service.
The 10-year deal means that over 75% of the 21,000 pallet spaces within Bullet Express’s new Baillieston facility are now let.
David Machin, Group Regional Director of Macfarlane Packaging, said:
“Investing in this move underlines our commitment to growing our protective packaging distribution business in Scotland. Our new facility at Baillieston will accommodate our growth plans at a location that is well situated to more effectively service our customer base in Scotland.”
David McCutcheon, Managing Director of Bullet Express, said:
“We offer Macfarlane Packaging a warm welcome to our new site at Baillieston. Macfarlane was our first customer when we set up business in 1990 so having them on-site is particularly significant. I have enjoyed working with the Macfarlane team to make this deal come alive and we look forward to supporting them going forward.”