Major Corby plastic packaging firm Berry Superfos Thermoforming poised to close 'out of the blue' with loss of nearly 100 jobs

Workers at a Corby plastic packaging firm are said to be shocked after the company announced its intention to close its Sallow Road factory.

Berry Superfos Thermoforming, which formerly operated under the RPC banner, is expected to announce later this month that it is shutting its doors following a 45-day consultation period.

It’s thought about 93 staff could be affected. Workers have been encouraged to apply for jobs at alternative sites around the UK – including at Oakham and Higham Ferrers.

But staff are confused about why the site, on the Weldon North Industrial Estate, is being closed when it appeared to have a healthy order book.

The factory, owned by Berry Global, manufactures food and medical packaging for companies including Asda, Tesco and Aldi as well as pet food trays for firms including Harringtons and Naruto. Workers believe the pet market is an expanding one requiring investment, not closure.

Berry owns the site and the buildings, based at former Fairline Factory which was sold off when the boat company moved away to Oundle. Land values around Steel Road have risen as steelworks and heavy industrial sites including Roquette are re-claimed, packaged-up and sold off.

The Corby blowmoulding site further along Sallow Road, run by Berry’s M&H Plastics division, is unaffected.

One worker told our reporter: “This has come completely out of the blue and has left the workforce shocked and facing a glum Christmas with worries of losing their jobs in the new year.

“The factory has an incredibly healthy order book but Berry Global seems unwilling to invest in the site.

"Rumours are that they are perhaps sacrificing this site over another Berry factory in Port Talbot.

"The company owns all the site and buildings which again makes the decision to close baffling.”

Workers are now said to be organising themselves to let the company know why they feel the decision is incorrect

The staff member added: “The feeling is that since the RPC group was taken over by the huge American Berry Group a few years ago the focus had been moving more and more towards profits to keep shareholders happy with less focus on the customers and supply.

"We are all just so shocked and angry.”

The company has been in Corby in various forms for around 40 years – with packaging firm Reed International opening a plant in Corby in the early 1980s.

It went through several incarnations including Reedpack. A management buyout in 1991 led to a new name – RPC Containers which was sold to Berry Global in 2019.

A statement from the company said: “Berry Global has confirmed that it is entering into consultation with the workforce at its Superfos Corby Thermoforming site regarding a proposal to close the plant and consolidate the operations into other Berry Global operations.

“Despite great efforts on the part of many people throughout the Corby operation, the company says it has not been possible to bring the business into long term sustainable profit nor achieve a level of performance that would justify additional investment.

“If the closure goes ahead, the company will offer the workforce every help and assistance in finding alternative employment.”

The consultation period finishes at the end of January.