Gainsborough company continuing to thrive despite coronavirus pandemic

GIC, which designs and manufactures vertical form fill and seal machines, based in Heapham Road Industrial Estate, Gainsborough, has seen orders more than double year on year.

The company currently has 30 machines in build, several of which are destined for potato processing and packing companies.

Two new employees have been recruited, and GIC has invested more than £30,000 in its factory, adding a new mezzanine floor, increasing its production area by 90 square metres.

GIC was established in 1984, with its current directors, Andy Beal and Luke Murphy, assuming control of the business in 2006 through a management buy out.

Andy Beal said: "Despite the awful situation with the pandemic, we have seen enquiries and orders reach record levels.

"We have won several prestigious, high-value contracts from both new and repeat customers. I think we are seeing the rewards from a lot of hard work from our sales team and also increased investment in marketing to get our name out there a bit more.

“I think we are also benefitting from the fact that our machines are exceptionally well built and we back that up with the best customer service and ongoing support that we can provide. Hopefully, the rest of 2020 will continue in the same vein."

In February, GIC reported a record start to the year for its service team, with demand for after-sales support, servicing and spare parts growing by 60 per cent since 2014. Sales for new and refurbished machines is also following this upward trajectory.

GIC offers an extensive range of vertical bagmakers, producing a wide range of finished bag sizes from 150 to 600mm wide, in both intermittent and continuous motion variants.

All GIC machines offer low-cost ownership, robustness, reliability and exceptional build quality.

GIC's machines integrate seamlessly with upstream equipment such as check-weighers, multi-head weighers, cup fillers and counters, with the company offering efficient and cost-effective after sales to all of its customers in fresh and frozen produce.

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