West Belfast factory welcomes global packaging leader

Packaging Solutions

Biopax Limited, a Belfast based leader in sustainable packaging, welcomed a prestigious international guest to its production facility.  On Monday 28 July, Madam Li Li, chairman and CEO of Masterwork Group Co Ltd, visited the site in what was her only factory visit in Ireland.

Biopax’s machinery includes the MasterMatrix die cutter and folder-gluers, manufactured by Masterwork Group in Tianjin, China, and supplied through Heidelberg, a strategic global partner to the Masterwork Group. 

Biopax is located on a redeveloped 8.4 acre manufacturing site and was officially launched in 2023 by Dr Terry Cross, with a planned investment totalling £47million. The company specialises in polyethylene free printed cartons, paper wraps and labels for the food, beverage and non food sectors. It serves clients across the UK, Ireland and Europe, with growing global supply chain partnerships spanning North America, China, India and Australasia.

The purpose of the visit was to view a selection of high performance packaging machines, specifically the MasterMatrix die cutter and folder-gluer systems now in use at Biopax. 

The company currently operates two Speedmaster XL 106 printing presses from Heidelberg and an extensive downstream set up featuring Masterwork’s four die cutting and two gluing systems. These investments enable the business to produce high volume, high quality packaging while reducing waste, downtime and environmental impact.

Madam Li Li said, ‘Biopax represents the kind of innovation and sustainable ambition that aligns with Masterwork’s values. Seeing our technology in action in this forward thinking facility was both impressive and inspiring. I commend the Biopax team for its commitment to excellence and its vision for a more sustainable future in packaging.’

‘It was a great honour to welcome Madam Li to Biopax and to showcase the advanced machinery her factory has produced,’ said Dr Terry Cross. ‘Our packaging workflow with systems from Heidelberg and Masterwork reflects our belief in global collaboration within our industry as the key to sustainable industrial progress.’

Biopax is currently undergoing further expansion and aims to increase its workforce by the end of the year.