Beatson Clark is investing more than £3.6 million in four palletisers for its Rotherham glass packaging operation, alongside new decorating equipment and operator-protection measures. The palletising machines are planned for introduction over the next 12 months and will allow the manufacturer to pack finished containers onto both standard UK and Euro pallets. The programme forms part of a wider series of equipment improvements at the site, which has manufactured glass containers since 1751.
The palletisers will let the Rotherham factory assemble shipping units on standard UK pallets and the smaller Euro format. Different pallet footprints affect container stacking patterns, wrapping and load restraint, as well as compatibility with warehouse equipment and transport systems. Accommodating both formats on automated lines reduces the need to reconfigure loads downstream when orders are destined for customers using different logistics standards.
Beatson Clark works with European sister company Pont Packaging and its distributor network, giving the additional pallet configurations a potential route into continental markets. Warehouses and vehicles are commonly arranged around standardised pallet sizes, while bottle designs and packing formats create different load geometries. Palletising equipment has to accommodate those combinations without damaging containers or interrupting the movement of finished stock from the production line.
At the manufacturing stage, Beatson Clark has installed screen printing machinery at the decorating plant that began operation in August 2024. The equipment expands the decorative effects that can be applied to glass containers. It can work with organic, ceramic and precious metal inks, giving customers different combinations of appearance, durability and finishing requirements. The decorating operation is already being expanded in response to demand for printed and sprayed packaging.
Ceramic inks are fused onto glass at high temperatures to produce durable decoration, while organic inks provide alternative colours and finish characteristics. Precious metal inks extend the available design range. Each process needs appropriate application, curing or firing conditions and inspection, with alignment controlled against the curved container surface. Bottle geometry and production batch length also influence how quickly the decorating lines can change between orders.
The investments are linked to new packaging ranges for spirits, homeware and personal care. Each market can place different demands on container shape, closure compatibility, surface decoration and distribution protection. Glass manufacturing consequently involves more than melting and forming containers: a saleable unit has to pass inspection, decoration where required, packing and movement into storage or onward transport. Modernising the downstream stages can improve responsiveness even where the furnace and forming technology remain unchanged.
Beatson Clark has also rolled out air curtains across its glassworks following a trial designed to protect staff during hot-end swabbing. At the hot end, operators carry out work close to manufacturing equipment at elevated temperature, and contaminants can enter the immediate breathing zone. The air curtain system is intended to move airborne material away from the operator instead of relying solely on personal protective equipment as the protective measure.
Monitoring carried out during the air curtain project recorded an approximately 95% reduction in airborne particulate concentrations in operators’ breathing zones. Beatson Clark subsequently extended the system from a trial line across the manufacturing operation. The business identifies the installation as a UK first for glass packaging hot-end swabbing, and British Glass has shortlisted the project for a health and safety award. The measured result relates to this exposure-control application.
Air curtains form a directed airflow barrier between the hot-end process and the operator, moving particles away from the area in which they would otherwise be inhaled. Their performance depends on airflow position, surrounding ventilation and the task being performed. Continued monitoring can establish whether the protection holds during routine production, maintenance and changes in machine settings.
The palletisers and air curtains alter different parts of the factory workflow. Automatic pallet building reduces manual load assembly at the packing stage, while directed air movement limits local particulate exposure near glass-forming equipment. Reliable operation will depend on integrating the new systems with the existing line controls, inspection arrangements and operator procedures.
The decorating plant entered operation in August 2024, and screen printing equipment has subsequently been installed there. Air curtains have moved beyond a single-line trial, while the four palletisers are scheduled for installation during the coming year. The stated investment in palletising is separate from the decorating and workplace protection improvements.
The next equipment installations at Rotherham will add two pallet formats to the factory’s automated packing arrangements as its decorated container range expands. Alongside the completed air curtain deployment, the changes reshape how the glassworks finishes, protects and dispatches its bottles and jars, with European distribution requirements influencing the final handling stage.
