We Seal

PATENTS, PRODUCE AND THE PERFECT SEAL

Utilising its reusable and eco-friendly bag seal, We Seal plays a vital role in keeping industrially produced bread fresh. Having successfully conquered this sector, the company is now turning its talents to table-top sealers. CEO Richard Hobson revealed more, in an exclusive interview. Report by Imogen Ward.

WESeal has taken sealing by storm with its innovative bread seals. Successfully holding 95% of the UK’s bread seal market, the Leeds-based company is in hot demand.

“Since 2016, we have more than tripled in size and turnover,” explained CEO Richard

Hobson. “We’ve successfully doubled our manpower, we are operating 24 hours a day, and we are now exporting to 21 countries in addition to supporting all the major household names in the UK.”

With roots dating back to the ‘70s, We Seal is well equipped to offer the market the very best resealable and recyclable bag sealing options.

“Our seals are 100 per cent recyclable, and they are also helping to combat food waste, purely through the retention of freshness,” Mr Hobson continued. “Our seals can add more than a day to the shelf life of bread.”

In 2016, the company proudly acquired the intellectual property for the machines that apply its seals to bagged bread. The company has made significant mechanical improvements since then, and, among other things, the machines are now capable of processing 10 times more seals than previous generations.

“As a result of several very tactical acquisitions, we own the intellectual property of our machines, which dates all the way back to the 1970s – when this style of packaging was first introduced,” Mr Hobson said.

We Seal’s machines are not the only element to receive a revamp: the company recently patented a new design for its seals, making them more user friendly.

“We have adjusted the way we cut our seals, to introduce an angled edge,” Mr Hobson continued. “From a consumer perspective this is a very simple idea, but

INNOVIA

Innovia is a material science company and major producer of speciality BOPP (polypropylene) films using ‘Bubble’, Stenter and Cast technologies. It holds a leading global position in the markets for high-performance coated packaging, tobacco overwrap, graphic media solutions, label and security films.

Our films are sold to brand-owners, end-users and converters across the globe. They are used by some of the world’s best known brands across a variety of consumer goods.

Innovia employs over 1,400 people worldwide and has production sites in Australia, Germany, Poland, Mexico and the United Kingdom, all with a focus on high-quality value added products, Research & Development, and excellent service.

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it is actually a very clever way to provide an easy lift edge, without completely redesigning the product.”

Fresh Seal

Following year-on-year success, the company is setting its sights on a new sector. Fully aware of the frustration that consumers face when trying to open freshly sealed produce from butchers and green grocers, the company has designed, developed and patented the easy to open Fresh Seal.

“Most people will probably be familiar with the torment of trying to open a bag of fresh produce that has a tape seal on it,” said Mr Hobson. “After wrestling with it the only solutions are to rip the bag or cut off the seal. We have recently patented an easy open & reseal solution that is polypropylene based, allowing it to be recycled with the bag. A lot of the tape currently used in this market is incompatible when it comes to recycling.”

Expected to hit the market by the third quarter of 2024, Fresh Seal joins the company’s growing portfolio of 100% reusable and recyclable seals.

Recycled content

Fully aware of the environmental impact that can be caused by an abuse of plastic, We Seal has worked hard to ensure its seals are environmentally friendly.

Following the introduction of new legislation in the UK, recycled content became a huge focal point for the pack -

aging industry. As a result, We Seal spent a lot of time researching chemically recycled plastics (CRP), with the hopes that this could be the perfect solution for its seals. After securing a deal with its supplier, the government guidelines were changed once again, and CRP was no longer a viable option.

“Following a lot of work on our end, the government decided there wasn’t enough CRP in circulation for it to be used as a recycled material,” said Mr Hobson. “CRP was pulled from the legislation at

the last minute, leaving us to seek out something else.”

Ever determined, We Seal did not give up and set to work implementing a different solution. With the government agreeing to the use of post-industrial recycled waste, We Seal decided this was the route to take.

“We have to follow the legislation: and of course post-consumer plastic is not food grade, so that’s why we landed on postindustrial recycled waste,” Mr Hobson continued. “This is waste material that is created within the manufacturing process: it then gets extruded and fed back into our products.”

Although this is the route currently being undertaken by We Seal, the company is open to adapting in the future. One area it is interested in is biopolymers. However, being a small manufacturer, We Seal understands that it is not in a position to drive market change this development would therefore depend on the direction of the market.

Implementing improvements

Always eager to advance its technologies and techniques, We Seal recently entered into a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the University of Derby. The two entities will complete a partially government funded research project costing more than £250,000. It is expected to last around two years and will help We Seal find new ways to improve and innovate.

“We Seal operates with five main pillars: our employees, our supplier partnerships, our customers, the quality of the products we manufacture and our ability to innovate,” Mr Hobson explained. “We are constantly searching for new ways to innovate and make our products better, with the environment and the consumer in mind.

“In line with this commitment, we have been awarded a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Derby University. This university will look at our current methodology and find ways to best improve our materials and techniques.”

There are several exciting solutions that Mr Hobson could see being offered as a result of this Knowledge Transfer Partnership: “There may be a way to incorporate composite materials into our machinery designs. Also, we would be interested to look at the orientation capabilities of our machines. When bread is packaged, it travels along a conveyor belt horizontally. Other produce, like apples for example, are sealed vertically, and our machines are currently incapable of doing this. We are very interested in adapting our machines to meet this need.”

We Seal CEO, Richard Hobson

Following the two year period, We Seal expects to be in a position to move to the next stage, where it will begin to implement initial improvements.

As We Seal gears up to tackle this new project, the company also hopes that 2024 will be a year filled with more export opportunities.

“Given that the growth of this business will be export, we are excited to be seeing

huge opportunities worldwide as more and more bakeries are putting sustainability first, and looking to move away from the old-fashioned sealing solutions which can’t be recycled,” Mr Hobson said, in conclusion. “When the time comes, we are ready to invest in local manufacturing, whether that be in the US, Canada or Australia. This will really enhance our presence and expand our capabilities.” n