A family affair

The UK has a history of bright, innovative startups that can change the landscape and evolve into commercial behemoths, from Lever Brothers – which merged with The Netherlands’ Margarine Unie and became Unilever – through Cadbury’s, the chocolate manufacturer; earthmoving equipment company JCB; and Sinclair Computers, which brought home computing to the masses. But these are fairly unusual. More typical is the family company started by a determined entrepreneur, consolidated by his child or children and then disposed of for cash by the third generation.

Measom Freer is an exception to that rule. Located on the outskirts of Leicester, in the East Midlands of England, it is still firmly in the hands of the grandchildren of the founders, with the next generation already present on the shop floor, learning the trade. I first met Anne Freer, Finance Director, and was then shown round the factory by her husband, Andrew (Andy) Freer), Managing Director.

Measom Freer’s custom moulding service

The company started in 1937, making buttons and trimmings for the clothing trade. Measom Freer was an innovator in the industry, becoming the first producer of plastic shoe heels in the country and an early patent for a bicycle reflector. After setting up its own toolmaking subsidiary company, the company expanded in the late 1960s into blow moulding and the production of bottles for the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and other industries. This turned out to be very much the right thing to do. Demand for its products drove the need for larger premises; it moved to its current location 25 years ago, buying additional adjacent space when it became available. The premises now extend to 3000 square metres, including warehousing and office space.
Eighty-five years after it was founded, publicly available information presents a picture of a profitable and financially secure company. Surviving and prospering is not an accident or a slice of luck; Managing director Andrew Freer went out of his way to emphasise that decisions are made on the basis of what is ethical, good business practice and commercial, rather than seeking a quick buck. Measom Freer’s product range is primarily for customers who require specialist, bespoke solutions for their bottling and packaging needs. They include businesses in the homecare, personal care, beauty and hobby segments. The company doesn’t make standard products; it even designs and makes its own caps and closures.

PETG bottles samples

Production is for a mixture of made-to-order and warehouse stock. MD Andy Freer explained that Measom Freer likes to have a mixture and strives to stock all of its product lines.. When PETplanet visited, the warehouse was pretty much fully stocked; when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, two years ago, it was emptied very quickly, because of demand for hand sanitiser bottles and other personal healthcare products. The company found its customer base expanding, as well as the need for higher output; manufacturers of gin, for example, switched over to making alcohol- based gel. The fact that it makes bespoke products to its own design meant that it already had the agility to swing over to new products, quickly. We discussed the markets, the change in product balance from PVC towards PETG, the effective monitoring and management of waste, in the form of offcuts, and the challenge of controlling costs in the context of rising raw material expenses and the imposition of Plastic Packaging Tax in the UK, from April 2022. All of Measom Freer’s products are recyclable but market demands mean that it has to use largely virgin material. How it is investing in productivity to square that particular circle is an interesting discussion itself.

Yours

Ruari McCallion
Editor-at-Large

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