Converting

Springfield Packaging's kit is to be sold at auction in two weeks after no buyer could be found for the business, which went into administration at the beginning of July.

Chartered surveyor Charterfields' Manchester office will run the auction of the Salford firm's kit, which includes a six-colour Mitsubishi press and die-cutting, gluing and window-patching equipment.

Charterfields director Ian Maycock said that he hoped to raise around £300,000 from the tender-based auction. Viewings at Springfield's Salford premises will take place on Tuesday 19 August, with a deadline for tender submission set for Thursday 21 August.

The sale of the assets of the business, which was housed in leased premises, comes after administrators were unable to find anyone to buy the firm and run it as a going concern.

Springfield Packaging went into administration on 3 July with David Acland and Steven Williams of the Preston office of insolvency practitioner Begbies Traynor.

The business was closed immediately and some 45 staff were made redundant.

Maycock, who has worked with Begbies Traynor on the case, said: "We have assessed all opportunities to find a buyer for the business and are now proceeding with a sale of the assets."

He said that there had been a number of interested parties for the business, who considered buying it to run the plant as a satellite to their own business, but a deal never came off.

"The directors had tried to sell the business prior to the administration, but a number of clients had been lost in the last six months and the business was in a terminal state when it went into administration," he added.

Springfield is understood to have had annual turnover of £4m. It printed folded cartons, sleeves and display cards for supermarkets, food manufacturers and chemical firms. It was founded in 1980 and operated from 5,000sq m premises in Salford.