News

The Field name disappeared from the packaging industry at the start of the year after Chesapeake applied its own brand name to all its operations.

The Field business was established in 1850 in Bradford under the Firth & Field name. In 1993, the Field Group floated on the London Stock Exchange, before being acquired by US-based Chesapeake in 1999.

Field Packaging, Field First and Field Rotopack are now part of Chesapeake Branded Packaging, while Field Boxmore and Arlington Press are now in the Chesapeake Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Packaging division. Boxmore Plastics is part of Chesapeake Plastics.

BPIF Cartons president John Monks said: "Emotionally I will miss it [the Field name], but professionally I understand.

"Field was a short, snappy, easily remembered name, which had respect and history; it was held in high regard for many years.

"Chesapeake will be difficult to pronounce in some non-English language countries, but I guess if the business is trying to appeal more in the US then it's an understandable and relevant name."

Chesapeake has established a set of corporate guidelines to ensure the change is implemented in "a controlled and consistent way".

Chesapeake president and chief executive Andrew Kohut said the change in corporate identity would "simplify business for current and future customers".

In December, Chesapeake said its 2007 operating profits were likely to be lower than in 2006 following a dip in sales volumes, particularly in its South African beverage business.

The company has also sold its tobacco packaging business in Germany to Mayr-Melnhof Packaging, a division of Austrian folding carton producer Mayr-Melnhof.

Mayr-Melnhof said the acquisition would generate sales of around £7.4m (€10m) and add to its gravure capacity in Western Europe.

The acquired business in Bremen employs 84 people and specialises in producing cigarette packaging and high-quality folding cartons on a Lemanic gravure press.

The site was originally British American Tobacco's (BAT) in-house print operation before it was bought by Chesapeake in 2001. The plant was subsequently relocated to a modern factory on the outskirts of Bremen.

Chesapeake lost most of its global packaging work with BAT a year ago, following the closure of BAT's Southampton factory.

However, the carton manufacturer continued to do shoulder box work and reel-to-reel wraps for BAT at Portsmouth, where it employs 90 people, and at its operation in Bradford, where there are 82 staff.

Chesapeake marketing and communications manager Bob Houghton said the firm had developed new business at Portsmouth and Bradford to help offset the loss of the BAT business.

Cigarette packaging now accounted for around 8% of the group's paperboard packaging revenues, he said.