AN OLD mill building near Bradford city centre houses a packaging business which is undergoing a transformation. Holmes Mann is celebrating its 125th anniversary and current owner Barny Holmes, whose great grandfathers founded the business in 1890, has spent the past two years modernising its operations and gearing up for expansion.

This has involved investment of around £250,000 in new equipment in the last 12 months, boosting the sales operation and creating a team ethic among the 43-strong workforce, which is set to increase by two or three this year.

Mr Holmes’ ambitious strategic plan is to double turnover to £7.5 million by 2016 .

“We have invested in new machinery, with the third new piece of kit arriving in May and we have also refined our processes which has dramatically increased production levels. The new machinery has also vitally improved health and safety standards.

“We are now in a position during our anniversary year to aggressively market ourselves as a one-stop shop for packaging and break into new markets. You could throw a stone from here and almost hit a competitor operating in one of the areas we are in – but there are very few others that do all we do and that puts us in a good place,” he said.

Homes Mann operates across four main areas – making cardboard boxes, tubes and wooden packaging, including crates and pallets, along with custom-printed sealing tape.

The company also has a 32-year relationship with Italian machinery maker SIAT and has just become one of a handful of UK distributors granted ‘diamond plus’ status by the manufacturer.

“This is a real achievement and reflects the fact that we don’t just sell the machinery. We work with customers to build and commission and install it and also provide an after sales warranty and repair service.

“I want to use our 125th year to ensure that Holmes Mann becomes the ‘go to’ packaging company. We need customers – new and old – to understand that no-one else does what we do in one operation. Some sell machinery and materials, some deal in boxes and pallets or tubes and boxes.

“We offer a design and development service to provide bespoke packaging materials. Part of the challenge is to educate the market that spending a bit extra on good packaging can enhance their own business. Cheap packaging which doesn’t do the job creates a bad impression and is not a saving in the long run.

“One of our customers is a Japanese maker of polishers and we have designed protected reusable packaging to ship the equipment back to Japan for servicing. Similarly, we are winning increasing business with aerospace components manufacturers whose products require special handling.

Design is a key component in good packaging,” said Barny.

His succession to become head of the family firm was not planned.

After growing up in New Zealand, where his parents moved when he was 14, Barny returned to Bradford while touring round the UK and Europe on holiday . He initially joined the business as a forklift truck driver.

Holmes Mann, in Harris Street, Little Germany, was established by Jonas Holmes and Matthew Mann, who built wooden packing cases for Bradford’s wool trade, originally in Leeds Road until moving to its current base in 1930.

Its latest marketing campaign is targeting small and medium firms.

Barny said: “My aim is to become a trusted strategic partner for companies, from owner-managed businesses that may only require a dozen boxes a month today but could have a multi million pound turnover in a few years, to larger businesses needing design and manufacturing at their disposal.

“I’m saying to firms, if your company makes a product and you package it then we will design and make the boxes, tape and pallets for shipping, everything.

“It’s about providing added value to customers.”

In 2014 Holmes Mann won key contracts with aerospace sector suppliers to global markets. This involved passing induction and safety checks to become a certified supplier.

Its pallets are certified by the UK Wood Packaging Material Marking Programme, meaning that its heat-treated timber stock meets strict ISPM15 plant health requirements and are sourced from sustainable forests.

This makes them suitable for exports to China, North America, Australia, New Zealand and many other destinations.

“Without that accreditation the pallets and goods would not get through customs,” said Barny.

The company’s expertise in building wooden packing cases has seen it win some interesting jobs, including making wooden packing cases with polystyrene fittings to transport valuable portraits of the Prince of Wales .

Holmes Mann also manufactured a virtually flat packing case for a metal gasket which was used by Red Adair to extinguish a North Sea oil rig fire.

The largest case it has produced was made for gas separators from Abu Dhabi. The crates were 40 feet long and 14 feet in height and were assembled around the gas separators and required a police escort to the docks.

Holmes Mann also devised a plywood box to hold Olympic torches for London 2012.

While Holmes Mann does not export itself, and has no plans to, Barny hopes to work with Bradford Chamber of Commerce to pass on his packaging know-how to delegates at export courses.

“People are keen to learn about other aspects of selling overseas and packaging is a key element in sending goods abroad.

“I hope that I could help local exporters to realise the benefits of using reliable packaging which meets international standards.

“If you use a cheap box and get ten per cent damage and returns that’s not a good a packaging solution. If you spend more and get the right design and quality you reduce damage and returns, which makes it more cost effective,” Barny said.

Since taking the helm at Holmes Mann, Barny has instigated a major rethink about its operations and the future. He has been guided by Bradford recruitment industry entrepreneur Steve Street.

“Steve has helped to focus our energies. He encourages us to look at things in a different way and shoots down the bad ideas, which has been a real help

“The last two years we have been heavily reinvesting and reorganising we’re seeing the benefits. Holmes Mann is a completely different company to how it was two years ago.

“The 125th anniversary is an important milestone for many reasons. We are still here in Bradford and still family owned.There’s something special about being here and that’s the motivation for what I’m doing. The driving force is to build up this business to hand on to my two sons,” he said.