A Colwick-based packaging company has invested £300,000 in new robotic technology at its local manufacturing operation.
The Wilkins Group has purchased three robotic palletising machines which will be used at the end of its production lines to stack finished cartons ready for dispatch.
The family-owned packaging business said the investment would increase flexibility and improve consistency during the final stages of production.
The new Unipal machines use laser scanners and automated stacking programmes, allowing the company to quickly switch between different stacking configurations.
They are positioned after the company’s gluing lines and can handle the full range of corrugated outer boxes produced by the business.
One robot can stack finished cartons onto two separate pallets.
Investment followed successful trial
The company initially purchased two of the machines from QTM Automation, with both installed in July 2025.
Their performance subsequently prompted the company to invest in a third, bringing the total investment to £300,000.
Aron Wilkins, joint managing director at The Wilkins Group, said: “After seeing the Unipal robots in action in Germany, automating this process of pallet stacking enables us to improve consistency and offer opportunities for some staff to take up the training we provide to machine operator roles as we continue to grow.”
He added: “The range of these machines is incredible. They are fully automated and accurate.
“The first two machines were installed in July 2025. Once we’d fully experienced what they can do and their reliability, it was evident that we needed to invest in a third machine.”
Millions invested in Colwick site
The latest purchase follows a series of significant investments by The Wilkins Group in recent years.
The business, which employs around 500 people globally, invested £5.2 million in a three-phase expansion of its Colwick headquarters in 2022.
That was followed in 2023 by a £2.5 million next-generation printing press, while the company has also spent £1.4 million on a new die-cutter aimed at increasing productivity and efficiency.
The latest £300,000 investment continues the company’s programme of upgrading and automating its manufacturing operations in Colwick.
