YORKSHIRE Packaging Systems (YPS) recently celebrated the firm’s 45th anniversary and raised over £3,000 in charitable donations for hospices in the West Yorkshire area.
Around 30 members of staff were amongst a 75-strong group of ‘YPS VIPs’ attending the afternoon event at the company’s HQ in Brighouse, which went on into the evening at the Holiday Inn Leeds-Brighouse hotel.
Founded 45 years ago by Halifax resident David Johnson, YPS is a supplier of flexible wrapping and bagging machinery and materials. The company supplies thousands of businesses across the UK, including blue-chip brands like BT, Hammonds Furniture, Ideal Standard, and Black Sheep Brewery.
Overseen by David’s son-daughter team of Glyn and Rachel Johnson, the business has experienced significant growth in recent years, culminating in a rebrand and also a relocation from Dewsbury to Brighouse in 2021. Opening a second distribution centre last year in Heckmondwike to accommodate continued growth, YPS has also increased employee numbers from 20 to 30 within an 18-month period.
The pandemic thwarted plans for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new base in 2021, but YPS pledged to remedy that while also marking 45 years in business this year.
Attendees from scores of businesses, each of which have played a part in YPS’s journey, came together to celebrate the milestone. Guests from tech giant Zoho, marketing agency ‘The Bigger Boat’, Barclays Bank, PIB Insurance, and The Business Exposure Group were just some of the firms represented. Technical delegates from TOSA Group in Italy and from Bollore Films in France also attended, along with a representative from governing body, the Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (PPMA).
For loyal customers and friends who couldn’t make the date, luxury hampers and bottles of champagne were shipped across the UK and Ireland to thank them for their support.
Guests were treated to entertainment including magician Luke Lenihan and stand-up comedy from local legend Pete Emmett. Julie Emberton from Jules Cakes in Halifax created a two-tiered, branded sponge cake bedecked with ‘45’ toppers, while a buffet selection was laid on by Thyme for Food.
Having supported Forget-Me-Not Children’s Hospice for several years – raising over £20,000 over the years – as well as Overgate Hospice more recently, YPS launched a fundraising campaign alongside the event to support both charities. Competitions, raffles and games raised £1,504.41, which was then match-funded by the family to bring the total sum to £3,008.82. The cash was split equally between both causes.
During the event, company chairman David Johnson was presented with a custom-made trophy by his son Glyn and daughter Rachel. In a speech, Glyn honoured David for the ‘unfaltering years of dedication, inspired leadership, astute business-mindedness and ever-constant stability’ he has afforded YPS. Cutting the inauguration ribbon, David then had the honour of declaring the firm’s Brighouse HQ officially open before unveiling a plaque to mark the date.
MD Glyn Johnson said, “We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day to celebrate this happy occasion. It was a joy to share it with our suppliers, partners and friends of our family – old and new – without all of whom we couldn’t have reached this milestone.
“Our successes, including our recent relocation to Brighouse, the expansion of our workforce and the consistent growth of our market share over the last five years, are down to the solid leadership of my father, a strong network of business connections, and our committed ‘YPS family’, all of which we are toasting today. So here’s to the next 45 years of YPS!”
