Queen's University Belfast & Brow Packaging 

About the Case – The challenge

Brow Packaging was founded in 1943 serving the linen agency, before developing the manufacturing side of the business in 1950. In 1964, polythene machines were introduced to print and convert this material. After the first oil crisis in 1974 the company started extruding polythene film. 

Brow Packaging is a manufacturer of flexible film products such as liners , tubing, film and bags, supplying to a wide range of customers in the food, pharmaceutical and medical sectors as well as agri-food and industrial packaging. Pharmaceutical grade packaging is subject to some of the most stringent regulations and the base polymers and additives undergo qualification testing to EU and FDA standards. Securing business in this sector requires an infrastructure built around product safety, audit trails, and the minimisation of risk, to give supply chain confidence. Product knowledge, experience and testing are essential.

The Solution 

In order to ensure supply chain confidence, the team at the Polymer Processing Research Centre (PPRC) at Queen’s University and Brow Packaging devised a suite of quality control tests on incoming polymer pellets and outgoing plastic film involving tests to ensure both consistency of formulation and functionality of the end product.  The testing programme is designed to sample new batches of product to ensure ongoing quality throughout the manufacturing process.  All test results and reports are cross – referenced with incoming material and outgoing film batch numbers to ensure full traceability.