About Blue Box Design

Established over 25 years ago by Managing Director, Duncan Robertson, Blue Box Design joined the McLaren Packaging family back in 2013, adding the capability to offer our customers high end presentation packaging as part of our holistic range of paper-based products.

Our purpose built, modern design and manufacturing facility in Stirling, opened in 2018, providing an immersive creative space in which to develop the highest quality rigid box packaging from beginning to end, with our experienced team there to support every step of the way.

1979
Founded by Mr James John McLaren producing corrugate cases
1983
Diversified into multipacks and basket packs
1985
Established solidboard divisions business
1986
Opened new factory in Port Glasgow
1988
Extended portfolio to include solidboard boxes
1991
Commenced litho printing at Battery Park Unit, Greenock
1994
Sold divisions business
1999
Extended premises in Port Glasgow
2006
Entered composite tubes market
2007
Purchased half of industrial estate for future expansion
2008
Donald McLaren appointed as Managing Director
2010
Awarded 'Carton Board Pack of the Year' by Packaging News
2011
Constructed state-of-the-art composite tube factory
2013
Acquired Blue Box Design, presentation box company
2013
Won Chamber of Commerce Awards for 'Best Manufacturing Company and Best Employer Over 25 People'
2015
Michael McLaren appointed as Sales & Marketing Director
2018
Opened new Design and Manufacturing facility for rigid boxes at Blue Box Design, Stirling
2019
Brought Interlok Divisions Limited back into the family
2020
Celebrated 40th Anniversary of McLaren Packaging with record turnover and capital investment
2021
McLaren Packaging signed up to United Nations (UN) Race to Zero
2022
Launch of Sustainable for Life ethos and Millhouse carbon offsetting project
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The story of McLaren Packaging

The McLaren Packaging story started with the vision of Jim McLaren and continues today, with the second generation, as a strong family of businesses which are 'Created with Experience', 'Inspired by Innovation' and 'Sustainable. For Life'.

In 1979, Jim McLaren founded McLaren Packaging with a clear ambition to become a specialist, independent supplier of paper-based packaging to the UK drinks sector. Through foresight and entrepreneurial vision, McLaren Packaging crafted a long-standing reputation for innovation, quality and service.

This allowed the business to grow organically, and acquire different specialist packaging companies, developing the internal expertise and knowledge to make McLaren Packaging the highly regarded and well respected organisation that it is today.

With premises in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde since inception, starting with one factory, and now consisting of four production facilities, the location has allowed McLaren to offer a successful One Stop Purchasing service to global brands.

McLaren Tubes, McLaren Corrugate and Interlok Divisions are all based in Port Glasgow today, with Blue Box Design in Stirling and Compack Cartons in Livingston, the group has production facilities across the central belt in Scotland.

Maintaining the Highest Standards

Blue Box Design is committed to working and operating to the highest standards. Our dedication to service levels and high quality and innovative products is supported by being part of accredited industry bodies.

BS EN ISO 14001:2015
As part of the company's commitment to continue to protect the environment we maintain our operations and sites to the internationally recognised ISO 14001:2015 environmental standard.

Having worked with Blue Box Design for 25 years, we have seen both our business’s grow together. The quality and capabilities in design and production have grown over the years and allowed us to continue to source locally as market demands have evolved. With sustainability at the forefront of the many challenges we face at the moment, Duncan and his team are there to help us continue to offer premium cartons and boxes, manufactured to the same high standards using more sustainable materials. The Mclaren brothers involvement in the business has offered even more alternatives for our company to source more products locally and from a family ran business similar to our own."
Managing Director and Owner, Luxury Crystal and Glass Company