Case Study - Sinclair International

Norfolk: Living up to its world-class label

Norfolk is well worth its world-class label, according to a man who knows a thing or two about…world-class labels. Tim Watkins, sales and marketing manager for Sinclair International, the Norfolk firm responsible for the small sticky labels on most of the world’s fruit, wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else.

Founded in 1982, the company leads the world in the production and supply of labels for loose fruit and vegetables, plus the machinery used to attach them.

Good transport links, a knowledgeable and stable workforce and unrivalled quality of life are the keys to making Norfolk the ideal home for the thriving company.

“I travel to Europe every two or three weeks, and the transport links are very good, either flying direct from Norwich to Amsterdam or from Stansted,” said Tim, who has been with the company for more than 15 years.

The labels, which in the 1980s carried iconic brands such as Jaffa, Outspan and Cape, have come a long way since their early use as a branding tool.

Now, they carry either four-digit price look up (PLU) numbers used to identify the type of fruit and the price or, more recently, bar codes which serve the same purpose.

“The company saw great growth in the 1990s because the major retailers in the United States wanted every piece of loose fruit sold had to have a PLU number,” said Tim.

The success of the business saw the company bought by a US investor, but the Norfolk base remains the hub of activity across Europe.

“We had a lot of know-how in Norfolk, and there was no need to move the business from here,” added Tim.

“Spalding in Lincolnshire is one of the main fruit and vegetable packing centres of the UK, so that’s very convenient for us.”

The machinery, assembled at the company’s Norwich site, is leased to fruit and vegetable packing centres around the world – from China to Chile and Spain to South Africa – and then used to attach the stickers designed and printed by Sinclair.

“Our high speed machines can label 720 pieces of loose fruit a minute – that’s 12 per second, so you can see that’s it’s a very efficient system,” said Tim.

“We sell labels in 45 countries around the world, and it’s fair to say that our labels are state-of-the-art in the industry. Labelling fruit actually is a little bit of an art in itself, and the machinery is sensitive enough that we could label an egg without breaking it!”

Originally from South Wales, Tim has also lived in Devon, Birmingham and spent two years seconded to Sinclair’s subsidiary in Valencia, Spain – but said Norfolk had a special feel all of its own.

“A lot of people like me who come to Norfolk never want to leave, and it has to be the most pleasant place I’ve lived and a perfect place to bring up a family,” he added.

“Our staff are very loyal to us and, while I’d like to think that’s because we treat them well, I’m sure it’s also because the area is such a great place to live.

“It’s very hard not to be seduced by the north Norfolk coast – sometimes you can feel like you’re miles from anywhere, yet you’re actually very close to what’s going on in London and on the Continent and you can quickly get to the key business areas. That’s why I’m sticking to Norfolk.”

Fact file: Why Sinclair?

• World leaders in the production and supply of produce labelling systems
• Operates across the globe, including in north, central and south America, Australia, New Zealand, north Africa, China, Thailand, Europe, the Middle East and South Africa
• Contracts with suppliers of major brands including Jaffa, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, ASDA, Morrisons, Spar, Del Monte and Zespri

Fact file: Why Norfolk?

• Transport links to Europe via Norwich Airport link to Amsterdam
• Knowledgeable, stable and loyal workforce
• Quality of life – out of the rat race yet very close to good transport links