Why did you join the AIP? What benefits do you believe the AIP offers all their members?

I think it important for industry professionals to support local associations and institutes. For our industry we are always looking at ways to attract new people and to encourage young people to see the industry as a positive environment for learning and development. From my perspective the AIP provides a very good vehicle to ensure that newcomers and packaging professionals have very opportunity to network, learn and develop their knowledge of the industry that they work within.

Training courses are a key offering but also the opportunity for networking visits and technical events provide positive reinforcement that individual membership can help continue my own professional development.

How long have you been in the industry? What are your areas of expertise?

I have been in the metal packaging business since I graduated as a mechanical engineer 30 years ago. I have been involved in the production and sales of all manner of cans: two-piece beverage, biscuit tins, talc tins, whiskey tins, food cans, easy-open ends, aerosol cans and, more recently, aluminium bottles.

I started out as a service engineer at Metal Box in the UK, working at its customers’ beverage can plants around the world. The work provided a great introduction to the industry, and gave me an opportunity to learn early on the importance of equipment uptime and process capability. Getting shouted at to get the machines running by various production managers around the world in several different languages was also part of the learning curve.

As Metal Box became CarnaudMetalbox and later merged with US-based Crown Cork & Seal, I moved up through a number of technical and plant management roles. In 1999, I left Crown and joined US Can, which three years earlier had bought a number of Crown aerosol can plants in the UK and Europe as part of an acquisition spree. Seven years later in 2006, when running the European aerosols operations, the US Can business was bought by Impress which was subsequently acquired by Ardagh Group in 2010.

With Impress I went onto run the Paints & Coatings business in Europe and prior to moving to Australia I was Manufacturing Director covering 17 plants in Europe.

In early 2011, I was asked to move down under and head up Ardagh's Australasia business as Managing Director out of its corporate offices in Melbourne. It meant that instead of making aerosol cans for de-icers in cold Europe I would be making insecticide cans in warm Australia, which I found to be a very different market.

The market is indeed complex, as the strength of the Australian dollar has driven some fillers offshore and there is a significant proportion of imported filled goods. However, if you are able to operate at relatively low cost with short lead-times, you can manufacture successfully locally.

I have also long been a supporter of industry associations as I see it as responsibility of companies operating within their respective industries.

I have been chairman in the UK of both the Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association and the British Aerosol Manufacturers Association. So when I arrived in Melbourne, it was only natural that I got involved with the Aerosol Association of Australia.

As a major supplier within the industry, it is important that we understand the challenges being faced by our customers, both from a regulatory and market dynamics point of view. I have since been appointed president of the Aerosol association, providing a leading role at a time when there have been significant changes in the aerosol industry.

The Australasian business has recently been divested and is now owned by a Chinese company. I have remained as managing director in what will be a very exciting phase of the business as we look to grow within the region.

What is your current job role and what are your responsibilities?

I am the Managing Director of Jamestong Packaging. My responsibility includes:

• Business responsibility for 180MM AUD turnover metal packaging business (5 Plants in ANZ: ~ 350 FTEs) producing >600 million cans.
• Development of customer relationships with global brand owners: Heinz, Unilever plus some key local customers e.g. PAX, Simplot, Murray Goulburn, TMI, Synlait.
• Strategic leadership of senior management team.
• Director (legal position) of Jamestrong Packaging Australasia Holdings, Jamestrong Packaging Australia and Jamestrong Packaging New Zealand.
• Resized business and restructured management team to drive culture change over last 4 years to develop a continuous improvement environment focused on customer service excellence.

John Bigley, MAIP, is Managing Director of Jamestrong Packaging – Australia & New Zealand.