INNOVATING SINCE 1963
MACHINE SELECTOR
Established back in 1963...
To understand what makes us the business we are today, it helps if you know a few things about our past...
Packaging Automation Limited was established as 'designers and manufacturers of special purpose machinery' on the 16th May 1963 by Arthur Penn. Nearly 60 years later, the business is still owned and managed by the Penn family and is still very much involved in the design and manufacture of machinery.
Arthur could not have forseen in 1963, the changes that would take place over the coming 50 odd years. Nor could he have predicted the huge demand for machines and in particular packaging machines that these changes would create.
PA has grown and developed with this demand but still retains the same principles that Arthur had in 1963 - a passion for invention, innovation and engineering.
Arthur Penn registers Packaging Automation Ltd on the 16th May 1963
Machine 1... actually Machine 101 as it was named
Cheadle Light Engineering
Dreaming up new ideas
Customer requests flooding in
Anthony Penn joins his fathers company
Golden Wonder approach PA to help with a new product idea - the Pot Noodle
Click on the 'more information' icons to read our story
Company Re-Brand
1955
1963
1964
1965
1968
1977
1980
High speed Vision 2000 was launched
Anthony Penn is appointed Chairman
The PA231 was unveiled at the PPMA Show
Anthony Penn becomes Managing Director
Acquisition of Volumet
Volumet range is re-designed and re-launched
1989
1990
1993
Factory re-location to Knutsford together with another re-brand
1994
High speed Vision 2000 machine is launched
1997
1998
Anthony Penn takes the role of Chairman
PA Fabrications was born
Another Re-brand to the current style
2000
Launch of the Vison 182 and Vision 4000 machines
2003
2010
2012
Samantha and Neil Ashton join the board of directors
Eclipse range of equipment is unveiled
2013
PA is 50!
2014
The launch of the Revolution machine
2015
Crawford Provincial become the appointed distributor of PA equipment in Canada, USA and Mexico.
Skinpac tray sealer is launched
SL4 Motion tray sealer launched, incorporating the same patented robotic motion technology as the Revolution machine
2016
PA online spares website is launched
2017
MiWeigh range is launched
Milbor PMC become the appointed distributor of PA equipment in Poland
Rotofill pot filling and closing machine is launched
2018
The MiWeigh product wins the PPMA Industry award for the most Innovative Processing System.
The business wins the EEF National Future Manufacturing award in the Business Growth category
2019
FlatSkin machine is launched providing capability to skinpac products on a flat board tray
Pulp and board tray sealing is developed and exhibited at Fruit Logistica and PPMA exhibitions
2020
New Website is launched
