Manufacturing & Supply Chain

The Processing and Packaging Machine Association (PPMA) is an umbrella organisation representing over 550 member companies.  Since its foundation in 1987, it has become the strongest voice of the processing and packaging machinery industry in the UK. It also owns, coordinates and organises the largest and most successful industry exhibition in the UK. The current election to represent the British Association of Robot Automation (BARA) on the PPMA Board was won by Mark Stepney, Managing Director of Schubert UK, in April. The PPMA Board vote was unanimous and represents a strong industry endorsement of Schubert’s reputation as the world’s leading expert in packaging technology.

Mark Stepney, Managing Director of Schubert UK.

Mark Stepney is clearly proud of the appointment and looks forward to his new duties as a PPMA board member: “The PPMA is not only a focal point for expertise, information and customised training programmes in our industry. It is also highly influential when it comes to partner organisations working with the UK government and public. Therefore, my focus will be on raising awareness of the importance of innovative robotics technology in packaging automation – in other words, BARA’s profile – to the outside world. I’m only too happy to use my 30 years of experience and expertise in the field to achieve this.”

The 54-year-old Managing Director of the UK subsidiary of Germany’s highly innovative packaging machinery manufacturer Schubert has been appointed to the PPMA board for an initial two-year term. Last year, Mark was recognised for his longstanding commitment to the BARA association, where he has since held a position as a council member. BARA specifically promotes the use of industrial robots and automation in UK industry and supports their advancement. The association also represents the interests of its British member companies overseas as a partner of the International Federation of Robotics.