A FAST-GROWING Japanese packaging firm has pledged its loyalty to Medway by doubling capacity and creating 70 new jobs.

Fuji Seal Europe, a leading manufacturer of film and shrink-wrap packaging, is expanding its manufacturing, printing and warehousing facilities on Gillingham Business Park.

Fuji Seal, which has won more than 40 packaging design and print awards in the past five years, is expanding the workforce from 220 to 290 over the next three years.

It is one of three Japanese companies that have operated successfully on the park for many years, building on the town’s close links with Japan through Will Adams who left Gillingham to become a Samurai warrior.

Fuji Seal worked closely with Medway council, the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and Locate in Kent, the inward investment agency for Kent and Medway, to clear the way for expansion.

“Without the support of our local partners, it is unlikely that Fuji Seal would have been able to see its strategic development plans come to fruition,” said Tim Martin, the firm’s project manager.

“We can continue to commit investment both economic and social - for many years to come in Medway.”

Cllr Jane Chitty, Medway council's Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economic Development, welcomed the company’s expansion strategy.

"Fuji Seal is a significant company to Medway and this investment is an example of Medway Council working positively with the business sector,” she said.

“The confidence Fuji Seal has expressed in Medway as a business location and in the skills of the local labour force is a welcome boost to the economy."

Underlining the importance of companies such as Fuji Seal to the Medway economy, Paul Wookey, Locate in Kent’s chief executive, said: “Medway is a very attractive inward investment destination thanks to the efforts of businesses like Fuji Seal.

“The company’s investment into Gillingham offers strategic advantages, in terms of property costs, the available talent pool and distribution links to both the UK and Europe, and this reflects well on Medway as a whole.

“The case for Medway is actively pushed in Japan by Francis Aoki, the Osaka-based SEEDA representative. He has been able to maintain a close link with Fuji Seal’s Japanese parent company, and together with SEEDA, has been instrumental in promoting the benefits of Kent.”