Encirc (Vidrala UK and Ireland)

A glass bottle maker and drinks filler with sites in Cheshire, Bristol and Northern Ireland, now moving to the name Vidrala UK and Ireland.

About Encirc (Vidrala UK and Ireland)

Encirc makes glass bottles and jars and fills them with drinks. It describes itself as a market leader in glass container design, manufacturing, bottling and logistics for UK and Irish food and drink. It produces more than three billion glass containers a year, according to its About page, and says it is one of the UK's leading wine, beer and spirits bottle fillers. Its so-called 360 model puts glass making, filling and storage under one roof, which means fewer lorry journeys between factories.

Encirc began with its first plant in Derrylin, County Fermanagh, in 1998. Work on its Elton site in Cheshire started in 2004 and the plant opened in 2005, combining glass manufacturing, beverage filling and automated bonded storage. In 2020 it opened what it described as the world's largest furnace at Elton, and it has a third site in Bristol. Vidrala, a Spanish glass group, bought it in 2015. A trade article dated 27 October 2026 says it now operates as Vidrala UK and Ireland, though it calls this a proposed new name, so check which name is current.

Encirc lists six core values: customer commitment, people development, sustainability, high performance, collaboration, and innovation with continuous improvement. It says it emphasises learning, development, health and wellbeing, honesty, transparency and equality, and describes inclusion across a diverse workforce. These are its own statements. Its news page also shows work on lower-emission transport fuel and a view that zero-emission container glass may be possible in the long term.

In the UK, the company has three purpose-built sites: Derrylin in County Fermanagh, Elton near Chester in Cheshire, and Bristol. Its About page gives almost 2,000 people, while an older page says almost 1,200, so numbers appear to have grown over time and we use the latest as an approximate guide.

A glass factory is a round-the-clock operation with a wide range of jobs. Furnace and forming technicians run the machines that turn molten glass into bottles, engineers and electricians keep the lines going, filling and packing operatives and quality staff handle the drinks, logistics and warehouse teams manage the bonded store, and there are energy, sustainability, design, sales, finance and HR roles. If you enjoy science, engineering or the drinks and food industries, this is a business where one site covers the full journey from sand to filled bottle.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Bottles and jars for food and drink brands, designed and made at three UK sites.', 'title': 'Glass containers'}
• {'desc': 'Filling of wine, beer, spirits and other drinks, including bulk-shipped beverages.', 'title': 'Bottling'}
• {'desc': 'Automated bonded storage and distribution at Elton.', 'title': 'Storage and logistics'}

Key facts

• First plant opened in Derrylin, Northern Ireland, in 1998; Elton, Cheshire, opened in 2005
• Part of Vidrala since 2015; now operating as Vidrala UK and Ireland (trade report, 27 October 2026)
• Produces more than three billion glass containers a year
• Three UK sites: Derrylin, Elton and Bristol

Website: www.encirc360.com