A PACKAGING company in Nelson is set for a £4million expansion after attracting extra investment.

Decorpart Ltd, based in Edward Street, announced today it had secured an extra £2million from its main investors and hoped a new spcialist pharmaceutical plant could be open within a year.

The company makes pressed, anodised components for metal packaging for the pharmaceutical and personal care industries and has a 15 per cent share of the world market.

Decorpart managing director Nigel Clark said: "This extra investment puts us in a position to fully embark on the £4million development of a new pharmaceutical plant.

"There is a massive capital expenditure programme, involving not only a new building but new production equipment and tooling.

"The investment programme aims to increase total production capacity from the current 800million units a year to 1,200million units by the time the new facility comes online in spring 2005."

The new investment has come from 3i Plc and Aberdeen Murray Johnstone Private Equity Ltd.