Gamble of the week: Resourceful packaging designer

This designer of food and drink packaging has so far proved resilient against the downturn, says Paul Hill.

It's been a tough period for consumer-facing stocks, yet you wouldn't think so, judging by the latest numbers from bespoke plastics packaging expert Robinson. In 2011, sales climbed 10% to £21.5m. Meanwhile, earnings per share rose by 17% to 9.4p; the dividend was raised by 15% to 3.75p a share. The stock now yields 3.7%.

The strong figures are the result of innovation and astute management. The company serves many of the world's big consumer goods companies, such as Nestl, Unilever and Boots. These companies are seeking "on-shelf panache" for their products to draw customers away from cheaper own-branded goods.

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Paul gained a degree in electrical engineering and went on to qualify as a chartered management accountant. He has extensive corporate finance and investment experience and is a member of the Securities Institute.

Over the past 16 years Paul has held top-level financial management and M&A roles for blue-chip companies such as O2, GKN and Unilever. He is now director of his own capital investment and consultancy firm, PMH Capital Limited.

Paul is an expert at analysing companies in new, fast-growing markets, and is an extremely shrewd stock-picker.