Belfast carton manufacturer Delta Print & Packaging has secured a contract to supply recycled folding cartons for McDonalds fast-food outlets throughout the UK and Ireland. The deal is expected to create 20 jobs.

Delta recently completed a 55,000 sq ft factory extension to its premises on the Kennedy Way Industrial Estate, and has spent £2 million sterling on additional pre-press and printing equipment. According to Delta chairman, Mr Terry Cross, the contract proves the success of its continuous investment in the latest technology.

"The alliance with McDonalds is confirmation that our strategic focus on investing in people, quality systems, environmental awareness, and technology, continues to bear fruit," Mr Cross said. "In spite of a difficult trading environment for the packaging industry, the deal is evidence of our growing strength in this sector of the market."

The recently-completed expansion is the result of a £17 million investment first announced in December 1996. Mr Cross said the plant had the most advanced production and warehousing technology in Britain or Ireland, and could become "a key player" in the supply of full-colour folding cartons in Europe.

Main customers include Reckitt & Colman, Lyons Tea, Braun, Motorola, Polaroid and McDonalds.

The extension has more than doubled the company's previous capacity.

Delta Print, set up in 1981, produces and prints carton packaging for customers in the UK, the Republic and Denmark. Exports account for around 50 per cent of total output.