Republic of Ireland-based packaging company Smurfit Kappa has opened a new integrated corrugated plant in Rabat, the capital city of Morocco.
The new corrugated facility represents Smurfit Kappa’s inaugural venture in North Africa. It is a part of the company’s $5.1bn (€4.7bn) investment made in the last five years to bolster customer support and take advantage of long-term growth opportunities.
Recommended White Papers
Recommended Buyers Guides
The construction of the new corrugated packaging facility began in May 2022 and was inaugurated in July 2023.
The project required an investment of more than €35m and created 400 jobs in the region, both directly and indirectly.
It helps the company meet the growing demand for innovative corrugated packaging solutions in the country, serving the needs of both local and multinational companies.
Smurfit Kappa corrugated packaging plant details
Spanning 25,000m², the corrugated packaging plant produces packaging products for clients across industrial, agriculture, fast-moving consumer goods, pharmaceutical, automotive, ceramics, and textiles sectors, along with fish and meat markets.
The Rabat facility leverages its global integrated model and expertise along with local knowledge to understand and supply packaging solutions to suit the needs of the local customers.
By strengthening its presence in the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra region, Smurfit Kappa can collaborate and work closely with its customers in the area. The facility contributes towards increasing the local production of packaging materials.
It is built in line with the company’s circular business model approach to ensure a reliable supply of high-quality sustainable products.
Experience Centre at Smurfit Kappa’s Rabat plant
The Rabat packaging facility also includes an Experience Centre, which is an initiative of Smurfit Kappa to collaborate with customers and offer innovative ideas and insights.
The Experience Centre is the company’s 30th such facility. It provides behavioural insights and supply chain trends and showcases the company’s advanced paper and packaging design tools, which allows customers to increase their business value and improve product packaging.
Sustainability features of Rabat plant
The new facility is powered by around 1,500 solar panels, making it the country’s first packaging facility to operate on green energy. The solar panels help in achieving a 55% reduction in electricity usage and save 900 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
Furthermore, the packaging plant is installed with a purification and water treatment system that decreases water consumption by 50%.
Smurfit Kappa’s corrugated packaging solutions for consumer products
Smurfit Kappa’s packaging solutions for consumer products include ThermoBox – Insulated Packaging, TopClip Can Topper, Biscuit Liners, and Bottle Carriers.
The ThermoBox – Insulated Packaging product is a sustainable, paper-based product made of a combination of corrugation and hexacomb. It is used to maintain the freshness of frozen goods across the supply chain. It is an alternative to expanded polystyrene boxes as it offers similar insulation properties.
The TopClip Can Topper is used as a paper-based alternative to shrink wrap to bundle cans. It is a plastic-free solution made from 100% renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable material. The product covers the top of the cans, providing companies ample space to ensure visibility for their brands while also protecting the cans.
Made of single-face corrugated packaging, the Biscuit Liner forms a protective sleeve between the biscuits and the outermost packaging to ensure product safety during transportation and storage.
Bottle Carrier, which is made of corrugated cardboard or solid board, is a convenient packaging solution to carry bottles from store to home. It is designed to support retailers in increasing product sales, as shoppers can carry multiple bottles easily.
Industrial corrugated packaging solutions
Smurfit Kappa’s industrial packaging range in the corrugated category includes solutions such as heavy-duty corrugated packaging, bulk liquid containers, and corrosion protection packaging.
Heavy-duty corrugated packaging is predominantly designed to provide high levels of protection for goods in transit. Made of double or triple-wall corrugated board, it is used to package heavy, bulky, fragile, or high-value products.
Bulk liquid containers are a variant of heavy-duty corrugated packaging, which helps with the safe storage and transportation of liquids in bulk quantities. It is used as an alternative to plastic or metal bulk containers.
Corrosion protection packaging, which comes with a special barrier coating, is used to protect products that are vulnerable to corrosion.
The coating in the form of a vapour corrosion inhibitor emits an invisible vapour that settles on the goods, preventing moisture from condensing on the product, thus mitigating the risk of all forms of corrosion.
Marketing commentary on Smurfit Kappa
Established as a box-making business in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, in 1934, Smurfit Kappa was acquired by Jefferson Smurfit in 1938. The company soon became one of the country’s leading manufacturers and expanded into the US market. It merged with Stone Container, a paperboard-based packaging solutions manufacturer in the US, in 1998.
Jefferson Smurfit became Smurfit Kappa through a merger with Netherlands-based Kappa Packaging in 2005.
The company operates a network of 350 production sites and has a workforce of more than 47,000 people.
