Smurfit Kappa, a corrugated packaging manufacturing company based in Ireland, expanded its Pruszkow packaging manufacturing facility in central Poland to double its production capacity.
The company invested €40m ($44m) in the expansion project. Construction commenced in July 2021 and was completed in May 2023.
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The expansion increased the production capacity of the plant to 500 million boxes a year. It is part of Smurfit Kappa’s accelerated capital investment programme and follows its equity capital raise of €660m ($774m) completed in November 2020.
The Pruszkow plant became the company’s biggest packaging facility in Poland and one of its biggest facilities in Europe, upon completion of the expansion.
Smurfit Kappa’s Pruszkow packaging facility expansion details
The Pruszkow packaging facility expansion increased the existing area to 37,500m². The expanded facility is installed with a new high-tech corrugator, converting equipment and logistics optimisation.
A finished goods warehouse with a storage capacity of 12,000 pallets was also developed as part of the project.
The expansion allows the company to meet the growing needs of its new and existing customers, including leading brands in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), food and beverage sectors worldwide.
Details of the existing Pruszkow facility
Smurfit Kappa’s Pruszkow mega plant manufactures die-cut packaging and flap boxes in multiple colours for the food and beverages, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and electronics industries.
With a workforce of more than 200 people, the plant provides punch boxes with high-quality flexo print of up to five colours, and flap boxes of up to four colours with multi-point glued boxes.
Pizza boxes, flap packaging, corrugated cardboard protections, multi-pack carriers, microwave trays, moving boxes, labelled boxes, powder boxes, tamper-proof packaging, trays, wardrobe boxes, and wraparounds are some of the other products manufactured at the plant.
The facility also offers a high level of customer service and advanced logistics solutions.
Smurfit Kappa’s sustainability goals
In February 2021, Smurfit Kappa unveiled ambitious new sustainability targets as part of its Better Planet 2050 commitments. The company aims to reduce its environmental footprint, increase its support for communities and further enhance the lives of its employees.
Smurfit Kappa’s targets include sustainable packaging, environmental footprint reduction by minimising water usage, waste and carbon emissions and supporting communities by promoting inclusion and diversity, and health and safety.
By 2030, the company intends to achieve a 55% intensity reduction in fossil carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in its paper and board mill system. It also aims to reach at least net-zero fossil emissions by 2050.
Moreover, Smurfit Kappa aims to donate more than €24m ($28.7m) to support social, environmental, and community initiatives between 2020 and 2025.
The Pruszkow packaging facility expansion helped in achieving Smurfit Kappa’s sustainability goals by minimising CO₂ emissions by approximately 55 tonnes per annum.
Marketing commentary on Smurfit Kappa
Smurfit Kappa designs and manufactures paper-based packaging. Founded in 1934, the company supplies corrugated cardboard boxes, cases, cartons, tubes and displays to various industries.
Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, the company operates 350 production facilities in 35 countries with 46,000 employees worldwide. It has locations in 22 countries in Europe and 12 countries in the Americas.
Smurfit Kappa is the European leader in containerboard, solid board, corrugated and solid board packaging and has a key position in numerous other packaging and paper market divisions, including graphic board and sack paper.
The company opened a corrugated packaging plant in Rabat, Morocco, in July 2023 to meet the demand for corrugated packaging in the region.
