DS Smith, provider of sustainable fibre-based packaging, has invested over €25 million (£20.98 million) in its Polish production lines and machinery parks in Kielce, Bełchatów, and Sosnowiec. The investments are anticipated to increase annual packaging production capacity by approximately 25 million square metres, and glued boxes by 7.5 million square metres, according to DS Smith.
The company has allocated €22 million (£18.46 million) of the overall amount to the expansion of its packaging facility in Kielce, which has been equipped with new machinery, including the installation of a new die-cutter, a Bobst Masterline 2.1, which will allow greater automation and precision of production processes in its flexography department.
The newly installed machinery in the DS Smith facility in Kielce is dedicated to the production of solid laminated cardboard packaging solutions and available to customers in industrial and FMCG sectors. It is engineered to facilitate complex projects and high-quality printing and finishing processes that are individually tailored and bespoke for each packaging solution, the company stated.
At its Belchatów facility, DS Smith has created a new production line for its fresh food packaging solution, DS Smith Easy Bowl – which has the capacity to achieve up to an 85% reduction in plastic usage compared to conventional plastic trays, says DS Smith. The new machinery is expected to boost production line efficiency and capacity by around twenty-four million pieces a year, added the company.
Investment has also been made in machinery to produce sustainable and fibre-based paper bags for the ecommerce sector at its packaging facility in Sosnowiec.
Reinier Schlatmann, regional managing director, packaging division, DS Smith Eastern Europe, said that by enhancing production capabilities the company can provide customers, consumer goods brands, retailers, ecommerce entities, and industrial companies with increased options for recyclable and circular solutions. In line with this, he added that the company has recently hit a milestone of replacing more than one billion pieces of plastic, a target initially set for 2025.
Katarzyna Kala-Kowalska, sales director, board member, DS Smith Poland, commented, ‘[The investments] are empowering our team to deliver innovative packaging solutions and improve quality control that minimises waste. The advanced technologies combined with our unique circular design metrics capabilities and innovation-led approach to design, make it possible for us to meet a wider range of requirements, and reinforce DS Smith’s position as a leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions in the region.’
