Caddick Construction has been appointed to deliver a 14,500 sq m factory extension for FTSE 100 packaging company Smurfit Kappa, making it the largest integrated corrugated plant in the UK.
The manufacturing facility at Mold Business Park in Flintshire is used to create shelf ready packaging for the retail sector, along with other streams of packaging for the food and beverage, e-commerce, industrial, health, beauty, and agricultural sectors. The building is set to complete in summer 2022 with new production capacity phased between then and early 2023.
Ben Edwards, contracts manager at Caddick Construction, said: “The expansion will deliver the largest box factory in the company and the Caddick Construction team look forward to helping Smurfit Kappa achieve its growth and sustainability aims.
“The project will create new local employment opportunities and deliver a high quality facility. As part of our commitment to generating local jobs, skills and training opportunities, we will use a local supply chain where possible, as well as implementing a number of social value initiatives during the coming year.”
The expansion is a big part of the company’s €40 million investment to expand capacity at the Mold plant, and is designed to help Smurfit Kappa meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging. The state-of-the-art equipment being installed will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 15% per tonne.
Smurfit Kappa UK and Ireland CEO, Eddie Fellows, said: “This investment in North Wales will increase our capability, flexibility and speed of response to deliver unrivalled innovative packaging solutions to customers across the UK and Ireland. We are determined to meet the future needs of our customers in a sustainable way. It is vital that our investment has benefits for the local community and the environment.”
As part of the project, a three-acre nature trail is being delivered alongside a new diverted footpath and stream, which can be used by the on-site team, as well as the local community. Working in partnership with Park in the Past, a local heritage and conservation project, an additional 10,000 trees, shrubs and bushes will be planted. Soil that needs to be removed as part of the construction process will be used by the nearby heritage project for landscaping needs in and around the old quarry sites.
Smurfit Kappa’s Mold plant employs 194 staff and has been in operation since 1994.
