DS Smith makes multi-million investment to upgrade Portuguese packaging facilities

24 Jul 2024 --- DS Smith has invested more than €50 million (US$54 million) in its packaging facilities in Portugal throughout the last three years.

The investments in Portugal include the acquisition of two top-of-the-range fluting machines for packaging facilities in Oporto and Leiria. The company has also upgraded a corrugator unit for optimal performance at its packaging facility in Lisbon with the installation of a 2,800 mm wide Dry End.

The new machinery will enhance service capabilities and facilitate collaboration in producing various sustainable corrugated cardboard solutions with customers.

Américo Rocha, general manager at DS Smith’s Packaging Division in Portugal, says: “The company has been investing in its operations globally and our country is no exception. This significant investment in the packaging plants in Portugal reflects our commitment to promoting technological and product innovation locally and to contributing to the evolution of our units.”

“The new resources allow us to increase the diversity of our offer and our differentiation in the marketplace, with sustainable, innovative and optimized packaging solutions for the entire supply chain.”

“At the same time, our commitment to providing modern and efficient equipment supports our response to our customers’ evolving needs as we work with them to replace plastic and reduce carbon emissions for the circular economy. We are focused on making a meaningful contribution to the long-term economic and social development of our local communities.”

DS Smith’s Esmoriz facility. E-commerce benefits
The updated cardboard solutions include triple corrugated cardboard that is frequently applied as a packaging solution where high-end performance is required for the transportation of heavy products.

In addition, DS Smith has invested in a large processing machine specifically intended for the heavy-duty marketplace. The new specialized equipment is also for the manufacture of corrugated cardboard solutions robust enough to transport heavy, large or bulky products for sectors like industry and agriculture.

DS Smith customers in the e-commerce sector will benefit from an additional investment in the upgraded machinery to produce padded paper envelopes. The company’s designers have innovated a sustainable fiber-based alternative to plastic-based bubble-wrap and are also reducing the amount of filling used in end products.

DS Smith has been steadily building its assets in the Iberian region in response to a growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions from customers in various sectors.

In Portugal in 2021, it installed the first digital printer with Single-Pass technology which makes it possible to produce 100% personalized packaging with photographic print quality within shorter delivery times.

DS Smith investments
Other investments have been made in renewable energy in Iberia, and DS Smith commissioned the installation of solar panels at its packaging plants in Esmoriz, Leiria and Lisbon to produce electricity for its consumption. The measures are anticipated to reduce CO2 emissions by 34% annually.

The DS Smith Packaging Division in Portugal has six factories that are in Guilhabreu, Esmoriz, Águeda, Carregal do Sal, Leiria and Lisbon and a logistics center in Madeira.

The company has two recycling mills, in Oporto and Figueira da Foz and a kraft paper mill in Viana do Castelo. In 2023, €145 million (US$157 million) was invested in Viana do Castelo as a part of a multi-year development program.

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