Saica, a leading recycled paper manufacturing company, announced the commencement of construction of its new corrugated board factory in Barcelona, Spain, in December 2023.
The new facility is expected to require an investment of more than €100m ($107.8m) and is scheduled to commence operations in 2025.
Recommended White Papers
Recommended Buyers Guides
The project is part of Saica’s long-term commitment to the southern European packaging market aimed at meeting growing market demands and offering sustainable packaging solutions.
The development of the new facility follows the opening of a new research, development and innovation centre in Spain for the packaging industry in November 2023. Located near Zaragoza, the centre features state-of-the-art testing equipment to develop new products. It also enables customers to explore corrugated board, flexible packaging and associated materials.
Location
Saica’s new corrugated board factory is being developed in the Can Margarit industrial estate located in the municipality of Sant Esteve Sesrovires in Catalonia, Barcelona.
The company acquired the land in 2010 and played a key role in developing the industrial estate, currently home to major companies such as Decathlon and Amazon.
In 2018, the company developed a warehouse for finished products at the industrial estate.
Saica’s new corrugated board factory details
The new corrugated board factory will replace Saica’ existing facilities – Saica Pack El Prat and Saica Pack Barcelona. It will boost the existing combined production from the two factories by up to 45% and address the spatial constraints of the existing facilities.
The existing facilities will continue operating until the new facility commences operations. Production will gradually shift to the new facility, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted service transition.
The factory will feature state-of-the-art technology, flexography and offset processes. New digitalised customer services at the facility will bring substantial improvements, allowing Saica to maintain its quality standards and service in the market.
Saica’s corrugated product portfolio
Saica provides corrugated packaging solutions for detergents, fast-moving consumer goods, fresh fruits, vegetables, food and beverages, perfumes, spirits and the e-commerce sector.
Some of the company’s products include the Saica Seal corrugated cardboard tray with a flexible lid that is suitable for fruit and vegetables.
Saica Skin is intended for the packaging of refrigerated meat, fish and ready meals requiring modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). It features a 100% recycled corrugated cardboard tray and offers structural rigidity.
Lock Flap is a sustainable packaging solution suitable for any type of fruit or vegetable. It features a unique design and allows direct contact with dry foodstuffs. The pack also provides good product visibility and ease of handling, while its flaps have a self-locking ability to easily open and close.
Saica also develops specific products across a range of sectors based on the needs of customers.
Marketing commentary on Saica
Saica is a manufacturer of recycled paper of corrugated board, producing 3.3 million tonnes of recycled paper per year.
The company has four main business lines: Saica Paper, which focuses on manufacturing recycled paper for corrugated board; Saica Natur, which specialises in waste management and environmental services; Saica Pack, which is involved in the production of corrugated board packaging, and Saica Flex, which is engaged in flexible packaging.
Headquartered in Spain, Saica operates in France, Hamilton in the US, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Turkiye and the UK. It has more than 10,000 employees and had a turnover of €4.39bn ($4.59bn) at the end of 2022.
