The mill will be equipped to produce corrugated board packaging and will supply the north and northeast markets of the country

box-550405_640

Klabin’s new corrugated board packaging manufacturing facility is located in Horizonte, Ceará. (Credit: jan mesaros from Pixabay)

Brazilian producer and exporter of packaging paper Klabin has commissioned a new corrugated board packaging manufacturing facility in Horizonte, Ceará, Brazil.

Located 35km from Fortaleza and 90km from the Port of Pecém, the new industrial unit has delivered first order in January 2020.

Klabin acquired the mill in September 2019 in a bid to expand its production capacity in the region.

Klabin expects increased demand from the fruit industry in Brazil’s northeast region

The acquisition is part of the firm’s efforts to meet the growing demand for corrugated board packaging in the fruit industry in the country’s northeast region.

Of the planned BRL100m ($22.9m) investment, Klabin has already invested BRL48m ($11m) at the industrial unit, which is expected to create 240 jobs.

Klabin packaging officer Douglas Dalmasi said: “The region’s vocation as a major fruit exporter has been growing, while industrial operations are expanding as well.

“This investment strengthens our partnership with clients in the North and Northeast regions and gives us competitive advantages in these markets. We are very pleased to be expanding our presence in the region.

“Entering the state of Ceará and putting Klabin in the region represented by our people, with their knowledge, dedication, technology and sustainability, shows that we go beyond just supplying packaging.”

For the mill, the firm sources recycled paper from Goiana Unit located in Pernambuco, and virgin fibre from its units located in Paraná and Santa Catarina.

Klabin said that the fully recyclable corrugated board packaging is made from its own certified pulp extracted from sustainable and renewable sources.

Production from the mill will cater to the needs of the North and Northeast markets.

In May 2019, Klabin awarded engineering, procurement, and construction management services assignment to Pöyry for its production expansion project in Brazil.

Pöyry is responsible for developing Balance of Plant for the first phase of the PUMA II project, which aims to boost production capacity at Klabin’s industrial unit in Ortigueira, Paraná.