Progroup is expanding its corrugated sheet-feeder plant in Ellesmere Port, UK. The expansion will create a packaging park to improve competitiveness.

Progroup and its partner Krystals, a packaging manufacturer, are investing €22m ($24.74m) in the expansion of the existing site. Expected to be completed in the second half of 2020, the expansion will add 45 new high-tech jobs.

The Ellesmere Port packaging plant began operations in January 2019, with a projected annual production capacity of 235,000t.

Progroup’s corrugated board plant location

The PW12 corrugated board manufacturing plant is located in Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, England. It has a production capacity of 500 million squared meters  of corrugated sheet board a year.

Progroup’s corrugated board plant expansion details

The packaging park will be spread across an area of 16,000m². It will bring together Progroup’s high-tech corrugated board plant and Krystals’ expertise in packaging production.

The investment in the expansion and the production facilities will improve efficiency in the production processes. The expansion project will interconnect the manufacturing and IT systems of the two companies, thereby delivering greater efficiency and flexibility.

The facility will provide the ability to take orders within short notice. The plant has a working width of 3.35m and several developments, including the installation of an automated control system, which increased the operating speed to 400m per minute.

The site includes a fully automatic high-bay warehouse with over 14,500 spaces for storage. The warehouse is installed with four automatic storage machines and retrieval machines.

The autonomous operations also allow the plant’s staff to receive operation related information on wearable devices. The board dimension control system at the plant facilitates the automation of quality control and performs measurement check, while ensuring the production of corrugated board sheets with high quality standards. The coordination of the technical equipment, logistics management and proven warehousing allows for reliable supply.

Details of the existing facility

The Ellesmere Port plant replaced the old corrugator machine that was used by the company for more than ten years in support of its UK operations. The machine served production needs for 25 years, including its operations in Offenbach, Germany, and produced more than 3,500,000m² of corrugated board over its lifespan.

The facility produces Next-Generation® corrugated board grades that are manufactured completely from recovered paper. The Next-Generation® products have lower weight and offer the same strength. Progroup made an investment of over £80m ($100.65m) in the PW12 corrugated sheet-feeder plant.

Sustainability features implemented by the company

The company has been operating a sustainable environmental management system at all its locations. Its corrugated sheet board plants are accredited with FSC certification.

Progroup and Krystals are also implementing sustainability measures through the use of technology to reduce resource consumption and CO₂ emissions.

The corrugated board produced at the Progroup facility is transported to Krystals via a bridge link. The move will result in eliminating 1,800 truck journeys in 2021 and the reduction of emissions and noise pollution.

Progroup’s product portfolio

The company’s product portfolio includes single-wall and double-wall Next Board® corrugated boards. The facility’s product offering includes boards of varieties BNG, B, C E and combinations.

Progroup’s Next Generation product range also includes Next Fibre® container board and Next Box® packaging.

Marketing commentary on Progroup

Progroup manufactures corrugated board and container board. Based in Landau in Rhineland Palatinate, Germany, the company was founded in 1991 in Offenbach.

The company’s network of production facilities in six Central European countries includes two paper factories, a logistics company, 11 corrugated sheet-feeder plants and a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) power station.

Progroup has a workforce of 1,293 employees and its revenue stood at €887m ($997.62m) in 2019.