The two-year expansion programme has already included a 5,000 sqm state-of-the-art building extension, leading to the creation of more than 50 jobs and, most recently, the installation of a new printing press which has almost doubled capacity at the site.
Stefan Nieuwland, project manager at Graphic Packaging Europe, commented: “Moving from rotogravure presses to the new flexographic press was a natural step for us at the Sneek facility, as it enables us to keep pace with evolving market and consumer needs. The press has led to faster turnaround times without compromising our quality performance.”
“The new 11-colour press replaces two machines at Sneek, and the result has been a significant increase of both the printing speeds and the annual capacity of the plant. Our customers have benefited greatly from our faster speed to market and first-time-right quality production of their packaging.”
GPI anticipates that the new printing press will have a positive effect on the facility’s environmental profile. In addition, the water-based inks align with customers that prefer the potential advantages of the ink technology.
Boosted by the investment, the Sneek facility, which produces folding carton packaging for the European beverage market, is also set to add a new folder-gluing line soon, taking the number of lines from five to six.
The European site will support Graphic Packaging’s UK and US customers by producing the majority of the innovative new KeelClip solution for food and beverage multipacks.
“The site expansion and press installation were phase one,” added Nieuwland. “The next phase will include the installation of two new die-cutting machines later this year, alongside new solar panels to generate renewable energy resources for the site.”