International Paper’s DS Smith has committed more than €14 million (approximately $16.4 million) to strengthen its packaging production network across two facilities in Romania, signalling a continued push toward automation, operational efficiency, and capacity expansion.
The largest share of the Romania packaging investment — €10.5 million — is directed at the Timișoara facility, with completion targeted for the first quarter of 2027. The scope of work includes increased automation across production lines, restructuring of manufacturing workflows, and the expansion of warehousing capacity to improve logistics performance and reduce delivery lead times.
As part of DS Smith’s “Health and Wellbeing” programme, the Timișoara plant has also seen the installation of a new cooling system designed to lower temperatures in production halls by up to 5°C, directly addressing worker comfort and operational conditions on the factory floor.
At the Ghimbav site, DS Smith plans to deploy €3.6 million in 2026, focused on infrastructure upgrades and enhancements to corrugated board manufacturing equipment. This follows a €13 million investment that was initiated at the same facility in 2023, underscoring a sustained, multi-year commitment to building out Romania packaging facilities as strategic assets within the group’s European network.
DS Smith Packaging Romania cluster director Christian Schmidt addressed the rationale behind the continued investment pace, noting that strong volume growth for the second consecutive year has reinforced confidence in the company’s current direction.
Schmidt pointed to the company’s intent to remain focused on development, competitiveness, and responding to the evolving needs of customers — even within a challenging economic environment. He described the investment programme as part of a broader business transformation with clear growth targets for the period ahead.
The DS Smith Romania investment across both sites reflects a coordinated approach to upgrading corrugated board manufacturing capabilities while reinforcing the company’s logistics and delivery infrastructure in the region.