Smurfit Kappa inaugurates its first plant in North Africa

Smurfit Kappa has inaugurated a new integrated corrugated mill in Rabat, Morocco, its first operation in North Africa.

The paper maker says that Morocco offers an exciting opportunity, with the OECD forecasting a 3.5 percent growth rate in 2023 and 3.7 percent in 2024. The country’s location enables Smurfit Kappa to serve both the local market and wider regions in Africa.

The group has invested more than €35 million in the 25,000 sqm facility, which was completed from ground-breaking to operation in seven months.

Providing 400 direct and indirect jobs, the business will serve domestic Moroccan customers and global companies across a range of sectors: industrial, agricultural, FMCG, automotive, pharma and ceramics. It also features the newest Experience Centres, part of a network of more than 30 centres worldwide, which showcase the latest innovations in packaging.

Almost 1,500 solar panels will power the plant, making it Morocco’s first packaging facility which is supplied by green energy, saving 55 percent of electricity and 900 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. The innovative packaging plant also has a purification and water treatment system that halves consumption.

Tony Smurfit, group chief executive, said: “Our first corrugated operation in North Africa is an exciting step for Smurfit Kappa and we’re delighted to unveil our state-ofthe-art Moroccan facility. We continue to innovate and give our customers a great product in a sustainable way.

“We’re combining our global scale and expertise with our local team’s best-in-class knowledge to provide the best service to our customers. Morocco’s geographical location complements our operations in Europe and adds to our global footprint, which is a competitive advantage.”