DS Smith opens new state-of-the art box manufacturing plant in Lebanon, Indiana. The facility can produce about 30,000 boxes an hour and 2 billion square feet of recyclable packaging a year.
“Our new facility in Indiana is unique to the U.S. market,” said Miles Roberts, Group CEO of DS Smith. “With our innovative packaging design and focus on sustainable materials, we can support our customers’ needs in a changing world, no matter how sophisticated their requirements. We look forward to serving many of the global brands we work with in Europe, as well as a range of new customers, with their U.S.-based packaging.”
Made with the lightest possible materials, a widespread practice by DS Smith in Europe, the Indiana-produced boxes will utilize 30% to 40% less fiber than what is traditionally used in the U.S. The lightweight material is a key differentiator of the products DS Smith will manufacture at the new facility. These next-generation boxes will enable brands to meet growing consumer calls for more sustainable packaging and a reduction of shipping costs across the U.S.
The 550,000-square-foot packaging facility was designed to model three cutting-edge DS Smith locations in Europe that are highly automated, customer-centric plants which can accept and process high-volume orders with short lead times – many with same-day turnaround.
The facility continues the DS Smith heritage of commitment to quality and will be BRC-certified. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is the leading trade association for the UK food industry and is a globally recognized “gold standard” for food safety.
