Sep 26, 2011. /Lesprom Network/. A&R Carton has begun negotiations with the trade union representatives to close the factory in Norrköping, Sweden. The plans affect around 80 employees. A further 12 people were given notice earlier in the year, as the company said in a press release received by Lesprom Network. "Competition on the European folding carton market is tough and it is not possible to make the products we make today in a competitive manner with the cost structure in the plant in Norrköping," says Per Lundeen, Group CEO of A&R Carton AB. The factory has been unprofitable for many years. Despite numerous efficiency enhancements and investments in operations, it has not been possible to reverse the trend. The volumes that are currently produced in the factory will gradually be transferred primarily to A&R Carton's plants in Lund and Finland in 2012. Deliveries to customers will continue without interruption. "We regret that we are forced to make employees redundant but it is necessary to maintain our competitiveness. By concentrating production on specialised factories, we will create a number of competence centres which will make us more efficient and give us better opportunities to develop new products. This will benefit our customers, which will also protect the jobs in our other plants," says Per Lundeen. A&R Carton is one of the leading carton packaging companies. With 1,670 employees and 14 production plants in eight European countries, the company offers innovative carton packaging solutions to a large number of segments on the consumer market.