Irish packaging group Smurfit Kappa (Dublin; www.smurfitkappa.com) said it plans to invest EUR 54 mn in its bag-in-box plant in Ibi, Spain. The group intends to double its capacity there, although absolute figures were not disclosed.

The investment forms part of Smurfit Kappa’s multi-country expansion plan, said Saverio Mayer, CEO of Smurfit Kappa Europe. Over the past ten years, more than EUR 90 mn has already been invested in the production plant in Ibi, which opened in 2014. The site, near Alicante, produces bag-in-box packaging for wine, dairy products, liquid eggs, cooking oils, and water, among other things.

Smurfit Kappa employs 47,000 and reported revenue of EUR 11.3 bn for full-year 2023, with EBITDA at EUR 2.1 bn.

In September 2023, the group announced plans to merge with US competitor WestRock (Atlanta, Georgia; www.westrock.com). The combined group, Smurfit WestRock, would according to Smurfit be the “largest listed global packaging business by sales” with around 100,000 employees working in 42 countries. Integration is progressing as planned, the company said.