Finnish packaging company Huhtamaki (Espoo; www.huhtamaki.com) is investing approximately EUR 15m to expand and modernise its plant in Guangzhou / China. The investment will include an expansion of the manufacturing site, improvements in plant layout and the installation of additional high-speed machinery.

"With its growing population and rapid urbanisation China is an important market for our quick service and specialty coffee customers. With this investment we will create a modern, efficient, high-capacity manufacturing unit and significantly improve our productivity and capability to serve our customers in the future," said CEO Jukka Moisio.

The move follows plans announced in June to improve the competitiveness of its Foodservice business in China and consolidate manufacturing in the south of the country – see Plasteurope.com of 29.06.2016.

The modernised unit will manufacture a defined core Foodservice packaging product range. Most of the work will take place in the latter part of 2016 and early 2017, with completion expected by the end of 2017.