11/17/2017 14h51

WestRock invests more than US$ 125 million in mega plant in Porto Feliz

Unit will establish state-of-the-art production and supply of unique solutions to the market

Investe São Paulo

In the year in which it celebrates 75 years of activities in Brazil, and following a series of investments made in the last seven years that amount to more than US$ 600 million, WestRock reaffirms its commitment to Brazil, confirming the new investment of more than US$ 125 million for the construction of one of the largest, most innovative and modern corrugated cardboard production units in the city of Porto Feliz, 132 km from the state capital. The construction works will begin still in 2017 and should be completed in the second quarter of 2019.

The multinational reaffirms its commitment to customer success, reinforcing its vision of being the leading partner and sole supplier of innovative and winning packaging solutions.

“The confirmation of this investment is a milestone for all of us. Much more than just being one of the largest corrugated cardboard factories in the world, the unit in Porto Feliz was designed to become the state-of-the-art in terms of production and supply of packaging services and thus boost the business of our customers. When it start operations, it will set new parameters in relation to the efficiency and productivity of their operations and change the way they understand the meaning of differentiated products and services,” said Jairo Lorenzatto, president of WestRock in Brazil.

The new unit will feature an innovative operating configuration, state-of-the-art equipment - including new corrugators and printers - and will be managed with a differentiated culture, with highly trained professionals. Fully integrated with the forestry and paper production operations of the Três Barras plant, the new plant will be able to process approximately 100,000 tons of HyPerform®, WestRock’s high performance paper line. The operation in Porto Feliz, at its full capacity, will produce more than 400 million square meters of corrugated cardboard on an annual basis.

The mega plant will also offer high-quality printing resources, as well as greater flexibility to meet both the growing demand and the different needs of customers located in the Southeast region. Its location, next to the Castelo Branco Highway, also favors the logistical optimization and agility in deliveries. The new plant also has significant goals in terms of sustainability at every aspect, including energy, use of natural resources, differentiated environment for employees and social work with the community.

To find the ideal location for this expansion, WestRock relied on the support from Investe São Paulo, the investment promotion agency associated with the Department of Economic Development, Science, Technology and Innovation of the state of São Paulo. “This is one of the projects that have required a great mobilization from our team. We conducted field studies and surveyed strategic information about various cities, visiting sites and promoting the dialogue between the company and all public entities and service utilities involved in the process. One of the factors that led the company to choose Porto Feliz was the support and readiness of the local government to assist us,” said Sérgio Costa, director of new business at Investe SP.

“Porto Feliz is very proud of WestRock’s choice. It is a high investment that will create jobs and income to our city, providing a real transformation in the lives of many citizens of Porto Feliz. The municipality will always be open and willing to collaborate to ensure that WestRock achieves all its goals,” said Cássio Habice Prado, mayor of Porto Feliz.

 

75 years committed to Brazil

WestRock is and has always been present in the lives of millions of Brazilians. Since 1942, the company has been dedicated to the production of paper and corrugated cardboard packaging that make life easier for people and add value to the customers’ business. The company as more than 45,000 employees worldwide and over 2,200 in Brazil, tirelessly seeking unique and winning solutions to boost its customers’ business.

Therefore, in its 75th year in Brazil, WestRock renews its commitment to its success, announcing the investment for the construction of a new corrugated cardboard factory in Brazil, with the aspiration of being a center of excellence and reference in everything it does. All this to continue winning together with our customers in the next 75 years.

 

Check out the main events over the years:

1942 – Campinas - Creation of Fábrica de Papelão Campinas in the district of Souzas by the company Gerin, Focesi & Cia.

1943 – Campinas - Company move its facilities to the district of Valinhos, where it establishes the production of paper and corrugated cardboard.

1948 – Campinas - Gerin e Focesi & Cia merges with Grupo Parada de Limeira, owned by Ribeiro family. Establishment of Ribeiro Gerin & Cia.Ltda.

1953 – West Virginia, from the United States, takes control and adopts the name of Rigesa Ltda.

1955 – Creation of the first packaging laboratory in Latin America.

1956 – Acquisition of the first sites for forest operation in Santa Catarina.

1958 – Beginning of activities of the Experimental Farm in Três Barras.

1965 – Beginning of planting of commercial forests.

1974 - Três Barras (SC) - Beginning of production of pulp and paper.

1978 – Blumenau (SC) - Opening of the packaging plant

1996 – Pacajus (CE) - Opening of the packaging plant.

 

2002 – Global merger between West Virginia and Mead Corporation, with the establishment of Mead Westvaco – MWV

2011 – Araçatuba (SP) – Opening of the packaging plant.

2012 – Três Barras (SC) - Beginning of HyPerform® kraft paper production line, after investments that amounted to US$ 480 million.

2013 – Pacajus (CE) – acquisition of new corrugator from BHS Corrugated (already in operation since May 2015).

2013 – Araçatuba (SP) – Implementation of two new printers Martin and DRO 2015 – Establishment of WestRock, from the merger of the US companies MWV and RockTenn.

2017 – Pacajus (CE) – Announcement of investment in two new printers and a new material handling system in August/17)

2017 – Announcement of the new Corrugated Cardboard Packaging Factory in Porto Feliz (SP)

 

About WestRock

In 2015, after a merger with the company RockTenn, also from the US, emerges WestRock, a partner of its customers to provide unique paper and packaging solutions to boost their business. In total, 45,000 employees provide support to customers all over the world in more than 300 operations and offices in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.westrock.com.br