Montreal, Canada based Kruger Packaging has announced that construction is now complete on its $114 million box manufacturing facility in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Measuring some 400,000+ square-feet, the state-of-the-art facility is now open and production of corrugated paper — that will soon be turned into boxes — is underway.
“The transformation is simply stunning,” said John Keith, Kruger Packaging E’town General Manager said.
“In less than one year, what once was an undeveloped plot of land is now home to the most advanced, cutting-edge manufacturing facility in North America. All of us on the Kruger team are ready to hit the ground running and help deliver sustainable packaging solutions for Kentucky businesses big and small.”
All total, the Kruger Packaging E’town Plant took more than 280 construction days to complete and is composed of 26,000 cubic yards of concrete.
A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held in the coming months to celebrate the momentous milestone.
The Elizabethtown facility is Kruger’s first corrugated box plant in the United States. The new plant brings significant direct and indirect economic benefits to Elizabethtown with the creation of at least 150 jobs as well as future investments as the company continues to grow well into the future.
“We decided on the Midwest — it’s the largest growing box using area in the United States,” Keith said. “It’s about three-to-one here, the growth compared to other parts of the U.S.”
Kruger looked at more than 125 sites for its U.S. facility, eventually narrowing it down to just five. The company ultimately went with Elizabethtown because of the strong sense of community in the area and the access to major highways and rail.
Keith said the company’s customer base is within a 300-mile radius of the facility. Kruger ships to Ohio, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, among other states.
Founded in 1904, Kruger Packaging’s parent company, Kruger Inc., is a fourth-generation family company founded in 1904.
It produces everything from premium papers, publication and specialty papers, to 100 percent recycled containerboard products, cellulosic biomaterials and even a line of wines and spirits.
The company is also a major North American recycler of paper and paperboard. Kruger operates 19 facilities across 10 sectors in Canada and the U.S., including locations in Maine, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Virginia.
Visit www.kruger.com for more information
