Worcester, Massachusetts based Rand-Whitney cut the ribbon on its new, 384,000-square-foot packaging facility in Boylston during a ceremony on May 18 attended by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Gov. Maura Healey, according to media reports.
Rand-Whitney said the the new packaging facility will give them increased capabilities that will allow them to provide more efficient service and lead times delivered through state-of-the-art machinery and a first-class manufacturing team.
The facility represents Rand-Whitney’s latest investment in equipment and capacity to meet the significant growth in demand for packaging that was accelerated by the Covid pandemic. The new packaging facility will have the potential to manufacture 300 million boxes annually.
Rand-Whitney is one of several companies owned by Patriots’ Owner Robert Kraft and is the largest independent corrugated packaging manufacturer in New England with areas of expertise in cost-saving package re-engineering and lean manufacturing programs.
Speaking at the event, Kraft described the new facility as the most modern plant in America, the best and the most efficient.
Other dignitaries attending included Massachusetts Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao, state Senator Robyn Kennedy, and state Representative Meghan Kilcoyne.
Also open for business is a 300,000 square foot warehouse Rand-Whitney built adjacent to its new plant which will be used for storage by an affiliate, Sutton, Massachusetts based UN1F1ED² Global Packaging Group, which specializes in foam, wood, molded fiber and corrugated packaging.
Operating in Massachusetts since 1938, Rand-Whitney chose to build the facility in Boylston due to its proximity to major transportation corridors and access to a skilled workforce. The new plant is only 15 minutes away from their main facility in Worcester which Rand-Whitney CEO Nick Smith said was a huge advantage, a news report said.
The state-of-the-art sustainable facility features energy efficiencies and the industry’s most efficient robotics and automation equipment.
As one of the leaders in environmental responsibility for the packing industry, Rand-Whitney’s vertical integration will allow the facility to manufacture packaging that uses a very high percentage of post-consumer waste, using 100 percent post-consumer waste linerboard produced in the company’s mill in Connecticut. The company also produces and ships corrugated displays, shipping containers and folding cartons to a variety of industrial and consumer end-users.
The Boylston facility was designed by PROCON, Inc. of Manchester, New Hampshire. This represents Rand-Whitney’s fourth collaboration with the architectural and construction management firm, previously partnering with them on facilities in Worcester; Dover, New Hampshire; and Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
PHOTO CAPTION: Rand-Whitney celebrates the opening of its new packaging plant in Boylston, Massachusetts in a ribbon cutting ceremony with attendees including Robert and Jonathan Kraft and Gov. Maura Healey.