Zaragoza, Spain based Saica Group (pronounced SAY-ka), a major European manufacturer of recycled paper for corrugated packaging, announced that it is establishing its first North American facility in the city of Hamilton, Ohio, near Cincinnati. The company will construct a new corrugated manufacturing plant in the City of Hamilton’s Enterprise Park. The announcement was made after the final approval from the Board of Directors that took place two weeks ago.
Saica plans to build a state-of-the-art factory and expects to invest nearly $72 million once construction of the corrugated plant is complete. The construction is expected to start in September 2020 and take 18 months to complete. According to Saica Group, the project will create 64 new jobs in Ohio.
“Saica Group’s know-how and experience in the production of lighter weight containerboard and corrugated packaging will bring high performance packaging and reduced materials use to the U.S. market,” said Ramon Alejandro, Chairman of Saica Group. “Since the beginning, we have been looking at different locations in the Midwest. The assistance offer from the State of Ohio combined with the appealing proposal from the City of Hamilton motivated our decision. JobsOhio, REDI Cincinnati and the City of Hamilton have been key supporting players during this process. We are very excited with this new project and we look forward to the next steps”.
As part of its investment, Saica Group plans to build a 350,000 square-foot facility that will eventually house 64 new employees. The site is in the Hamilton Enterprise Park, owned by the City of Hamilton and dedicated to attracting new manufacturing operations to the city. The jobs created at the site will consist of 27 skilled operators, 15 manufacturing, engineering and supply chain professionals, 13 sales staff and nine office and management jobs.
“Saica is well known throughout Europe as a company with an environmentally conscious approach to business, something that the City of Hamilton also prides itself on. This company will pay homage to Hamilton’s rich history of paper manufacturing while also diversifying our business community,” said Jody Gunderson, Director of Economic Development for the City of Hamilton.
When Saica Group started planning its entry into North America, it immediately began considering sites in the Midwest due to the experience and talent of the workforce, the concentration of manufacturing and proximity to potential clients.
