CHINA – Switzerland-based supplier of aseptic packaging solutions SIG has commissioned a new plant in China as part of efforts to expand its presence in Asia’s largest economy.
According to a statement from the company, the plant is located close to SIG’s existing production facility at the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) which allows for shared resources in both production and operations.
The new facility is also close to SIG’s Asia Pacific Tech Center, with innovation capabilities to introduce new concepts and solutions to SIG customers. SIG said having its tech center nearby ensures it can keep pace with, and anticipate new trends.
Samuel Sigrist, CEO of SIG, said, “The Asia Pacific region continues to be one of the major growth engines for aseptic carton packaging. The expansion of our production network will enable us to further strengthen our position in the growing Chinese market.”
He added: “It also means we can respond more quickly to the needs of our customers to provide holistic solutions to the food and beverage industry.”
By building a second production plant in China, SIG said it is committed to serving the Chinese market and to customers across the Asia Pacific region.
By 2024, the new plant, designed and built to have the lowest possible carbon emissions, will cover an area of 120,000 square meters and is expected to have an annual production capacity of 8bn carton packs.
SIG’s new packaging plant was the first plant in China’s aseptic packaging industry to be built in strict accordance with the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification standard.
It features Photovoltaic panels on the roofs which can provide 1.5m kWh of solar energy and collects rainwater which is also reused after treatment to save around 28,000 tonnes of tap water per annum.
In addition to energy-saving lighting devices, special lighting systems are installed to reduce electricity consumption.
Earlier, SIG announced that it will invest around €40 million (about US$48 million) to construct a new production plant in Queretaro, Mexico.
The facility expected to open in the first quarter of 2023 will bring it closer to its customers, enabling it to forge strong relationships with major dairies in Mexico, and also connect it with a well-established co-manufacturing customer base in the US.
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