Paranova Print and Packaging which serves leading retailers and brands across Europe with a mixture of packaging solutions such as labels, cartons and trays, has announced a major investment to expand its packaging portfolio.
This will see £6 million injected into a new purpose-built board facility in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire. Set to open this November, the site will boost the group’s paperboard capacity and strengthen its fibre-based packaging offer.
Godmanchester will be Paranova’s fourth and largest fibre-based facility in the UK and is set to improve the firm’s ability to support growing demand for paper-based packaging across the fresh produce, convenience and food-to-go sectors.
The 98,000 sq ft facility will include a manufacturing space, an on-site warehouse, and office and R&D functions, creating a fully integrated operation. Around a third of the operational footprint will be dedicated to warehousing, giving Paranova the scale and flexibility to support seasonal demand and future expansion.
Purpose-built in collaboration with machine partner Koenig & Bauer, the site has been designed to maximise speed, workflow efficiency and automation across the shopfloor, supported by a new print and finishing machine suite.
Following the initial investment, a further £14 million will go towards an additional press and finishing equipment, alongside a fully automated logistics system.
The new Godmanchester site complements Paranova’s dual flexo and litho flagship facility in Wisbech, strengthening its manufacturing network and capacity in paperboard. Over the last five years, the packaging firm has delivered strong year-on-year growth in paperboard, with the new facility representing the next phase of that expansion.
“This investment marks another major milestone in Paranova’s growth and underlines our long-term commitment to the future of fibre-based packaging,” commented Jo Ormrod, CEO at Paranova Print and Packaging.
“Godmanchester has been purpose-built to help us meet the increasing pace and complexity our customers require, particularly across fresh produce, convenience and food-to-go. By investing in next-generation print and finishing technology, we are creating a manufacturing environment that supports shorter lead times, greater flexibility and faster speed to market.
“As our largest fibre-based facility to date, the new site gives us the scale to support further expansion while continuing to help customers transition towards paper-based packaging solutions.”
The first machines are scheduled to arrive in early September, with the facility expected to become operational in early November. Once fully operational, the site is expected to support a headcount of 150 employees.
The announcement follows Paranova’s recent completion of a major£5 million transformation of its St Neots fibre-based food-to-go packaging facility.
