Pope Packaging has completed a more than $50 million expansion of its Adelaide paper sack manufacturing operation, in what the company says is its largest investment in its 70-year history.
According to Pope Packaging, the investment is aimed at increasing local manufacturing capacity, strengthening supply for customers in Australia and New Zealand, and creating further export opportunities.
The expansion has increased finished paper sack production capacity by 50 per cent and doubled the company’s printing capacity. It includes a new high-speed printing press capable of producing more than 1,000 paper sacks per minute and printing in up to eight colours.
Pope Packaging CEO and Chairman Craig Elkington said the investment was driven by the need to provide customers with greater security of supply while continuing to develop manufacturing capability in Australia.
“We’re able to provide shorter lead times, greater flexibility and greater security of supply for our customers,” Elkington said.
“For the industrial and food paper sack industry, it means less exposure to overseas supply chain disruptions and greater confidence in a reliable local manufacturing partner.”
The company has also introduced inner patch paper sack capability, which it says can improve sealing performance and help reduce leakage, contamination and product loss.
Matt Sullivan, General Manager of Paper Sacks Australia, said the expansion provides customers with increased manufacturing capacity supported by a local workforce.
“What excites me most is being able to offer customers world-class capability right here in Adelaide,” Sullivan said.
“They get greater capacity, faster turnaround times and innovative new product options, backed by local expertise.”
The project also includes equipment monitoring technology designed to provide continuous visibility of equipment performance, as well as upgraded warehousing and inventory systems.
Pope Packaging said the national Paper Sacks workforce in Adelaide has grown by 50 per cent as the business has expanded, supporting skilled manufacturing jobs in Australia.
Founded in Adelaide in 1956, the family-owned company now employs around 800 people across Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. It also continues to invest in flexible plastic production capacity and technology at its Woodville facility in South Australia.
