Norway-based packaging manufacturer Elopak announced that it’s investing an additional $25 million in its Little Rock Port facility to expand production capacity.
The investment brings the total cost of the project to $95 million.
Elopak in June announced it would build a 300,000-SF plant on 25 acres to make cartons for liquid dairy, juices, plant-based products and liquid eggs. Since then, the company has sold out capacity for the production line and has seen continued demand.
“We have sold out the full production capacity for the first production line in the new plant, further strengthening and derisking the investment case for our expansion into the US.,” Lionel Ettedgui, Elopak vice president for North America, said in a news release. “With the construction progressing according to plan and with a continued strong demand for our products, it is time to add more capacity to better serve existing and new customers in Americas.”
The first production line is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025. The second is expected to be in production in 2026.
Elopak said the plant, its first in the U.S., will create more than 100 permanent jobs.
“I am pleased to announce the expansion of the new U.S. plant with a second production line to continue to build on and accelerate the profitable growth in the region,” Elopak CEO Thomas Körmendi said in a statement. “This is a clear response to the continued strong demand that we see for Elopak as a reliable business partner.”
The Little Rock plant is part of Elopak’s new corporate strategy to accelerate growth and double revenue to €2 billion, or $2.2 billion, by 2030. The company is also looking to grow in the Middle East, north Africa and India.
Elopak is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in Norway. The company currently has three production sites in North America, located in Canada, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Globally, the company employs 2,600 people and sells more than 14 billion cartons annually in 70 countries.
Sign up for Daily E-news
