Business

Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation has officially opened its new plant in New Lenox, Illinois.

The plant will employ around 145 people and serves companies in the oil and lubricants, laundry detergent and household goods, food products, cooking oils and healthcare products industries.

The facility is a high-volume and high-efficiency operation that can produce as much as 2.4 billion square feet of corrugated board annually.

The plant is equipped with a 110-inch BHS corrugator, a Mitsubishi Evol flexo folder gluer, two Martin flexo folder gluers, three Martin rotary die cutters and is a 100% conveyored operation.

Steve Klinger, president and chief operating officer, said: "By combining our design expertise with our manufacturing network, Smurfit-Stone Image Pac creates one of the industry's largest display and graphics manufacturing and distribution systems."

Smurfit-Stone generated revenue of $7.4bn in 2007.