REI Grup Invests More Than €2.5 Million in Paper Packaging Plant in Romania

Romanian consulting group REI Grup has started construction of a paper packaging manufacturing facility in Călan, Hunedoara County, with an investment exceeding €2.5 million. The project, implemented through REI INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING S.R.L., has secured non-reimbursable funding covering 61.98% of the total investment under the Regional Development and Just Transition Program.

The facility will manufacture kraft paper bags, marking REI Grup’s first investment in the manufacturing sector after more than 15 years of activity in non-reimbursable funding consultancy. Construction began in the second half of 2026, with completion scheduled for the first half of 2027.

The company plans to supply paper packaging primarily to e-commerce businesses, as well as food service, fashion and retail, cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies. Products will be printed and customized according to customer specifications.

According to Managing Partner Roxana Mircea, the investment follows an analysis of Romania’s paper packaging market and its potential to serve domestic and European export markets. The company expects the new production line to address increasing demand for recyclable and biodegradable packaging alternatives.

The project also has a regional employment objective, supporting the economic transition in Hunedoara County amid the gradual phase-out of coal-based energy production and planned mining closures from 2030. The plant is expected to employ at least 15 people, with a minimum of 75% recruited from Hunedoara County. One-third of employees will come from vulnerable groups, while at least 20% of the workforce will receive nationally recognized vocational training.

The development includes two buildings for production, storage and administrative operations, with a combined built area exceeding 1,000 square metres. The facilities will occupy a site of more than 17,000 square metres in Călan Industrial Park.

The plant will incorporate automated production technologies and sustainability-related infrastructure, including a 74 kW photovoltaic system comprising 148 solar panels, 14 solar-powered streetlights, air-to-air heat pump systems and a waste compactor designed to reduce stored waste volume by up to 90%.

REI Grup’s investment comes amid growth in Romania’s paper packaging market. Domestic production of paper and cardboard sacks, bags and envelopes increased from 21,571 tonnes in 2018 to 22,809 tonnes in 2022. Imports reached 23,514 tonnes in 2022, representing a 13% annual increase.

Hungary, Poland and Germany were the leading suppliers to the Romanian market in 2022. Meanwhile, Romanian exports of paper bags and packaging totalled 15,993 tonnes that year, with France, Bulgaria, Italy and Greece among the main destination markets.

Through the Călan facility, REI Grup aims to serve domestic demand, compete with imported products and develop export partnerships.