Saxon Packaging Closure in Lowestoft Results in Loss of 50 Jobs

The closure of a Lowestoft packaging manufacturer after almost four decades was a "difficult decision" to make, the CEO of its parent company has said.

Saxon Packaging, at South Lowestoft Industrial Estate, closed on Thursday, costing 50 jobs.

Established in 1986, Saxon manufactured and supplied corrugated and solid board packaging products for the food, drink and cosmetics industries.

It was acquired by paper-based packaging company Smurfit Kappa UK - a subsidiary of the Smurfit Kappa Group - in 2016, becoming Smurfit Westrock when the group merged with WestRock last year.

Smurfit Westrock has not revealed the reason for closing the Lowestoft sheet plant, but said production will be picked up by its other sites in the UK as part of a restructuring.

“It was a difficult decision to close this plant," said Eddie Fellows, CEO of Smurfit Westrock UK and Ireland.

"I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the commitment and support of our colleagues in Saxon who have established a tremendous reputation with customers by providing a reliable and longstanding supply into the market.

"This proposed restructure will enable us to further strengthen our support for customers.”

It is understood that 58 people were working at Saxon when it closed its doors on Thursday.

Its customers included Beavertown Brewery, biOrb aquariums, and British care company Autoglym.

Equipment is now being removed from its units in Harvest Drive, with a small number of staff believed to be staying on until the New Year to decommission the site.

Headquartered in Dublin, Smurfit Westrock is listed on both the New York and London Stock Exchange.

It has more than 560 sites worldwide, including Sheetfeeding in Fishergate, Norwich, and Pulham St Mary, in Diss.

Last year, it manufactured 204.4bn sq ft of corrugated packaging.