Visy Invests in Cardboard Box Manufacturing in Western Sydney

Packaging manufacturer Visy has invested $30 million in a new 2.8-metre-wide corrugator at its Smithfield board factory in Western Sydney, increasing corrugated board output by 33% as part of a major upgrade to the site.

The new equipment incorporates real-time monitoring and digital process optimisation to improve production speeds and reduce changeover times. It is also designed to deliver more consistent board performance, with improved strength and flatness to support high-speed packing lines and shelf-ready packaging applications.

Visy Chief Executive Officer Mark De Wit said the investment would help secure local packaging supply for the agricultural, food and beverage sectors.

“We’ve been making cardboard boxes for farmers, and food and beverage brands at Smithfield for over 40 years. This investment secures a reliable supply of high-quality cardboard packaging that meets demand across the state,” De Wit said.

A corrugator heats, shapes and bonds layers of paper to produce corrugated board, which is subsequently cut and converted into boxes.

Visy’s Smithfield site houses Australia’s largest material recovery facility, two paper mills producing 100% recycled paper, a cardboard box manufacturing operation and a recycled plastics facility. The company describes the site as the largest recycling precinct in New South Wales, employing more than 400 full-time workers.

The Smithfield facility forms part of Visy’s network of 18 cardboard box manufacturing facilities across Australia and New Zealand. The network is supported by locally manufactured kraft paper and 100% recycled paper, alongside integrated design, engineering and customer support teams.

The investment adds production capacity at the Smithfield site, which has supplied cardboard packaging to agricultural and food and beverage customers for more than four decades.