Saica Group has commissioned a third fully automated rotary die cutter at its Ashbourne, Co Meath facility, giving Irish customers faster access to corrugated packaging as automated packing lines and new EU regulation reshape demand for fit-for-purpose packaging.

The rotary die cutter uses advanced, high-performance technology to support high-speed production of corrugated packaging, and is expected to significantly increase output from the Ashbourne plant, which began production in September 2026.

Regional director Ireland for Saica Pack, Ciaran Rodgers, said the investment reflects the company's continued commitment to Ireland, meeting customers' increasing need for fit-for-purpose packaging as EU regulation and automated packing line adoption accelerate demand. He said: "This project is transformational for our Ashbourne plant," building on significant investment across the site and Saica's other Irish plants.

Ireland sales and marketing director Steven Cassidy said the investment marks the next stage of Saica's strategic plan for Ireland, helping the company continue to provide service, quality and innovation for customers, and invited customers to see the investment first-hand at the Ashbourne site during the company's 21st annual customer product knowledge course on 15 October.

Saica Group, a family-owned Spanish multinational founded in 1943, is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of recycled paper for corrugated board, with annual production capacity of 3.3 million tonnes and more than 10,000 employees across Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, the UK, Ireland and several other countries; the group has operated in Ireland since 2008 and now runs five sites across the island.

The investment reflects a wider push among corrugated packaging manufacturers to automate rotary die cutting capacity, as top-quartile automated operators now run 20 to 40 per cent lower costs than peers.

The timing coincides with the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation entering application on 12 August 2026, and with the global corrugated packaging market forecast to grow from $240bn in 2026 to $265bn by 2031.

For the sector, phased investment at an existing site shows how packaging manufacturers are scaling capacity incrementally to reduce commissioning risk while keeping pace with demand.

The wider signal for the sector is that EU packaging regulation compliance and automation adoption are becoming intertwined drivers of corrugated manufacturing investment.

Source: Sustainable Packaging News / Packaging Technology Today / European Commission