Smurfit-Stone Opens Corrugated Container Plant in Chicago

Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. has announced the opening of its new Chicago-area container plant located in New Lenox, Ill.

Located in the nation’s second largest packaging market, the New Lenox plant is one of the most modern corrugated container manufacturing facilities in the industry, the company says. The plant will employ approximately 145 people and serve companies in the pizza, oil and lubricants, laundry detergent and household goods, food products, cooking oils and health care products industries.

Smurfit-Stone Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Patrick J. Moore says, “Our investment in New Lenox represents Smurfit-Stone’s long-standing commitment to the Chicagoland market area. Smurfit-Stone has had strong ties to Chicago for many years and our new facility here helps to further position us as a leading integrated packaging company.”  

The New Lenox 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 company says. The design, development and manufacture of the products made in New Lenox are supported by Smurfit-Stone Image Pac, the company’s display and graphics business unit.

The New Lenox plant is designed to be a flexible and efficient facility, the company says. 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 percent conveyored operation.

In addition to its high-production capacity, the manufacturing equipment is highly efficient as well, according to the company. The process boiler is a high-efficiency 500-horsepower unit with a low NOX burner, and the plant itself is illuminated by high-efficiency fluorescent lighting throughout.

Smurfit-Stone provides its customers with containerboard, corrugated containers, display and graphics, automated packaging systems, recycling services and global packaging solutions.