Huhtamaki has recently opened its new, state-of-the-art foodservice packaging manufacturing facility in Northern Ireland
Employment
In a statement, the group revealed that the facility, which is located in Antrim, near Belfast, is expecting to employ approximately 100 people over the next few years.
According to Huhtamaki, they now have three manufacturing sites in Northern Ireland employing altogether approximately 560 people.
The latest facility in Antrim operates initially as a dedicated paper straw manufacturing site, it reports.
However, Huhtamaki plan to expand the range of products manufactured at the site to other paper-based product categories.
Sustainability
The first wave of manufacturing equipment, according to the statement, is taken into use during 2019 and further investments in additional manufacturing equipment are planned for 2020-2022.
"At Huhtamaki we are continuously looking for ways to improve the environmental performance of our products and to introduce new, more sustainable packaging innovations," said Ciaran Doherty, general manager, Huhtamaki Foodservice, Northern Ireland.
"The launch of our paper straws is a good example of this. We are extremely proud to support our customers in their strategy to have a more sustainable and environmentally responsible supply chain by opening this new site." he said.
According to the statement, Huhtamaki paper straws are made with new, purpose-built machinery to deliver a premium product.
It states 100% of the paper used for the straws and wrapping come from sustainably managed forests.
Huhtamaki revealed its plans to expand paper straw manufacturing to further manufacturing units in Europe during 2019.
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Helen Galgey. Click sign-up to subscribe to Checkout.
