In what is being called an “asset modernization” move by Cascades Inc., the company is investing $4.5 million into two plants that make food packaging from recycled plastic.
The Kingsey Falls, Quebec-based company is well known for its paper-based operations — think tissue and cardboard boxes — but the company also makes a variety of plastic packaging for food and consumer products.
Cascades is spending $3.5 million at its Plastiques Cascades plant in Kingsey Falls “to replace a thermoforming line, add a pre-padding solution to the production line and install automated packaging lines,” the company said.
The other $1 million is being spent at the Cascades Inopak site in Drummondville, Quebec, to install a new thermoforming line to boost “both production capacity and quality,” Cascades said.
“These investments are part of a process of asset modernization at Cascades. They will boost our productivity, while also allowing us to better meet our customers' requirements and offer high-quality packaging. In the long term, this project will improve our positioning in certain competitive market segments,” said Luc Langevin, chief operating officer of the company's Specialty Products Group, in a statement.
The Kingsey Falls plant makes 25 percent recycled content polystyrene food trays for fresh food, including meat, poultry and seafood.
The Drummondville site makes PET packaging for food and consumer goods and specializes in barrier trays for fresh products including meat and poultry, Cascades said. Products made there contain a minimum of 60 percent recycled content.
“The goal is to increase the company's market share in the food packaging sector, by continuing to propose innovative products that ensure an optimal shelf life for food and reduce our environmental footprint,” Cascades CEO Mario Plourde said in a statement.