Visy opens $175 million box factory in Queensland

A new corrugated cardboard box factory at Hemmant, Queensland – owned by Visy and claimed to be the most sophisticated of its kind in Australia – was opened on Monday.

The factory was opened by federal industry minister Ed Husic and state treasurer Cameron Dick on Monday.

It has capacity for up to a million boxes a day. According to a statement from Visy, it will serve “Queensland’s thriving food and beverage companies, farmers and growers.”

“We’ve invested $175 million to build the most productive and technically advanced corrugated box making facility in the country,” said Visy Executive Chairman Anthony Pratt.

“We’ve installed the latest 2.8m wide corrugator—the most modern corrugator in the southern hemisphere.”

The factory uses recycled paper from Visy’s Gibson Island plant.

“100% recycled boxes from this facility are one of the ways we’re using all of Australia’s paper and cardboard, so it doesn’t have to be landfilled or exported,” added Pratt.

The newly-opened factory is expected to employ over 100 directly.

Visy said it planned to invest $2 billion in Australia over the next decade, with $700 million of this in Queensland.

It broke ground on a $500 million glass manufacturing and recycling facility on the Gold Coast in October last year and inaugurated a $48 million upgrade to Gibson Island in May.

Picture: credit Visy

Further reading

Visy breaks ground on its largest ever investment