In the coming days, one of the largest and most modern corrugated cardboard manufacturing plants in the Colombian Caribbean will start being built in the La Cayena Free Trade Zone. The multinational Cartonera Nacional SA will install a plant, which will demand a $16 million dollar investment.
The project will start operating in July 2018 and it will generate some 100 direct jobs.
The general manager of the National Cartonera for Colombia, Alberto Herazo, said the plant's equipment would be 100% new and that it would have state-of-the-art technology. The plant will be built on 12,000 square meters of the three hectares that the company bought at La Cayena, in Barranquilla.
The designs of the plant and machinery are ready. "We decided to invest in Barranquilla because of the city's great expansion and opportunities to establish industry here," said Herazo.
The National Cartonera plant will have a capacity to produce 2,500 tons of corrugated cardboard per month, with a view to serving the local regional, agricultural export, and national markets. "We already serve clients on the Coast. Now we want to take advantage of the competitive advantages offered by the geographic location of Barranquilla to expand our business," Herazo added.
Cartonera Nacional has its main plant in Villa Rica (Valle del Cauca), on the outskirts of Cali. This plant has a capacity of 3,000 tons per month. It serves industrial and agricultural sectors. "Our products are specific to the customer's needs," Herazo said.
Cartonera Nacional is part of the Ecuadorian holding Inversancarlos SA, which also owns Papelera Nacional SA, the main paper production factory for packaging in Ecuador and one of the leaders in the production of corrugated cardboard boxes for the export of bananas. They are well-known in Ecuador for their The Super Box brand, the most resistant box in the Ecuadorian market. This box is special for very long distance agricultural exports that require a box that has a great resistance to humid environments. Ecuador is the largest exporter of bananas in the world and Papelera Nacional has specialized in the production of paper and special boxes for the export of this fruit to the world. Barranquilla's National Cartonera will also specialize in making The Super Box.