Saica announces plans for second US site

European recycled paper and packaging company Saica Group has revealed plans to construct a $110 million corrugated packaging plant in Anderson, Indiana, the Spain-based company’s second investment in a U.S. site.

Construction is expected to start in May, and Saica says it expects to start operations at the Anderson site during the fourth quarter of 2026.

“Saica is committed to stability and long-term growth in the U.S.,” Saica Group President and CEO Susana Alejandro says. “This investment is the proof that we are moving forward with our plans in the American continent as we are convinced that we can provide products that will differentiate us in a crowded market. It reflects our deep commitment to delivering exceptional service, as we believe our knowledge and experience in the production of recycled lightweight papers and corrugated packaging will bring high performance packaging to the U.S. market while becoming more efficient in the use of materials.”

The new box plant will be early 350,000 square feet and is being designed to produce about 1.2 million square feet of corrugated packaging annually. It will include manufacturing, converting and production areas as well as warehousing and office space.

Saica also highlights the site’s connection to a railroad line as a way to allow paper rolls to be unloaded while reducing transportation costs.

“We are excited that Saica has chosen Anderson for this new facility,” Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr. says. “This investment into our community will assist us in our continued efforts of bringing into Anderson diversified advanced manufacturing opportunities. I want to thank our economic development team that has worked hard, along with Saica, in making this a reality.”

Based on Saica’s plans to create more than 100 new jobs in Anderson by 2030, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) has committed to $2 million in incentive-based tax credits and up to $150,000 in training grands. The IEDC also has offered up to $300,000 in Industrial Development Grant Fund incentives to support infrastructure improvements surrounding the new site. The tax credits are performance-based.

“Saica’s investment in Indiana is a testament to our state’s pro-growth business climate and robust network of skilled manufacturing talent,” says Ann Lathrop, chief strategy officer of the IEDC. “The company’s new Hoosier operations will have a significant impact on the local economy and for the community of Anderson, Madison County and the surrounding central Indiana region for years to come.” 

The investment in Anderson follows Saica’s 2021 announcement to invest about $800 million in the U.S. market, growing through strategic acquisitions or new plant construction, over the next five years.

Saica’s first U.S. facility is a corrugated packaging plant in Hamilton, Ohio. The company announced plans to build the plant in 2020 and it officially started production in April 2022.

In December 2024, the Dayton Daily News reported that Saica was exploring building a recycled paper mill in Dayton, Ohio, that would require amending the city’s zoning code. The company hosted a public forum that month to hear comments from residents, and Dayton City Council heard a proposal from Saica at its meeting Dec. 11, 2024.

There have since been no updates as Council was set to revisit the issue this year.

Saica Group is one of the largest European recycled paper producers with more than 10,000 employees across sites in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Turkey, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and the U.S. It operates four business units: Saica Paper, its recycled paper manufacturing operations; Saica Natur, its waste management and environmental services business; Saica Pack, its corrugated board packaging production operations; and Saica Flex, its flexible packaging business.