Paranova Unpacks £20m Investment in Major New Packaging Facility

Paranova Print and Packaging is investing £20 million in a major expansion of its fibre-based packaging operations, including a new production facility designed to meet rising demand from the fresh produce, convenience and food-to-go sectors.

The five-year investment programme begins with £6 million being channelled into a purpose-built paperboard facility in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire. Scheduled to become operational in early November, it will be Paranova’s fourth and largest fibre-based packaging site in the UK.

Spanning 98,000 sq ft, the new facility will bring manufacturing, warehousing, offices and research and development functions together within a fully integrated operation. Around one-third of its operational footprint will be dedicated to warehousing, providing the capacity and flexibility needed to manage seasonal fluctuations and support future growth.

Developed in collaboration with machinery specialist Koenig & Bauer, the site has been designed to maximise production speed, automation and workflow efficiency. A new suite of printing and finishing machinery will form a central part of the operation.

Following the initial £6 million commitment, Paranova plans to invest a further £14 million in an additional printing press, finishing equipment and a fully automated logistics system.

The company says the expansion will help it deliver shorter lead times, greater flexibility and faster speed to market—important advantages for fresh produce businesses operating within highly seasonal and time-sensitive supply chains.

Once fully operational, the Godmanchester facility is expected to support a workforce of 150 employees. The first machinery is due to arrive in early September.

Paranova chief executive Jo Ormrod said: “This investment marks another major milestone in Paranova’s growth and underlines our long-term commitment to the future of fibre-based packaging.”

The new operation will complement Paranova’s flagship dual flexographic and lithographic printing facility in Wisbech, further strengthening the company’s UK manufacturing network and paperboard capacity.

Paranova, which supplies labels, cartons, trays and other packaging products to major retailers and brands across Europe, has reported strong year-on-year growth in its paperboard business during the past five years.

The announcement follows the completion of a separate £5 million transformation of its fibre-based food-to-go packaging facility in St Neots—underlining the scale of the company’s push towards paper-based packaging.