Boylston, MA – A project nearly two decades in the making finally came to fruition with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Rand-Whitney’s new packaging facility in Boylston. The new $120 million, 384,000sf facility has 32 shipping bays, 100,000sf of storage capabilities and a new equipment BHS Corrugator which produces 8 million sq. ft. daily. This new packaging facility has the potential to manufacture 300 million boxes annually and will add between 50 and 100 new jobs to the local economy.
To provide the most efficient, cost-effective services possible for its customers while responding to growing demand for packaging, Rand-Whitney, a Kraft Group company, invested in state-of-the-art equipment to support increased capacity. The sustainable building features the industry’s most efficient robotics and automation equipment. The facility will produce 2.2 billion sq. ft. of corrugated packaging each year, with nearly all of it using 100% recycled material and recycled water. About a third of the company’s equipment has been moved in; the rest will arrive over the next year.
Ribbon cutting for UN1F1ED² Global Packaging facility
“This milestone represents an exciting moment in the history of our company,” said Nick Smith, president and CEO of Rand-Whitney. “Rand-Whitney Container remains committed to investing in improvements that will benefit and support our valued customers. Today is also a milestone in our partnership with the Boylston community and we look forward to being a big part of this community for decades to come.”
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey; Yvonne Hao, secretary for economic development for the state of Mass.; State Sen. Robyn Kennedy; and State Rep. Meghan Kilcoyne joined New England Patriots owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft, Town of Boylston officials, PROCON team members and other dignitaries on a tour of the new building.
The other building that celebrated its grand opening, adjacent to the one used by Rand-Whitney, totals 300,000sf and will be used for storage by UN1F1ED² Global Packaging, a company specializing in protective packaging that utilizes wood, foam and corrugated materials. The company services many sectors of manufacturing industries including automotive, electronics, and semiconductor. UN1F1ED² is a joint venture between The Kraft Group and Atlas Box and Crating Co.
Tour of the Rand-Whitney facility
“Thank you to the Kraft Family and Nick and Adam at Rand-Whitney. We have always enjoyed working with you and your world-class organizations and teams. They are some of the best people to work with. Thank you to the Kraft’s for your friendship and continued trust in the PROCON design-build team. We are so proud of our long-term partnership,” said John Stebbins, managing director of PROCON.
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“We are always into welcoming everybody. I personally love Massachusetts, just like our family does. Our family likes to win at everything we do and try to be the best, but you have to have good people to do that. The values that are important to me are family, loyalty, and attracting team members who want to be part of something special and commit to it long term. I worked on the corrugated machine and here I am, standing almost 60 years later, and I can’t believe we are opening the most efficient, modern plant in the world. We are cutting the ribbon on a $120 million facility, and I pinch myself with how lucky I am to be a part of this. Today I am proud to say that our company, Rand-Whitney is No. 1 in New England,” said Robert Kraft.
“At the end of the day, I think New England, more than other parts of the country, represents more family business than big corporate America. Years ago, we committed to building a true state-of-the-art mega factory, and here we are today to celebrate that it came to fruition,” said Jonathan Kraft.
“I understand the hard work of folks within the community in smaller towns and the impact of an operation and a facility in the lifeblood of a community and surrounding regions. It is awesome, and it is not easy to get here, so I appreciate not only the work of so many but, at the outset, the town and local folks who have to figure out how to make this work. I want you to know that you have a partner in me and Kim Driscoll and this administration because we want every community in every region of this state really, really thriving,” said Healey.
