INTERNATIONAL PAPER: $250M RIVERDALE CONVERSION — THE REAL TEST STARTS NOW
PM16 has been converted from uncoated freesheet to containerboard, with full run rate targeted for Q1 2027. But International Paper still has not disclosed the machine’s new annual containerboard capacity — one of the key numbers for the corrugated board market.
Our new analysis explains what this means for corrugated board producers, why the $250 million project matters beyond one mill, and which market signals to watch next.
https://corruga.expert/news/international-paper-finishes-250m-riverdale-conversion-but-its-new-containerboard-capacity-is-still-undisclosed/

BOBST INDIA: NEW LEADERSHIP, LOCAL NOVAFFG PRODUCTION AND A BIGGER ROLE FOR PUNE
BOBST is already manufacturing the NOVAFFG 1024 in India, and on September 9–10 the company will open a new Competence Centre in Pune. At the same time, Ashish Saxena has taken over as Managing Director of BOBST India, and corruga.expert congratulates him on the appointment.
Our new analysis looks at what local production could mean for corrugated board producers, the numbers already behind BOBST’s India strategy, and why Pune could become a more important centre for manufacturing, service and automation.
https://corruga.expert/news/bobst-india-is-changing-fast-new-leadership-local-novaffg-production-and-a-bigger-role-for-pune/

AMTECH SOFTWARE: “THE CUSTOMER WANTS IT TOMORROW.”
The machines are connected. The business isn’t. Amtech Software looks at why faster, more reliable information can be just as important as faster equipment in a corrugated plant.
Meet the Amtech team in Toruń on October 14–15 at the 15th “Corrugated Cardboard – the Latest Technologies” Conference.
https://corruga.expert/news/the-customer-wants-it-tomorrow/

SAICA COMPLETES THIMM ACQUISITION — 1.2 BILLION M² OF CORRUGATED CAPACITY CHANGES HANDS
Saica Group has completed its acquisition of THIMM Group, adding nearly 2,500 employees, nine corrugated board plants and one preprint site across Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania.
Our analysis looks at what this means for paper flows, technology, service and competition — and whether Saica can turn the enlarged network into stronger industrial value.
https://corruga.expert/news/saica-just-added-2500-employees/

ACCCSA 2026 FINAL DAY: 850 PARTICIPANTS, 365 COMPANIES, 125 STANDS
Emmepi Group, BOBST, BHS Corrugated, BW Papersystems, Koenig & Bauer, TECHLAB SYSTEMS, Smurfit Westrock and other major industry names are in Guatemala for ACCCSA 2026. The key discussion is moving beyond machine speed toward automation, intralogistics, quality control, digitalisation and effective plant output.
In our full analysis, we look at what corrugated plants are actually comparing, where hidden bottlenecks may be costing capacity, and which technologies could turn exhibition conversations into real CAPEX decisions after Guatemala.
https://corruga.expert/news/acccsa-2026-final-day-850-participants-365-companies-and-125-stands-what-corrugated-plants-are-actually-shopping-for/

HOW MUCH CAN A CORRUGATED PALLET REALLY CARRY?
The load capacity of a corrugated pallet depends not only on its design, but also on the strength of the corrugated board itself. ixs-pal® tests show a clear relationship between ECT and recommended working load — from around 400 kg to more than 1,100 kg in the tested configuration.
The article explains what the ECT/BCT graph shows, why there is no single universal load figure for every corrugated pallet, and how board quality, moisture, load distribution and handling conditions can affect real performance.
Read more: https://corruga.expert/news/how-much-can-a-corrugated-pallet-really-carry/

WHAT DOES MACHINERY RELOCATION REALLY COST?
Tadas Šalkauskas, CEO of MachineryAssist, explains why the contractor’s quote is only one part of the real economic cost of moving industrial equipment. Production downtime can ultimately cost far more than the difference between two relocation offers.
The interview also looks at what relocation teams learn when working with equipment from BOBST, Göpfert, BHS Corrugated, EMBA and other manufacturers — and why the real configuration of a used machine may differ from its original drawings.
Read the full interview: https://corruga.expert/news/what-does-machinery-relocation-really-cost/⁠�

🔥 400,000 METERS IN 24 HOURS
​Fabyab and BHS Corrugated hit a milestone in Iraq: their upgraded VALUE S line ran 400 linear km in 24 hours at ~278 m/min average speed (~93% of capacity).
​Yet rated speed alone doesn't guarantee profit without OEE and waste data. Real productivity often means unlocking capacity in your current machine.
​Full analysis and key KPIs:
https://lnkd.in/d3AWi4Kj

£710,000 A YEAR — HIDDEN INSIDE A £25M SHEET PLANT?
Amtech’s UK-reviewed model indicates that a typical £25m sheet plant may have £710,000+ in potential annual cost reduction and nearly 4,000 staff hours that could be reclaimed.
At UKCITS 2026 in Telford, Amtech will let visitors test their own plant figures with its Hidden Tax Calculator.
Read the full article:
https://corruga.expert/news/710-000-hidden-cost-amtech-wants-uk-sheet-plants-to-test-the-numbers-at-ukcits-2026/⁠�

MEXICO’S CORRUGATED-BOX EXPORTS ROSE 40% IN FOUR YEARS
Mexico exported US$319.7 million of corrugated boxes in 2024 — and 96.4% of that value went to the United States. Five Mexican states generated almost 69% of exports, showing how closely the country’s corrugated industry is tied to North American manufacturing.
Our new corruga.expert analysis looks at where demand is growing, which technologies matter most for plants, and why LatamCORR Mexico 2027 could become an important meeting point for the market.
https://corruga.expert/news/mexico-s-corrugated-box-exports-rose-40-in-four-years-and-96-went-to-the-u-s/

500 SHEETS A MINUTE — WHY PREFEEDERS MAY DECIDE YOUR LINE’S OEE
A prefeeder may look like secondary equipment, but on a fast corrugated converting line it can determine whether rated speed becomes real output. At 500 sheets/minute, even short feeding interruptions quickly turn into thousands of sheets of lost theoretical capacity.
In our new corruga.expert analysis, we compare Emmepi’s Revolver, Minirevolver and Pack Feeder, explain how stable prefeeding affects OEE, look at the Favalessa–Emmepi story, and show what plant directors should check before investing.
🔗 https://corruga.expert/news/500-sheets-a-minute-why-emmepi-prefeeders-can-decide-your-line-s-oee/⁠�

48 → 208 E-BIKE BATTERIES PER PALLET — HOW CORRUGATED PACKAGING MADE IT POSSIBLE
Smurfit Westrock won 15 WorldStar Awards, DS Smith 11 and Mondi 9 in 2026. But the strongest story is behind the trophies: corrugated packaging is delivering measurable gains in pallet density, cost, material use, compression strength and transport efficiency.
One DS Smith redesign increased pallet capacity from 48 to up to 208 smaller packed e-bike batteries on the same pallet footprint. In our new analysis, we compare the strongest award-winning cases and the trends showing where corrugated board is moving in 2026.
https://corruga.expert/news/from-48-to-208-e-bike-batteries-per-pallet-why-corrugated-board-is-winning-in-2026/⁠�

TCY’S NORTH AMERICAN PUSH GETS REAL: 16,800 SHEETS/HOUR + YOUNG SHIN USA
A new TCY NB5 Flexo Folder Gluer is now running on the US East Coast at up to 16,800 sheets/hour, while TCY has also appointed Young Shin USA as its partner for the US and Canada. Together, the two developments show a broader North American strategy built around equipment, local sales, spare parts, field service and training.
The full corruga.expert analysis looks at Valley Container, Mitchel Lincoln, 1,100-lb board, a 20+ year operating history, and the practical questions plant managers should ask before investing in new converting equipment.
https://corruga.expert/news/tcy-s-north-american-push-gets-real-16-800-sheets-hour-meets-young-shin-usa/⁠�

FOR THE FIRST TIME, A RUSSIAN CORRUGATED BOARD PLANT MADE IT INTO A MILITARY REPORT
On September 13, 2026, Ukrainian sources reported an air strike on the Shebekinsky Karton plant in Russia’s Belgorod region. According to Ukrainian intelligence, one of the plant’s workshops was being used as a logistics hub and a laboratory for assembling and testing Molniya drones.
Until now, the war’s impact on the corrugated board industry had been seen mainly through Ukrainian plants — Rubizhne Cardboard and Packaging Mill, Dunapack Tavria and Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill. The full story looks at what happened to these plants and why the Shebekino case marks a new development for the industry.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON CORRUGA.EXPERT ↓
https://corruga.expert/news/for-the-first-time-a-russian-corrugated-board-plant-made-it-into-a-military-report/

CORRUGATED WEEK 2026: 1,100+ PROFESSIONALS, 145+ SUPPLIERS — WHERE WILL BOX PLANTS PUT THEIR NEXT CAPITAL DOLLAR?

Corrugated Week 2026 will bring more than 1,100 corrugated professionals and 145+ suppliers to Fort Worth, but the bigger story is the investment battle behind the exhibition: new machines, retrofits, material handling, AI, quality control and connected intelligence.

Our new corruga.expert analysis looks at SUN Automation, BOBST, Smurfit Westrock and the technologies that could actually change plant performance — including where a faster machine can simply move the bottleneck downstream and what plant directors should check before committing CAPEX.

https://corruga.expert/news/corrugated-week-2026-1-100-professionals-145-suppliers-where-will-box-plants-put-their-next-capital-dollar/

LATAMCORR BRASIL 2026: 42,000 BOXES/HOUR — BUT HOW MUCH BECOMES SALEABLE OUTPUT?
Brazil’s corrugated market is worth about $6.4 billion, while Trombini’s new Mitsubishi flexographic machine is specified at up to 42,000 boxes/hour — or 336,000 theoretical boxes in an eight-hour shift.
At LatamCORR Brasil 2026 in Campinas, the bigger question will be how much of that rated speed becomes real saleable output. Our full analysis compares Brazilian CAPEX projects, OEE scenarios and the seven questions plant directors should ask suppliers before buying speed.
https://corruga.expert/news/latamcorr-brasil-2026-42-000-boxes-hour-what-box-plants-should-ask-before-buying-speed/⁠�

THE BOX IS PAPER. COULD THE NEXT REVENUE STREAM BE INSIDE IT?
The €19.43 million BIOWRAP project brings together 14 organisations from seven countries and targets a 1,200 mm industrial line for 100% paper bubble wrap at 70–100 m/min.
For corrugated producers, the bigger opportunity is not simply replacing plastic with paper — it is selling more of the complete transport pack to customers they already serve. In the full analysis, corruga.expert looks at PPWR, Papair, local-production economics and where new revenue could come from.
https://corruga.expert/news/the-box-is-paper-the-pallet-can-be-corrugated-could-the-next-revenue-stream-be-inside-the-box/

$420M, THREE CORRUGATED PLANTS — BUT THE REAL ASSET MAY BE THE NETWORK
Smurfit Westrock is buying CMPC’s Chilean containerboard and corrugated business for $420 million, including three corrugated plants, a ~250,000-tonne recycled-containerboard mill and around 1,500 employees.
The deeper story is how recovered fibre, paper, converting capacity and customers can be managed as one regional system. Our full analysis looks at the two EBITDA multiples, the role of the paper mill and what competitors, customers and suppliers should watch after closing.
https://corruga.expert/news/smurfit-westrock-pays-420m-for-cmpc-chile-3-corrugated-plants-a-250-000-tonne-mill-and-1-500-people/

CORRUGATED WEEK 2026 OPENS IN FORT WORTH
Corrugated Week 2026 is underway in Fort Worth, bringing together more than 145 suppliers, industry leaders and technology providers from across the corrugated sector.
corruga.expert is reporting directly from the event. In the full article: opening highlights, TAPPI and AICC, industry leadership, technical sessions and what to watch on the exhibition floor.
https://corruga.expert/news/corrugated-week-2026-opens-in-fort-worth/

THE MOSCOW TOPPING
A U.S. trade case over corrugated pizza boxes is raising an unusual question: how can a 17–19 cent box survive roughly 22 cents in logistics — and why did imports from Türkiye jump 317%?
Smurfit Westrock, Pratt Industries and the United Steelworkers are behind the petition. Our analysis looks at the alleged Russian connection, the economics of the trade and what this could mean for U.S. box plants, pricing and sourcing.

https://corruga.expert/news/the-moscow-topping/