Opal lifts carton manufacturing with $70m investment

Opal is stepping up its Australian folding carton manufacturing capabilities with the opening of a $70 million purpose-built facility in Moorebank, south-west Sydney, featuring advanced printing technology designed to increase production efficiency, reduce material waste, and improve customer flexibility.

Spanning 27,233 square metres, the Moorebank Cartons facility houses Australia's only Heidelberg Boardmaster – a high-speed, high-volume inline flexographic web printing system purpose-built for folding carton production.

Capable of running at speeds of up to 600 metres per minute, the technology combines automated press settings and AI-powered plate scanning to improve print production, reduce manual adjustments and accelerate speed-to-market.

The investment marks a significant development for Australia's carton manufacturing sector, bringing advanced printing capability into the local market, while supporting demand for high-quality, food-grade and recyclable packaging produced domestically.

Brad Hinds, chief executive of packaging at Opal, said the investment would strengthen the company's ability to meet changing customer requirements, while improving manufacturing efficiency.

“This is an important investment in the future of Australian manufacturing. We're bringing world-leading technology into our operations, giving us greater capacity to produce high-quality carton packaging locally while improving efficiency and waste,” Hinds said.

A key feature of the new operation is its ability to substantially reduce material waste during production changeovers. Advanced changeover technology can bring board waste down to less than 10 metres, representing a reduction of up to 90 per cent.

The improvement provides an opportunity to reduce material consumption, particularly across production schedules involving multiple packaging formats and changeovers.

For carton manufacturers, reducing setup waste while maintaining high production speeds is an important part of improving operational efficiency and managing material costs.

The facility also incorporates a range of sustainability-focused manufacturing features, including optimisation for water-based inks to support recyclability, energy-efficient drying and heat recovery.

Moorebank uses less electricity than its predecessor facility and operates without natural gas, further strengthening its environmental performance.

Food-grade manufacturing is another central component of the investment, with the site certified to meet food safety requirements and customer specifications.

Beyond its production technology, the facility is designed to improve supply-chain efficiency and strengthen domestic packaging supply.

Opal expects to receive approximately 1557 20-foot containers of board by rail in 2027, using infrastructure connecting the Moorebank Intermodal Precinct with Port Botany to reduce reliance on road freight.

The investment also complements Opal's Centre of Excellence at Orchard Hills in NSW, which produces its recyclable punnet featuring a wood-based cellulose window.

Together, the sites strengthen the company's ability to progress packaging concepts from innovation and design through to commercial manufacturing.

“For our customers, it means greater flexibility, reliable supply and the ability to develop new packaging solutions as their needs evolve,” explained Hinds.

“Combined with our Centre of Excellence at our Orchard Hills site in NSW, which produces our innovative, recyclable punnet featuring a unique wood-based cellulose window, Moorebank Cartons gives us the capability to take new packaging ideas from design through to manufacturing competitively, right here in Australia.”

The Moorebank investment reflects the growing importance of advanced manufacturing technology in maintaining the competitiveness of Australia's packaging industry.

By combining high-speed printing, automated production controls and significant reductions in changeover waste, Opal is strengthening its local carton manufacturing platform, while giving customers greater access to domestically-produced packaging.

The facility also reinforces the role of fibre-based packaging in the transition towards recyclable packaging solutions, with local production capability providing an additional advantage for Australian food and beverage manufacturers seeking reliable supply and packaging innovation.