Tetra Pak^® (tetrapak.com), the world leader in food processing and packaging solutions, today announces the completion of a €65 million upgrade for its packaging material plant in Ponta Grossa, Brazil. The project increases the capacity of the plant by 70% to 13 billion packs and brings the Brazilian total to 22 billion, meeting both domestic and export demands in the region.

The upgrade, which started in 2012, also broadens the capability of the Ponta Grossa plant to produce a wider range of packages and sizes, including advanced formats such as Tetra Brik^® Aseptic 1000 Edge, Tetra Gemina^® Aseptic 1000 and Tetra Top^®.

“Brazil is the second largest market for Tetra Pak globally. When we started operating in the country 57 years ago, our monthly production was about 25 million packs, which today represents just half-a-day’s output”, says Paulo Nigro, cluster vice president of Tetra Pak North, Central & South America.

“The upgrade of the Ponta Grossa plant is a strategic move that enables us to stay one step ahead of customer needs, not only for volume growth, but also for product differentiation and improved functionality.”

Domestic demand for carton packaging in Brazil has been growing steadily at 5.5% CAGR since 2007, with 13 billion Tetra Pak packages sold in 2013. The beverage segment grew by 20% last year, driven by the 100%-juice category. Other markets in Latin America, such as the Andean and Caribbean countries, are also growing and demanding increased production capacity in the region.

"Our success has been enabled by the growth of the dairy and beverage industry in the countries we serve. This investment demonstrates our commitment to supporting customers in the Latin American region with products and services of exceptional quality and performance, helping them to achieve their growth ambitions," concludes Nigro.