February 2020 – Nutmeg Container, a division of Unicorr Packaging Group, one of the largest protective packaging manufacturers in the Northeast, recently completed the total refurbishment of a 125,000 sq. ft. manufacturing and warehouse facility in Thompson, CT, into a high-tech, more environmentally-friendly production operation. The new building has enabled the company to bring its growing protective packaging, NELMA certified wood manufacturing divisions under one roof.
According to Unicorr Executive Vice President James Pious, the new facility increases the designated area for wood production from 30,000 sq. ft. to 80,000 sq. ft. “The remaining space includes allocations for warehousing and distribution,” Pious said, “including the relocation of one of our warehouses from Southbridge, MA.”
Until now, wood production had been handled in Nutmeg Container’s Putnam, CT plant, where foam operations are also handled. “Moving the wood production into the new Thompson location also enables us to increase the manufacturing footprint for our foam division at the Putnam facility,” Pious added. In addition, the Putnam plant will continue to handle Nutmeg Container’s corrugated operations.
Among the upgrades in the newly refurbished facility are a high capacity dust collection system; a new wood chipper that processes wood waste for recycling as it reduces scrap wood dumpster usage; and the addition of a second state-of-the-art panel saw for high speed cutting of raw material.
“The Thompson location also has a fully equipped experience center,” Pious said. “We have constructed a comprehensive display area in order to help customers and vendors alike learn the depth and breadth of the extensive line of products and services we are now able to offer.”
The Unicorr Protective Packaging Division will now use a combined total of 320,000 sq. ft. of space throughout its facilities. Unicorr’s latest acquisition, Coastal Pallet Corporation of Bridgeport, CT, is in the process of moving to the Thompson facility.