Grupo La Plana completes structural phase of €14 million automated warehouse in Onda

The skyline at Grupo La Plana’s Onda complex has permanently changed. The Spanish corrugated packaging manufacturer has confirmed that the structural framework of its new automated vertical warehouse is now complete, moving into the final enclosure and conditioning phase. Scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2026, this €14 million investment is a textbook example of how independent converters are solving the perennial space-versus-growth dilemma in today's demanding market.

High-density storage to unlock manufacturing capacity

Let’s look at the hard numbers behind the steel. Rising approximately 36 meters high and covering a footprint of 7,050 square meters, the facility is engineered to hold up to 13,500 pallets of finished product. For a plant that already spans 66,000 square meters of production and storage space on a 110,000-square-meter plot, this vertical expansion effectively triples its current storage capacity. The project is being executed with specialized logistics equipment from SacmiCassioli and oversight by Project Management Global, ensuring the integration of state-of-the-art automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS).

As anyone who has managed a corrugated plant floor knows, finished goods storage is the silent bottleneck of operational efficiency. Corrugated board is inherently voluminous; storing boxes horizontally consumes vast amounts of premium industrial real estate. By pushing inventory upwards into a high-density automated system, Grupo La Plana is doing much more than just modernizing its intralogistics. The real strategic play here is floor space. Relocating finished pallets to the vertical tower frees up critical square meterage on the ground, which the company has explicitly stated will be used to house up to four additional production lines.

Consolidating a technological hub

This expansion of converting capacity is crucial. The Onda site serves as the crown jewel of Grupo La Plana’s manufacturing network. Following its major 2019 expansion, the facility already operates two state-of-the-art corrugators, advanced automated die-cutting systems, and a highly versatile printing department. Notably, this includes conventional high-quality flexo alongside Kento hybrid digital technology, allowing the plant to handle everything from long-run industrial transit packaging to short-run, high-graphic retail-ready packaging.

In the current 2026 market environment, supply chain resilience and rapid response times dictate contract wins. Having a centralized, highly automated logistics hub directly attached to primary production provides a formidable advantage. It reduces forklift traffic, minimizes product damage during handling, and ensures that trucks are loaded with pinpoint accuracy. Furthermore, this aligns perfectly with the company's broader 2026-2028 Strategic Plan, which emphasizes operational efficiency and sustainability. Optimizing warehouse space reduces the need for external third-party logistics (3PL) facilities, thereby cutting down on unnecessary shuttle transport and lowering the overall carbon footprint of the operation.

The transition from horizontal sprawl to vertical automation is becoming the defining operational shift for top-tier packaging manufacturers this decade. As land becomes scarcer and customer demands for just-in-time deliveries intensify, the ability to store densely and retrieve instantly is paramount.

Will the high initial capital expenditure of automated vertical storage become a mandatory barrier to entry for independent converters looking to scale and compete with integrated giants in the coming years? Follow The Paper for daily news, market signals and key updates from the global paper, corrugated and packaging industry. — Sigue toda la actualidad del sector en www.thepaper.ai