Irish paper and packaging giant Smurfit Kappa has expanded its Russian operations with the acquisition of the Russian corrugated packaging company, Soyuz.

Smurfit Kappa said the acquisition, for an undisclosed amount, will “further strengthen its position in Russia and broaden its offering to its multinational and local customers” and will also help establish it as one of the leading international corrugated packaging suppliers in Russia.

Soyuz, based in Moscow, produces corrugated packaging for a range of sectors and has approximately 300 employees. Smurfit Kappa already has three plants in Saint Petersburg, Russia producing paper-based and Bag-in-Box products for customers across Europe.

Saverio Mayer, chief executive of Smurfit Kappa Europe said: "This acquisition supports our continued drive to increase our customer offering, and our unique packaging business applications will help further develop the Soyuz operations. Our wide range of corrugated products, along with our innovative and rapidly growing Bag-in-Box business, opens up many opportunities for both Smurfit Kappa and our customers in Russia."