What Atlas Packaging does

Smurfit Westrock Atlas (trading as Atlas Packaging) is a UK-based independent corrugated cardboard packaging sheet plant operating from its headquarters and manufacturing base in Barnstaple, Devon since 1983. The company runs a vertically integrated operation spanning in-house structural and graphic design (using Artios CAD and a multi-million pound Packaging Technology Room with interactive 360-degree design screens), physical prototyping (Zund cutting table, compression testing), and production across flexo (up to 6 colours via the UK-exclusive CUIR Flexoprint), litho lamination (up to 9 colours), and digital printing for short-run work. It also operates a Bobst Expertfold 230 A4 folder-gluer with Accuject, exclusive to Atlas in the UK, alongside a spectrophotometer-equipped colour matching facility ('The Ink Kitchen') and an automated wire-guided warehouse (4200 Euro / 3300 UK pallet capacity, 48 pallets per hour).

Its product portfolio covers postal packaging, shelf-ready packaging (SRP), eCommerce and subscription boxes, gift packs, crash-lock boxes, fully enclosed boxes, counter display units, cardboard pallet boxes, plastic-free protective fittings, point-of-sale displays, and bespoke structural packaging, plus the trademarked BumBox reusable seating product. Industry coverage includes food and beverage (craft breweries such as St Austell, Northern Monk, Adnams, Voyager Coffee; cheese producers such as Saint Agur, Cave Aged Cheddar, AJ and RG Barbers; spirits brands such as Papillon Gin, Seedlip, Strykk), horticulture (Riverford Organic Farmers, Cornish Blooms, Flowers by Clowance), furniture (B&Q, over 20-year relationship), eCommerce subscription brands, pet food, automotive, pharmaceutical, and major UK supermarkets including Asda and Lidl via approved supplier status.

Revenue is generated through unit-based B2B sales with a territory-based field sales team (Sales Director, BDMs, regional reps across the West Country, South Wales, Midlands, Scotland, plus international and online sales), supported by an internal sales function. Pricing is quote-based for most products with minimum order quantities (e.g., 1,000 units for subscription packaging), volume discounts for larger runs, and Service Level Agreement frameworks for ongoing supply. Distribution relies on an own branded delivery fleet supplemented by transport partner C L Transport for UK and Ireland coverage. Atlas is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Smurfit Westrock Group plc (formed from the 2024 merger of Smurfit Kappa and WestRock).

Name

Atlas Packaging

Legal name

Smurfit Westrock Atlas

Website

https://atlaspackaging.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Smurfit Westrock Atlas (Atlas Packaging) is a UK-based corrugated cardboard packaging manufacturer designing and producing custom boxes, shelf-ready packaging, and eCommerce solutions for food and beverage brands, furniture manufacturers, horticulture businesses, eCommerce firms, and major UK supermarkets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corrugated Cardboard Packaging Manufacturing

NAICS

Corrugated and Solid Fiber Box Manufacturing (322211)

SIC

Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650)

akta.pro primary industry

Corrugated Packaging & Boxes (RSC, die-cut, bulk bins) (IMAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Folding Cartons & Paperboard Packaging Converting (IMAMAHAB), Corrugated Packaging (Boxes, Sheets, Pads) (IMALACAA), Folding Carton & Paperboard Packaging Printing (IMALAKAH)

Keywords

• Corrugated packaging manufacturing
• Cardboard box design
• Shelf ready packaging
• Sustainable packaging solutions
• Printed packaging boxes

Headquarters

HQ city

Barnstaple

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Corrugated Cardboard Packaging Manufacturing: Manufacture and sale of corrugated cardboard packaging boxes. Products include postal packaging, SRP, eCommerce boxes, gift packs, pallet boxes, crash lock boxes, counter display units, and bespoke packaging. Revenue from one-time product sales with repeat orders from established customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Atlas Packaging (trading as Smurfit Westrock Atlas) designs and manufactures corrugated cardboard packaging products from its base in Barnstaple, Devon, UK. The company offers a full in-house service spanning structural and graphic design, flexo, litho and digital printing, and converting into postal boxes, shelf-ready packaging, eCommerce and subscription boxes, pallet boxes, gift packs, counter display units and bespoke packaging for industries including food, beverage, horticulture, furniture, automotive and pharmaceuticals. It also produces specialty products such as the BumBox reusable event seating solution.

Product overview

Smurfit Westrock Atlas is a UK-based corrugated cardboard packaging company offering a comprehensive portfolio of packaging solutions. The product lineup includes core packaging products (Postal Packaging, Shelf Ready Packaging, eCommerce/Subscription Boxes, Gift Packs, Bespoke Packaging, Counter Display Units, Point of Sale, Crash Lock Boxes, Fully Enclosed Boxes, Pallet Boxes, Plastic Free Packaging, and Sustainable Fittings) alongside print technology options (Litho Printed Packaging and Digital Printing). The company also produces specialty products like the BumBox seating solution. Industry-specific solutions serve Brewing, Food, Cheese, Pet Food, Horticulture, Drinks, Vegetable/Fruit, Automotive, Furniture, and Pharmaceutical sectors. Supporting services include in-house structural and graphic design, packaging machinery, and warehouse/delivery operations. The portfolio operates as an integrated offering where design services, print technologies, and manufacturing capabilities combine to deliver custom packaging solutions across diverse industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BumBox™: An outdoor event seating solution that transforms from flat storage to triangular prism seat with backrest, supporting up to 120kgs. Sustainable and reusable packaging product.

Products and services

• Postal Packaging 0427 PIP (Pass-through Insurance Protection) letterbox-sized cardboard packaging designed for eCommerce home delivery of small products.
• Shelf Ready Packaging (SRP) High-quality printed corrugated cardboard packaging designed for easy shelf placement in retail environments, allowing quick product display with minimal handling.
• eCommerce Packaging Cardboard packaging solutions for home delivery and subscription box services, featuring tear strips and plastic-free fittings for an enhanced unboxing experience.
• Subscription Boxes Custom subscription box packaging delivered flat packed, pre-glued, easy to open and fill, with printing available on inside and outside surfaces. Minimum order quantity of 1,000 units.
• Gift Pack High-quality printed cardboard gift and presentation packs with self-sealing features that eliminate the need for glue or tape, suitable for premium packaging applications.
• Bespoke Packaging Custom-designed corrugated cardboard packaging solutions tailored to non-standard product sizes, featuring structural and graphic design innovation.
• Counter Display Units (CDU) Point-of-sale cardboard display units designed to showcase products at checkout counters or shop fronts in various shapes and sizes.
• Point of Sale Retail-focused cardboard packaging designed as 'Silent Salesmen' to influence on-the-spot purchasing through eye-catching structural and visual design.
• Crash Lock Boxes Fast-assembly packaging boxes delivered flat with easy-open features and self-locking bottoms for efficient packing line operations.
• Fully Enclosed Boxes Cost-effective corrugated cardboard boxes for protecting products during transit, available as flat pack with pre-glued folds for manual or automated assembly.
• Cardboard Pallet Boxes Heavy-duty double-walled cardboard pallet boxes available with or without timber pallets, heat-treated for pest-free transport and collapsible for storage.
• Plastic Free Packaging Sustainable protective dividers and packaging solutions made entirely from recyclable cardboard, eliminating the need for plastic bubble wrap and foam.
• Sustainable Fittings Cardboard inserts and fixtures including honeycomb hexagonal protection and Flexi-Hex sleeves that cushion products and replace plastic packaging.
• Litho Printed Packaging Premium photo-quality custom printed cardboard boxes with high-gloss magazine-style finish, suitable for luxury packaging with up to 9 colors.
• Digital Printing Short-run digital printing directly onto corrugated cardboard without printing plates, enabling faster lead times and personalisation options.
• BumBox Trademarked sustainable and reusable outdoor event seating solution that transforms from flat storage into a triangular prism seat with backrest supporting up to 120kgs, used at festivals, concerts, outdoor movies and live gigs.
• Brewery Packaging Industry-specific range of cardboard bottle packs, can packs, trays, wraps, fittings and promotional boxes for the brewing industry.
• Food Packaging Cardboard packaging solutions for wrapped food products including SRPs, fully enclosed boxes, wraps, gift packs, and transit packaging for chilled and frozen produce.
• Cheese Packaging Specialist packaging for cheese products including shelf-ready and insulated delivery packs, with award-winning designs for chiller cabinets.
• Pet Food Packaging Sustainable plastic-free cardboard packaging for pet food cans, sachets, and foil trays with shelf-ready and floor-standing display options.
• Horticulture Packaging Flower and plant shipping boxes including punnet packs, seed boxes, and live flower boxes with water-resistant coatings for moisture protection.
• Drinks Packaging Complete drinks packaging solutions including can packs, bottle boxes, gift packs, and sustainable protective packaging for home delivery and retail.
• Vegetable and Fruit Packaging Water-resistant produce boxes made from solid board with ultrathin coating, reusable up to ten times, suitable for fresh produce transportation.
• Automotive Packaging Durable double-walled corrugated cardboard packaging for auto parts ranging from small die-cut containers to large transit pallet boxes.
• Furniture Packaging Specialist furniture packing boxes including die-cut five panel wraps for flat-pack items and heavy-duty double-wall options for protection during shipping.
• Pharmaceutical Packaging Corrugated cardboard pharmaceutical packaging from small die-cut containers to large transit pallet boxes, meeting British Retail Consortium standards.
• In-house Structural and Graphic Design Award-winning in-house design teams providing structural and graphic design services using Artios CAD software and the multi-million pound Packaging Technology room with 360-degree interactive touch screens.
• Warehouse and Delivery Purpose-built warehouse facility with automated wire-guided systems and dedicated Smurfit Westrock Atlas branded transport fleet plus C L Transport partners for UK and Ireland delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% cost reduction achieved for Call Caterlink by switching from litho to high-quality flexo on clay coated board using EMBA machine with infrared driers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Flexi-HexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with local protective sleeve manufacturer. Flexi-Hex honeycomb protective paper wrapping for bottles integrated into Atlas-designed printed boxes. Provides sustainable alternative to bubble wrap for bottle protection. Combined offering makes Atlas one-stop shop for drinks packaging.
• C L TransportcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransport partners providing additional delivery capacity alongside Atlas's own fleet of branded lorries. Enables delivery anywhere in UK and Ireland.
• Smurfit Kappa Group / Smurfit Westrock Group plcflagshipOthersAtlas Packaging is part of Smurfit Westrock Group plc. Benefits include corporate backing, global resources, and association with world-leading sustainable packaging company. Parent company provides strategic direction and brand credibility.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stora Enso Oyj: Stora Enso is a European forest-products and paperboard major producing folding boxboard and containerboard. Its consumer-board and packaging divisions directly overlap with Atlas's SRP, folding-carton and packaging-printing capabilities.
• International Paper Company: International Paper is one of the world's largest containerboard and corrugated producers. It overlaps with Atlas at the upstream containerboard level and via its downstream corrugated packaging operations serving UK and European FMCG customers.
• Mondi plc: Mondi is a global paper and packaging group with a strong European corrugated footprint. While broader in scope than Atlas, it competes head-to-head in UK and Ireland corrugated and folding-carton packaging for food, beverage and personal-care end markets.
• Pactiv Evergreen Inc. Pactiv Evergreen is a major global producer of food and beverage packaging including paperboard cartons and corrugated shippers. Overlap with Atlas is in food-service, retail-ready and protective-corrugated packaging for grocery and restaurant customers.

Direct peers

• Saica Group: Saica is a Spanish-headquartered corrugated and recycled-paper packaging group with UK manufacturing operations. It competes directly with Atlas for UK food/beverage and retail corrugated accounts, with a similar emphasis on recycled-content sustainability.
• DS Smith plc: DS Smith is the UK's largest integrated corrugated packaging manufacturer, operating sheet plants and fulfilment services across the country. It directly competes with Atlas for UK food & beverage, retail and eCommerce corrugated accounts, including supermarket own-brand packaging.
• Pratt Industries: Pratt Industries is a US/EU-focused corrugated and recycled-paperboard manufacturer. Comparable to Atlas through its emphasis on recycled-content corrugated packaging, advanced converting equipment and direct B2B supply to FMCG and eCommerce customers.
• Graphic Packaging Holding Company: Graphic Packaging is a leading global paperboard and folding-carton manufacturer serving food, beverage and consumer-goods brands. It is comparable to Atlas on shelf-ready packaging, litho/flexo printing capability, and BRC-compliant retail packaging supply.
• Sealed Air Corporation: Sealed Air is a global protective packaging producer (e.g., Bubble Wrap, Instapak) increasingly competing with paper-based cushioning such as Flexi-Hex. Comparable to Atlas on the plastic-free protective-packaging and eCommerce fulfilment side.
• Robinson plc: Robinson is a UK-based paperboard and packaging supplier serving food, beverage and household-goods brands. It overlaps with Atlas in folding cartons, litho-printed packaging and retailer-compliant shelf-ready packaging for UK grocery customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/atlas_packaging
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRetO79n5BL8YW4UIUkq57Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/atlaspackaginguk/?locale=en_GB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atlas-packaging-limited

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Atlas Packaging