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Smurfit-Stone Celebrates Grand Opening of New High-Tech Plant in Chicagoland

Smurfit-Stone Celebrates Grand Opening of New High-Tech Plant in Chicagoland

Published 10-29-08

Submitted by Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation

CREVE COEUR, Mo. and CHICAGO, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation (Nasdaq: SSCC) today celebrated the opening of its new Chicago-area container plant located in New Lenox, IL.

Located in the nation's second largest packaging market, the New Lenox plant is one of the most modern corrugated container manufacturing facilities in the industry. The plant will employ approximately 145 people and serve companies in the pizza, oil and lubricants, laundry detergent and household goods, food products, cooking oils and health care products industries.

Smurfit-Stone Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Patrick J. Moore said, "Our investment in New Lenox represents Smurfit-Stone's long-standing commitment to the Chicagoland market area. Smurfit-Stone has had strong ties to Chicago for many years and our new world-class facility here helps to further position us as a leading integrated packaging company. Our operations span major packaging markets in North America and Asia, and provide our customers with quality, innovative and value-added products and services wherever and whenever they need them."

The New Lenox facility is a high-volume and high-efficiency operation that can produce as much as 2.4 billion square feet of corrugated board annually.

The design, development and manufacture of the products made in New Lenox are supported by Smurfit-Stone Image Pac, the company's display and graphics business unit. Smurfit-Stone President and Chief Operating Officer Steve Klinger said, "By combining our design expertise with our manufacturing network, Smurfit-Stone Image Pac creates one of the industry's largest display and graphics manufacturing and distribution systems. New Lenox and Smurfit-Stone Image Pac are teaming up on a number of products and services for our customers, including our pizza program."

Smurfit-Stone's industry-leading pizza program serves national chains, regional chains and neighborhood pizza businesses by creating consistent, quality and high-graphics boxes, in addition to warehousing and distribution services.

The New Lenox plant was designed to be a flexible and efficient facility. The plant is equipped with a 110-inch BHS corrugator, a Mitsubishi Evol flexo folder gluer, two Martin flexo folder gluers, three Martin rotary die cutters and is a 100 percent conveyored operation.

In addition to its high-production capacity, the manufacturing equipment is highly efficient as well. The process boiler is a high-efficiency 500 HP unit with a low NOX burner, and the plant itself is illuminated by high-efficiency fluorescent lighting throughout. Other environmentally friendly features include a zero-discharge scrap handling system.

To celebrate the New Lenox plant opening and to support its commitment to sustainability, the environment and mitigating climate change, Smurfit-Stone announced the donation of 1,000 seedlings to the Village of New Lenox. Smurfit-Stone's customers and employees, as well as New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann, joined in the grand opening celebration.

Smurfit-Stone serves as a single point of contact to provide its customers with containerboard, corrugated containers, display and graphics, automated packaging systems, recycling services and global packaging solutions.

Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation (NASDAQ: SSCC) is a leading integrated containerboard and corrugated packaging producer and is one of the world's largest paper recyclers. The company is a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative(R), and the Chicago Climate Exchange. Smurfit-Stone generated revenue of $7.4 billion in 2007, has led the industry in safety every year since 2001, and conducts its business in compliance with the environmental, health, and safety principles of the American Forest & Paper Association.

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