Sanmerna seeks land for new factory, eyes export markets

Sanmerna Paper Products Limited unveiled a three-year time frame for the expansion of its factory as the company moves to re-enter regional export markets.

"We need land space to build a bigger factory so that we can produce more and have enough space to put it," Managing Director Robert White told the Financial Gleaner in a recent interview.  

Sanmerna sources raw materials from Indonesia, Türkiye and China, and sells tissue and paper products under the Sophie, West Best, Classic and Soft Dream brands. Its output currently runs at about 7,000 cases of tissue per day. White wants to buy or lease space near the Port of Kingston. That’s close to its existing factory on Ashenheim Rd.

Under a multi-year development plan, Sanmerna had targeted 2028 to begin construction but has yet to secure a suitable site. Proximity to the Port of Kingston is a key criterion. "Wherever we can get a suitable size of land to build a space that can accommodate everything — maybe even in St Catherine — we don't want to go far from the port, because once you go far from the port, you start[TO INCUR] costs for trucking and transportation for employees to come to work," White said.

White made the disclosure after a factory tour on Ashenheim Road in Kingston by Delano Seiveright, minister of state in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce. White and his brother Mark White, who co-run the company, have built a business from modest beginnings to one that now employs nearly 200 workers and supplies retail customers, major resort chains, schools, hospitals and businesses.

The minister said the Government was committed to backing manufacturers through measures including the Productive Input Relief regime, which provides duty-free access to raw materials and machinery, and the Accelerated Capital Allowance regime introduced in the 2025-26 Budget.

On exports, White said Sanmerna hopes to resume shipments to CARICOM this year, having previously lost its Trinidad and Tobago market. "Our next areas for exports will include Barbados, and Antigua and Barbuda," he said.

Price increases are also in the pipeline, White indicated, as rising raw material and shipping costs, driven by global conflict, squeeze margins. Container freight costs have doubled, he said. "We used to pay a total of US$2,500 per container; now we are paying around US$5,000." 

He declined to say when the increases would take effect.

luke.douglas@gleanerjm.com