Brisbane-based Kuhn Corp is celebrating 30 years in business and opening a new production facility based in Malaysia, to manufacture recycled PET egg cartons.
Kuhn Corp and partner, Vienna-based Ovotherm International, already have three manufacturing plants in Turkey, Hungary and Mexico, which produce around 380 million plastic egg cartons each year. The new Malaysia plant will service the Asia Pacific region, including sending between six million and eight million cartons a year to Australia, supplied to major retailers including Woolworths, Coles, IGA and Costco.
The egg cartons are made from recycled plastic bottles. Ovotherm and Kuhn already take around one billion used plastic bottles a year, to produce their egg cartons. Kuhn says, “It’s a real circular economy, we take post-consumer plastic bottles, we make them into clear egg cartons, and once the egg cartons are disposed of by the consumer and picked up by kerbside collection, they are recycled by Visy in its PET recycling plant.”
The new factory, which will have 34 staff, is a joint venture with Ovotherm. Walter Kuhn, CEO of Kuhn Corp, will be heading to Malaysia later this month to oversee installation of the final pieces of production equipment, thermoforming machines.
Kuhn says clear plastic cartons score over carton, because, “from the consumer's viewpoint you can see the eggs, so you can see any breakages. From the egg company’s viewpoint they make egg grading easier, and are easier to transport and cheaper as they weigh less than carton, and they have a smaller carbon footprint than carton as they take less energy to produce. And it is a circular economy, which is what we are all aiming for with packaging.”
Kuhn has been in partnership with Ovotherm for the past 25 years. They did have a factory in Australia until 2007, but had to close it due to supply issues. Kuhn said, “The three factories we currently have are running at capacity, so the new plant in Malaysia will be very welcome.”
In other company news, Kuhn Corp is celebrating three decades of innovating in print, packaging and design. From humble beginnings in 1993, Kuhn Corp Print & Packaging opened its doors as an instant print shop in Albion, Brisbane with two staff members in a 150sqm factory. Fast forward 30 years and you will discover a bustling operation of large scale commercial printing, product packaging, egg packaging and distribution in Virginia, Brisbane with a 1100sqm production facility and additional warehousing factories.
Kuhn Corp has remained a local, family-owned company that is active within the community and is a longtime supporter of many of Brisbane’s favourite community events and charities. The team has trained ten apprentices in pre-press, graphic design, printing and print finishing over the last 30 years giving opportunities to young creatives to work and refine their skills within the print industry.
The Labelling Supervisor started with Kuhn Corp as a junior in 1998, and has continued to work with the company in the quarter of a century since. Kuhn said, “Our staff have been our biggest asset and we are fortunate to have had a team of passionate creatives that align with our company values and continue to produce exceptional quality work.”
Industry achievements by the company include being awarded numerous state and national Craftsmanship Print Awards since 1995, and positioning the company as the first choice of printers for State and Federal Government, large corporate companies, and small local business across Australia.
Another highlight has been launching its online store during Covid lockdowns, aimed at providing B2B support through a contactless ordering and delivery process.
Kuhn Corp has a focus on sustainability and is accredited by Sustainable Green Print with the highest level of sustainability. The print facility and offices are powered by solar energy for 75 per cent of its daily power usage, and the company offers a range of plant-based inks and recycled paper stock options to limit the environmental impact.
