Smurfit Westrock North America CEO talks post-merger priorities
Combining two packaging giants headquartered across an ocean results in a lot of learning for leadership. That’s the case for Laurent Sellier, CEO of Smurfit Westrock North America, following Ireland-based Smurfit Kappa’s acquisition of Atlanta-based Westrock in July 2024.
You’ve been doing quite a few North American facility tours this year. Is that typical or is this a heightened engagement post-acquisition?
It’s probably a combination of both.
I’m a basic boxmaker by origin. I’m one of those guys grown as general manager of mills, and so I’m not a great fan of PowerPoint presentations in an office. I don’t understand it. I get bored. That is really not my stuff.
My stuff is to go in a plant, shake hands, go around the machines, talk to operators, talk to supervisors. Get a feel for what’s happening there, and see all the things that you usually never see when you’re off an office.
One of the facilities you visited this summer is the new box plant in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, which legacy leadership called a “superplant.” How are things going with the plans for a network of superplants?
I think “super” is actually an understatement. I think it’s more like a megaplant. It beats anything in terms of dimensions: the breadth of it, the scale of it, the power behind it. It’s the biggest lineup of machines I’ve ever seen in any place, and it’s a fabulous facility.
Smurfit Westrock North America CEO talks post-merger priorities | Packaging Dive