Kraft Group opens two warehouses in Boylston

BOYLSTON – Two warehouses with a total footprint of almost 700,000 square feet, both owned by The Kraft Group, opened for business on Shrewsbury Street on Thursday.

The bigger of the warehouses, a 384,000-square-foot center, will be used by Rand-Whitney to manufacture cardboard boxes for retail and protective packaging.

The Kraft Group, which is headed by Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, owns the company.

On Thursday, Kraft attended a gathering in front of the building, speaking to an audience among whom were Gov. Maura Healey, state Sen. Robyn Kennedy and state Rep. Meghan Kilcoyne.

"We're opening up the most modern plant in America," said Kraft. "This will be the best and most efficient plant."

The Rand-Whitney warehouse was designed by New Hampshire-based PROCON Inc. and could make as many as 300 million boxes annually, according to the company.

The company uses 100% recycled waste, which it produces at a location in Connecticut.

"Our company is the No. 1 organic company in New England," said Kraft.

Rand-Whitney is a 75-year-old company first started by Lithuanian-born and Worcester-based businessman Jacob Hiatt. Kraft, Hiatt’s son-in-law, eventually got ownership of the company.

The company has two manufacturing locations in Worcester, in the Greendale and South Quinsigamond Village neighborhoods.

"This is a world-class manufacturing facility," said Rand-Whitney CEO Nick Smith. "The fact that we're only 15 minutes from our main facility in Worcester is giving us a huge advantage."

The other building, adjacent to the one used by Rand-Whitney, totals to about 300,000 square feet and will be used for storage by UN1F1ED² Global Packaging, a company specializing in producing the elements needed for foam packaging, air pack packaging and wood packaging for industries that range from commercial to life sciences.

UN1F1ED² is owned by a partnership between The Kraft Group and Atlas Box and Crating Co.

Headquartered in Sutton, the company has a nationwide reach and locations in Ireland and Poland.

A 1-million-square-foot UN1F1ED² building is under construction in Sutton, which will be used for manufacturing.