Hartsville, South Carolina, USA,  08 December 2009 -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Sonoco (NYSE: SON - News), one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, has entered into an agreement to supply packaging services in North America for the LEGO Group. These services will be provided by Sonoco from a new pack center scheduled to open in Monterrey, Mexico, in the first quarter of 2010. 

Sonoco and the LEGO Group first began working together in 2006, when the companies signed a five-year contract for Sonoco to supply packaging services for the LEGO Group’s Education and BELVILLE products. That contract has since been expanded to include other retail products, new product launches, and packing for LEGO’s consumer online brick ordering service.

“We have successfully worked with Sonoco for several years now and we’re very comfortable with their capabilities and the services they provide,” said Michael McNulty, VIP Global Procurement LEGO. “They have a proven track record of providing high-quality, cost-effective service and they’ve been very reliable on their delivery dates.”

Rob Tiede, Sonoco’s vice president – Global Flexibles and Services, said the company’s work with the LEGO Group successfully demonstrates Sonoco’s ability to develop a pack center business model and leverage it to other markets globally. “We’ve built a business model that’s strictly focused on reliably meeting the needs of our customers,” he said. “Our model is cost effective, it’s adaptable to various geographies around the world, and the turnaround time to startup is very reasonable.”

Sonoco operates locations worldwide, providing strategic packaging displays and service solutions for retail-focused customers. These include service centers, point-of purchase manufacturing facilities, sales and design offices and brand artwork management centers. The company’s Services operations include designing, manufacturing, assembling, packaging, and distribution of temporary, semipermanent, and permanent point-of-purchase displays and supply chain management services, including contract packaging, fulfillment, and scalable service centers. Sonoco serves a number of consumer packaged goods companies, including those serving markets in personal care, beauty, health care, electronics, confectionery, office supplies, and pharmaceuticals.

Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a USD 4.1 billion global manufacturer of industrial and consumer products and provider of packaging services, with about 300 operations in 35 countries, serving customers in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information on the company, visit http://www.sonoco.com.

The Lego Group is a privately held, family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark. It was founded in 1932 and today the group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of play materials for children, employing approximately 9000 people globally. LEGO products can be purchased in more than 130 countries. For more information on LEGO, visit www.lego.com.