BNDES lends BRL 21.8m to Unipac for AI and IoT factory upgrade

Brazil's development bank BNDES has approved BRL 21.8m (USD 4.4m) in financing for Unipac, the rigid plastics packaging arm of Grupo Jacto, to fund digitalisation across its five Brazilian plants. The project covers artificial intelligence, internet-of-things sensors and an additive-manufacturing line for mould-making at the Pompeia site, with rollout also at Paulinia, Limeira, Maracanau and Uberaba.

Why this mattersShows a mid-sized Latin American rigid-plastics converter using state-backed finance to automate quality inspection and demand planning, a model other regional converters may follow.

• BNDES approved BRL 21.8m (USD 4.4m) under its BNDES Mais Inovacao programme.
• Funds will be deployed at Unipac's Pompeia (SP) headquarters and plants in Paulinia, Limeira, Maracanau and Uberaba.
• An automatic visual inspection system using high-resolution cameras and AI will target zero visual defects on packaging lines.
• Additive manufacturing will replace a conventional mould-making process in Pompeia, producing precision metal parts.
• Unipac marks 50 years in operation in 2026 and employs about 1,100 people.
• Unipac is the rigid plastics packaging and polymer-technology unit of Grupo Jacto, a 78-year-old Brazilian multinational.

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