SOS opens new $185-million SEEK factory

_{MCDANIEL…this expansion allows us to produce more, plan better, and supply the market more reliably, especially during the back-to-school period when demand is at its highest.}

Stationery & Office Supplies Limited (SOS) recently commissioned its new SEEK factory and warehouse hub at Collins Green Avenue in Kingston, marking a $185-million investment for the six decade old business.

The new facility, which brings the company’s SEEK manufacturing, warehousing, and administrative operations under one roof, is expected to significantly boost production capacity while improving inventory management. The move is aimed at strengthening the company’s supply chain for exercise books and other educational materials used by students across the island.

Operational since mid-November 2025, the factory is equipped with state-of-the-art automated bookmaking machinery that will increase daily production capacity by at least 300 per cent.

Managing director of SOS Allan McDaniel, touting the construction of the 8,000-square-foot facility as a strategic decision at an official opening ceremony, said its completion will not only help SOS to keep up with growing demand, but to also get ahead of it.

“This expansion allows us to produce more, plan better, and supply the market more reliably, especially during the back-to-school period when demand is at its highest,” he said, noting that it will also improve the reliability of supply for retailers and distributors.

“This facility represents confidence in Jamaican manufacturing. It allows us to produce more locally, improve efficiency, build inventory earlier and respond more quickly,” he added.

Prior to the opening of the new SEEK factory, SOS invested more than $120 million between 2023 and 2024 to modernise SEEK’s manufacturing capabilities. This included the acquisition of three advanced machines that increased ruling capacity fivefold and tripled daily output, part of a broader effort to meet rising demand and reduce reliance on imports.

The SEEK brand, acquired by SOS in 2018, produces exercise books, notebooks, graph paper, and business books used by schools, offices, and institutions across Jamaica. Since its acquisition, the division has become one of the company’s strongest-performing product lines and a key pillar of its manufacturing operations, contributing well over $100 million in annual revenues

For the last financial year ended December 31, 2026, SOS reported marginal revenue growth of $1.86 billion, while profit declined to $132.5 million, partly due to operational disruptions caused by Hurricane Melissa.

Despite these challenges, the company’s management remains focused on surpassing the $2 billion sales mark this year. In addition to SEEK products, SOS also operates as a diversified office solutions provider, spanning furniture supply, stationery distribution and business services. The company serves corporate, government and retail customers through its showroom network, B2B sales and islandwide logistics. It also offers value-added services such as furniture installation and refurbishment, along with secure document destruction and recycling. In recent years, the company has also steadily expanded into e-commerce and regional exports, supported by ongoing investments in technology and operational efficiency.

Highlighting the broader economic significance of the investment, state minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce Delano Seiveright said the facility signals confidence and innovation in Jamaica’s manufacturing sector.

“The SEEK factory represents something bigger. It speaks to strengthening our local manufacturing capacity, building more resilient supply chains, supporting jobs and skills development, and reducing Jamaica’s dependence on imported goods,” he said in his remarks at the opening.

These products — your books — are tools that support the development of Jamaica’s human capital. Every page produced contributes in a small but meaningful way to the future of this country,” Seiveright added.

Source: Jamaica Observer