Packaging manufacturers are heading west — at least the few that have announced North American expansions in the last month. These announcements are for new facility openings rather than adding on to existing locations.
- Buckeye Corrugated opened a 100,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution facility in Reno, Nevada, according to Northern Nevada Business Weekly. This is the first entirely new corrugated production facility the company has built out — as opposed to upgrading acquired assets. It reportedly chose this location for growth because there weren’t other corrugated packaging manufacturers in the area. The Ohio-based company said on LinkedIn that this facility expands its West Coast reach and improves supply chain efficiency. Once the plant fully ramps up, it is expected to employ 20 to 25 production workers.
- Specialty Packaging Group opened a new 50,000-square-foot facility in Guadalajara, Mexico. The expansion is in response to increased customer demand for crate solutions to transport advanced technology equipment for the North American artificial intelligence and data center sectors. The Guadalajara location aligns with SPG’s sustainability work, the North Carolina-based company says, such as by recovering, recycling and reintegrating the packaging materials used to ship servers.
Other updates
- ePac Flexible Packaging, which is based in the United States, made a series of investments to expand its operations in Europe. Upgrades are underway at facilities in Austria, France, Poland and the United Kingdom, the company said this week in a news release. Investments include digital printing press installations and equipment additions to expand pouch converting capabilities.
- Minerals Technologies, a mineral-based product manufacturer headquartered in New York City, is expanding its paper and packaging business in Asia. Early this year, the company expects to commission a new satellite plant in China, adding to the three it launched in 2025 — two in China and one in India. Mineral Technologies also doubled capacity at a plant in India last year. This will enhance the company’s paper and packaging filler and coating technology capabilities, according to a news release.
