Packaging Corporation of America is closing a converting plant in Richmond, Virginia, impacting 110 employees come June.
The Lake Forest, Illinois-based containerboard specialist says it will work with state and local government officials in Virginia on dislocated worker assistance, and help affected employees who may be interested in transferring to other PCA locations, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification letter to the state on March 31. Mark Romaniuk, deputy general counsel for PCA, called the closure “a difficult business decision.”
PCA said that hourly production and maintenance employees are represented by the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers Internationl Union.
PCA also noted in the letter that a nearby satellite warehouse in North Chesterfield, Virginia, has six employees. “PCA intends to continue operating the warehouse and will engage in discussions with USW regarding ongoing staffing of the facility,” it said.
The Virginia pullback follows reductions in Washington. PCA announced it would permanently shutter the No. 2 paper machine and kraft pulping facilities at its containerboard mill in Wallula, Washington, resulting in 200 layoffs in February.
Elsewhere, PCA is growing. The company has been upgrading sites it acquired from Greif last year.
PCA was the first major containerboard company to announce a price increase in 2026. The company planned to institute a $70 per ton price increase for containerboard effective March 1.
