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The past month brought numerous announcements of U.S. packaging expansion projects — and hundreds of forthcoming jobs — either launching or reaching completion, especially in the Midwest and South.
- Axium Packaging plans to grow in its home state of Ohio. The New Albany-based plastic packaging company will invest $45 million in a new facility in Jersey Township, per a release from the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. A new, nearly 300,000-square-foot facility would grow tube manufacturing capacity and expand specialized warehouse operations. The project, which the company expects will create 70 jobs, will benefit from a state job creation tax credit. Last month, Axium opened a 227,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Brampton, Ontario — the company’s third in the province since 2010. Axium now has 25 facilities across North America.
- Ecopax is working on a more than 100,000-square-foot expansion of food service packaging production at its eight-year-old, more than 315,000-square-foot manufacturing and warehousing facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Forks Township, Pennsylvania-based company expects the expansion to create as many as 20 new jobs.
- Huhtamaki is planning an additional $10 million expansion of its operations in Hammond, Indiana, where the company has had a presence since 1946, the Indiana Economic Digest reported in late September. This follows a $100 million, 250,000-square-foot expansion in the last few years. The Finnish company says its current Hammond facility manufactures molded fiber drink carriers and egg filler trays for grocery and retail locations.
- JBM Packaging in September broke ground on a new 52,500-square-foot building just one mile from its Lebanon, Ohio, headquarters. The new site, expected to be completed by the end of February 2026, will house JBM’s growing packing and kitting operations, with room to lease or grow. “We’ve spent the past few years looking for the right place to grow, and ultimately, the answer was right in our backyard,” said President and CEO Marcus Sheanshang.
- MCC, the labels company formerly called Multi-Color Corporation, recently opened a new corporate headquarters in Atlanta to support hybrid work, bringing together leaders and other local colleagues at the Buckhead location. “With so many of our leaders already located in the area, this move allows us to harness the power of proximity to make faster decisions, share ideas more freely, and work together more effectively,” President and CEO Hassan Rmaile said in a statement.
- Pratt Industries announced Oct. 7 it’s investing $92.5 million to build out packaging manufacturing operations in York County, South Carolina. Also aided by some local credits and grant money. Pratt says it will “upfit” a facility located in Rock Hill, South Carolina — the same town where Pratt already operates a recycling center. The Atlanta-based recycled containerboard company says the development will result in 116 new jobs.
- Pregis opened a new 477,000-square-foot paper converting center in Elgin, Illinois, on Sept. 19. It’s the company’s fifth U.S. site making mailing products and will become its Midwest hub for paper mailer production. The Chicago-area facility, designed to be “zero waste” and powered entirely via renewable energy sources, “will support over 500 manufacturing jobs,” the company said.
- Smurfit Westrock will expand its corrugated operations making cases, boxes and trays in Saltillo, Mississippi, by October 2026. The development is supported by corporate investment of nearly $19.3 million, plus county and state assistance. According to a state press release, the company is adding new converting equipment to create larger boxes, and changes are meant to improve efficiency and boost production capacity by 50%.
Other updates
- Anchor Glass, a Florida-based glass packaging manufacturer, announced Oct. 9 it completed a recapitalization. The company now expects $100 million in new capital will support furnace rebuilds and capacity expansions across its U.S. network. The aim is to “better serve customers in the food, beverage, spirits, ready-to-drink, and craft beer end markets that depend on sustainable, high-quality glass packaging.”
