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Packaging companies have offered up early gifts this holiday season in the form of announcements about planned investments in expansions and new jobs. Here are 10 recent commitments, many of which center on plastics production:
- American Packaging Corp. plans to invest nearly $8 million to build a 20,000-square-foot addition to its facility in Story City, Iowa. Those funds will also go toward new equipment, such as for making pouches. The flexible packaging company expects this investment will create 25 jobs. The Iowa Economic Development Authority is offering the company tax benefits for this project, which the Ames Tribune reports is slated for completion by September 2026.
- Charter Next Generation, which manufactures specialty films used in flexible packaging, announced it would expand manufacturing capabilities by installing new 9-layer and 5-layer extrusion lines equipped with machine-direction orientation technology. “The addition of 9-layer MDO technology unlocks advanced barrier performance in recycle-ready films, giving brands the clarity, stiffness, and protection they need without relying on non-recyclable materials,” Aaron LaPointe, senior principal engineer, said in a news release. The company did not respond by publication time with details about investment dollar amount, locations or time frame.
- GZ PrintPak, owned by Czech Republic-based GZ Media, is investing $7.1 million to expand in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. The 69,000-square-foot facility will produce paper bags, with plans to increase capabilities for collapsible and rigid box production, co-packing services and additional printing services. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. has pledged up to $300,000 in performance-based tax credits for this project, which is estimated to create 40 new jobs.
- Packaging Specialties, which produces printed films, plans to expand operations in its hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas. The $24 million investment will help the company expand its flexographic printing capabilities with new equipment and extra capacity. The company expects to create 101 jobs over five years.
- Plastipak Packaging announced it intends to expand its Pineville, Louisiana, manufacturing facility by 200,000 square feet. The $53.8 million investment will be used to add warehouse space and up to five new production lines while streamlining operations on existing lines. The company expects this will create 15 new jobs. The state offered Plastipak incentives, including participation in a workforce development program and tax incentives.
- PolyFlex, part of Nefab Group, aims to begin operating newly installed extruders this month at its facility in McMinnville, Tennessee, where it completed a 137,000-square-foot expansion. The company intends for this to be a heavy-gauge thermoforming hub and anticipates a 15% cost savings on sheet production. Nefab also intends to consolidate its thermoforming operations in Morrison, Tennessee, into the new McMinnville site by year’s end.
- Polyzent Trading committed to a $1.1 million investment to develop its first manufacturing site, located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and operations are scheduled to begin this month. The startup specializes in manufacturing stretch film wrap used for industrial palletizing and shipping. When it reaches full capacity — estimated at 40 to 50 tons of stretch film per month — the facility is expected to support the creation of 20 jobs. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership will support the company through an employee recruitment and training program.
- Pratt Industries opened its new 496,000-square-foot factory in Warner Robins, Georgia, for manufacturing 100% recycled boxes for produce. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins joined owner and Executive Chairman Anthony Pratt at the Dec. 5 grand opening event. When the project was announced two years ago, it was touted as a $120 million investment that would create 125 new jobs, bringing the company’s total investment across its 13 Georgia sites to $800 million. Social media posts by Rollins and Georgia Agricultural Commissioner Tyler Harper indicate the number of new jobs will now be 180.
- TemperPack, which manufactures thermal packaging, relocated its Green Cell Foam manufacturing facility from Holt, Michigan, to a facility in Lansing with 60% more production space. The 135,000-square-foot site has upgrades including new production equipment, enhanced IT, and more shipping and receiving docks. The company did not disclose the dollar amount of the investment.
- Questar Solutions, an industrial packaging distributor based in Canton, Ohio, moved its Seattle-area operations to a larger, more advanced facility. The company did not disclose a dollar amount for the facility upgrade, but it noted it’s aiming to improve fill rates and tighten demand planning. Products housed at the facility include drums, corrugated boxes, polywoven bags, pails and absorbents.
