Manufacturing
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Layoffs tick up in October, led by International Paper and O-I Glass
Companies such as Dart Container, PPC Flexible Packaging, Sonoco and Metsä Board also disclosed upcoming layoffs in multiple areas.
By Katie Pyzyk • Nov. 5, 2024 -
Packaging manufacturers share insights from Q3
Packaging manufacturers have detailed some notable changes during Q3 earnings calls. Follow the latest from Sonoco, Amcor, International Paper, Smurfit Westrock, O-I Glass, Crown Holdings and more.
By Packaging Dive Staff • Nov. 4, 2024 -
International Paper cuts 674 jobs amid strategic review of global cellulose fibers
The news of a South Carolina pulp mill closure brings IP’s announced layoffs this month to more than 1,500. A potential sale of the broader GCF business is now under consideration.
By Maria Rachal • Oct. 31, 2024 -
O-I considers cutting 7% of capacity by mid-2025
The company reported a net loss in Q3 after curtailing an estimated 18% of production amid destocking trends. It also reported the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Kentucky, its first in decades.
By Maria Rachal • Oct. 30, 2024 -
Is the fiber packaging M&A surge done? Probably not.
M&A activity is expected to influence companies’ commercial approaches for the next five to 10 years, according to conference speakers from Wells Fargo, Bloomberg and Hudson Windsor.
By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 28, 2024 -
Suzano begins operating 2 US mills, talks bolt-on M&A
Suzano executives shared more details about the ramp-up in Arkansas and North Carolina, and the Brazilian company’s broader aspirations for growth in the U.S., during an earnings call on Friday.
By Maria Rachal • Oct. 28, 2024 -
O-I Glass shuttering Ohio innovation center, Illinois plant: reports
The company has teased multiple closures since Gordon Hardie took over as CEO but previously had shared few specifics on locations.
By Maria Rachal • Oct. 24, 2024 -
10 of the latest packaging facility expansions in North America
Elopak, Georgia-Pacific, Graham Packaging and RediBagUSA are among the companies that recently made investments in new facilities or upgrades.
By Katie Pyzyk • Updated Oct. 25, 2024 -
Election 2024: The outlook for packaging and manufacturing policy
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump differ on environmental regulations, manufacturing, energy and ESG policies. What could a Trump or Harris presidency mean for the packaging industry?
By Maria Rachal , Katie Pyzyk , Cole Rosengren • Oct. 23, 2024 -
Fiber packaging pricing remains flat, Cascades’ 3rd increase doesn’t gain traction
Industry price increases appear to be finished for the year. Meanwhile, analysts point to continued improvement in volumes while the industry pulls up from the post-pandemic “cardboard box recession.”
By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 22, 2024 -
International Paper to close facilities in 4 states, lay off hundreds
The recently disclosed layoffs will occur in Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Tennessee in mid-December. These are in addition to 650 layoffs confirmed last week.
By Katie Pyzyk • Updated Oct. 21, 2024 -
Gem-Pack Berries ditches clamshell labels with Multisteps’ digital printing technology
Multisteps Industries expects its direct-to-packaging printing to improve recyclability for Gem-Pack’s PET clamshells for berries, starting this year.
By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 18, 2024 -
O-I Glass discloses $21M severance charge amid furnace closures
The company detailed an optimization plan in July. In the past two months, O-I has disclosed multiple furnace closures impacting hundreds of employees and a Q3 charge related to expected Q4 severance payouts.
By Maria Rachal • Oct. 17, 2024 -
Deep Dive
Reality check: AR, VR transforms training for packaging manufacturers
Augmented and virtual reality experiences at Greif, Papacks, Smurfit Westrock and Sonoco are working to boost employees’ skills and safety, pushing packaging manufacturing training into its “next era.”
By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 16, 2024 -
Q&A
PulPac leverages partnerships to advance its dry molded fiber technology
The company is experiencing growth as it touts its technology's carbon footprint benefits over the wet molding process. Identifying coatings free of PFAS is a sticking point, says Chief Commercial Officer Sanna Fager.
By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 15, 2024 -
Dart Container, Origin Materials announced workforce cuts in September
New data shows U.S. manufacturing contracted and layoffs rose last month. News of workforce reductions by Berry Global and Origin cropped up in Canada, as well as at Dart’s corporate headquarters in Michigan.
By Maria Rachal • Oct. 2, 2024 -
Packaging trade shows to watch in 2025
Mark your calendar: These U.S. conferences and events will cover timely trends in sustainable packaging design, recycling technologies, regional market trends, substrate evolutions, automation and more.
By Packaging Dive Staff • Oct. 1, 2024 -
Q&A
What’s next for product certification amid concerns about PFAS and toxics in plastic
Lagging regulation and a potential “toxic treadmill” with recycled content are viewed as just some of today’s pressing challenges. Clean Production Action Executive Director Mark Rossi reflects on two decades of change in the field.
By Cole Rosengren • Sept. 30, 2024 -
Advancements push AI from jargon into practice for packaging management
Glacier demonstrated at the Packaging Recycling Summit how it developed new AI models through partnerships with Colgate and Amazon to capture more recyclables at MRFs.
By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 26, 2024 -
New molded fiber company will use industrial hemp as main feedstock
Renw seeks to minimize reliance on forestry assets in packaging by expanding the growth of industrial hemp, which will be used as a feedstock at the company’s molded fiber production facilities.
By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 25, 2024 -
Containerboard pricing holds steady as box demand sees uneven recovery
The latest Fastmarkets RISI monthly data showed flat pricing for domestic containerboard. While Cascades is attempting its third price increase this year, so far others have not followed.
By Cole Rosengren • Sept. 23, 2024 -
AI is ‘more of an evolution than a revolution’ for packaging: PMMI report
Numerous practical applications of AI are already here for packaging machinery OEMs and their end users, though not without challenges. PMMI Business Intelligence shares recommendations on how companies can get started.
By Maria Rachal • Sept. 18, 2024 -
Breaking out of the mold: Innovations in molded fiber drive growth
Speakers at an International Molded Fiber Association event detailed advancements in the energy efficiency of manufacturing equipment, dry molded fiber and R&D to expand into new end-use markets.
By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 18, 2024 -
Molded fiber’s growth as a plastic replacement isn’t pulp fiction
While the market is expanding, speakers at an International Molded Fiber Association event said it still faces an entrenched competitor in plastic and hurdles with feedstock availability, energy use and other factors.
By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 16, 2024 -
Dart delves into dry molded fiber for lids, licensing PulPac tech
The food service packaging company and Solo Cup distributor is the first in North America to license a more compact production platform from the Swedish dry molded fiber specialist.
By Maria Rachal • Sept. 13, 2024