Numerous packaging companies in late summer and early autumn shored up expansions to their footprints.

These are the latest facility openings and upgrades that Packaging Dive has tracked since mid-September:

• APackaging Group, a beauty and cosmetics packaging manufacturer, invested $49 million into opening a new manufacturing facility in Defiance, Ohio, that provides bottle blow molding, custom molding and dispenser and cap production, Plastics News reported. The California-based company also has production sites in Brazil, China, Italy and Spain. By bolstering its domestic manufacturing with the new Ohio location, the company has said it can reduce tariffs on products it makes in China, and offer shorter delivery times.
• Atlantic Packaging Products, a Canada-based corrugated company with several U.S. locations, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new manufacturing plant in Hamiltion, Ontario, on Oct. 10. The company says the new site expands its capacity while creating quicker responses to customer needs.
• Conner Industries, a Texas-based protective packaging provider, announced this week it’s growing its Guardian Packaging facility in Dallas by 53% to 100,000 square feet, in part to serve customers in the “integrated transportation packaging market.” The expansion will “increase efficiency for government and [Department of Defense] contracts,” per the announcement, giving them an anticipated advantage over competitors. 
• Elopak held a job fair last weekend to fill positions at its new plant in Little Rock, Arkansas, which is expected to open next month. Originally slated as a $70 million investment, Elopak announced last month that it’s investing $25 million more to add a second production line. This is the Norway-based company’s first U.S. production plant, and it will manufacture cartons for dairy, juice, liquid eggs and plant-based products. Full-scale production on the first line is expected early next year, while the second line is anticipated to be fully operational in 2026.
• FirmaPak, which produces blow-molded packaging, this week announced a plan to move from its existing location in New Castle, Pennsylvania, to a space in the same city that’s three times as large. The expansion and new machinery will offer increased production capacity and additional warehouse space. FirmaPak’s relocation is expected to be complete in February 2025.
• Flexopack, a flexible packaging manufacturer based in Greece, received a $500,000 investment from the state of Pennsylvania to help construct its first U.S. operation. The 107,000-square-foot space will be serviced by freight rail and help to shorten the supply chain for its customers, primarily in the food industry.
• Georgia-Pacific opened its first greenfield plant build for Dixie table ware products since 1991. Production at the $425 million facility in Jackson, Tennessee, began in June. The plant will make items such as plates, bowls, platters and deep dishes.
• Graham Packaging is investing $35 million to expand and modernize its manufacturing facility in Hammond, Louisiana. The company will start adding new equipment this year and expects upgrades to be finished in 2027. Louisiana Economic Development offered Graham incentives, including a $1 million refundable tax credit.
• RediBagUSA announced on Sept. 23 that it had opened its new distribution center in Austintown, Ohio, and operations there are expected to begin soon. The more than 124,000-square-foot facility is the company’s tenth distribution facility and will allow RediBagUSA to expand services to grocery stores and quick-serve restaurants.
• Wellington Produce Packaging, a packaging manufacturer based in Ontario, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 18 for an addition to its plant in Mount Forest, the Wellington Advertiser reported. That 15,000-square-foot addition followed a June 2023 fire that destroyed a 10,000-square-foot warehouse containing a large amount of inventory.