Weak demand and production pullbacks have been key discussion themes in the packaging industry this year, as some companies resort to idling, closures and thousands of layoffs.

At the same time, many manufacturers are still optimizing or growing other sites and adding new equipment or technology. These are some 2023 announcements so far on planned expansions, investments, construction milestones and openings:

Film and flexibles

• Paragon Films, a stretch film manufacturer, held a ground-breaking ceremony in April, launching a 70,000-square-foot expansion at its Taylorsville, North Carolina, manufacturing plant.
• LMI Packaging received approval for a 50,000-square-foot expansion at a facility in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, which manufactures heat-seal lids, the Kenosha News reported in April.
• Berry Global announced in April it had begun a 25,000-square-foot expansion of a stretch film manufacturing facility in Lewisburg, Tennessee. The development is scheduled for completion early next year and would add 10 jobs. It will create space for three new cast lines, upgrade the capacity of the post-industrial resin reprocessing system and extend its rail spur for resin material handling, the company said.
• Charter Next Generation, which makes specialty films used in flexible packaging, is planning a 200,000-square-foot expansion in Milton, Wisconsin, as part of a broader $270 million Wisconsin investment, according to an April announcement.
• The Robinette Company, a full-service film and paper packaging manufacturer, is investing $10.3 million to construct a 100,000-square-foot facility in Piney Flats, Tennessee, to support production of film-related products, Gov. Bill Lee highlighted in February, noting the creation of 70 jobs.

Plastic

• Klockner Pentaplast, a German company that has been in Raleigh, North Carolina, for two decades, is looking to invest $18 million to expand its plastic packaging facility in Beaver, West Virginia. County commissioners gave approval to move forward in May.
• Packwell in March broke ground on a 725,000-square-foot resin packaging facility at Port Houston in Texas.
• Axium Packaging, which makes plastic container, cap and closure products, is investing $32 million to build a 150,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Archdale, North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper highlighted in February, noting the creation of 118 jobs. Cooper’s office said at the time that this will be the Ohio-based company’s first North Carolina site and 19th plant in North America.
• Danone North America announced plans in February to invest up to $65 million over the next two years to add a bottle production line in Jacksonville, Florida, which will create up to 40 jobs. The expansion will primarily support coffee-related brands and will align with the company’s sustainability goals by “reducing overall water consumption, decreasing carbon emissions and accelerating the company's goal of packaging circularity.”

Fiber

• Smurfit Kappa said in May it has completed its latest investment project in Poland, installing state-of-the-art machinery, including a new corrugator and converting machinery, which it described as a €40 million investment. It was a “significant expansion” of its corrugated plant in Pruszków expected to add 50 jobs. The facility is now expected to produce 500 million boxes annually. It also opened its first fully integrated corrugated plant in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, in January, the Laredo Morning Times reported.
• PulPac, a Swedish dry-molded packaging company, said in May that it’s looking to expand U.S. operations in the Upper Midwest. The company said the expansion includes a dedicated application development team and a state-of-the-art sampling facility.
• International Paper broke ground on a $103 million expansion project at its mill in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Gazette reported in May. The plant — described as the largest 100% recycled paper mill in the Americas — aims to generate an alternate steam supply to reduce reliance on coal-powered steam through the expansion.
• Cascades announced in May that it had produced its first roll of containerboard at its long-anticipated mill in Bear Island, Virginia. Separately, in February the company disclosed a $9 million expenditure on a new printing press at its Piscataway, New Jersey, corrugated packaging converting facility.
• TekniPlex announced in May that it’s planning a new specialty molded fiber solutions facility to begin operations in 2024 in Ohio.
• Mondi said in April that it’s investing in a new extruder at a facility in the Czech Republic to support its range of fiber-based, recyclable packaging, which it bills as an alternative to plastic packaging.
• TPC Printing & Packaging, which specializes in printing and folding containers for cosmetics, spirits, fulfillment and fashion companies, is investing $21 million to expand its 150,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in East Ridge, Tennessee, by 60,000 square feet, adding 90 jobs, Chattanoogan.com reported in April.
• SIG announced in April that it began operations at a new production plant — a 12-month, €73 million project — in Querétaro, Mexico, for aseptic carton packaging for North American markets.
• WestRock in March broke ground on a 410,000-square-foot corrugated box plant in Longview, Washington, expected to create 40 jobs in fall 2023.
• Graphic Packaging International announced in February a $1 billion capital investment over three years to build a new facility in Waco, Texas, for GPI’s newest coated recycled paperboard machine. The vision is for a 119-acre campus to house 640,000 square feet in production and warehousing facilities and to add about 230 jobs.

Glass

• O-I Glass broke ground on a $240 million, 160,000-square-foot plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in April. It will be the company’s first facility purposely built for its modular advanced glass manufacturing asset, or MAGMA, technology.

Other

• Berry announced in April it will begin developing an International Center of Excellence and Circular Innovation Hub in Barcelona, Spain.
• UFP Packaging in March announced that it’s expanding PalletOne automated manufacturing lines to more than 70 UFP operations nationwide.
• Georgia-Pacific received a completed buildout for space in Phoenix, Arizona, to meet its printing needs for high graphic packaging, its construction company said in March.
• Alleguard announced in February a $900,000 investment to expand its Lancaster, Ohio, facility, adding new equipment and creating 85 jobs. It will grow capacity for expanded polystyrene foam components, protective packaging, construction materials and cold chain solutions, the company said at the time.
• Avery Dennison announced in January that it was expanding its Americas production capacity and RFID creation by adding a new manufacturing site in Querétaro, Mexico, through a $100 million investment that it anticipated would create more than 600 jobs.