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Material manufacturers, packaging converters and distributors collectively announced hundreds of planned layoffs during May.
- Aardvark Straws is closing a plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and relocating production to Wisconsin, the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly reported. Aardvark was acquired by Oshkosh, Wisconsin-based Hoffmaster Group, a food service ware provider, in 2018. According to a May 13 notice from Hoffmaster, 53 employees will be affected in Q4.
- Amcor, which recently acquired Berry Global, is shuttering a Berry site in Lanett, Alabama. A May 2 notice filed with the state indicated the decision will impact 112 employees beginning July 1. A company spokesperson told AL.com that it would help employees explore other opportunities within Amcor.
- Georgia-Pacific announced on May 14 it will permanently close a containerboard mill in Cedar Springs, Georgia, which it no longer believes can be competitive. All 535 employees there will be laid off, with most positions eliminated by Aug. 1. The company anticipated shifting some production to other facilities, including containerboard mills in Alabama, Mississippi, Oregon and Virginia.
- Greif announced May 1 it intends to close a coated and uncoated recycled paperboard mill in Los Angeles this summer. The company said approximately 72 employees will be affected by the June closure. This action will remove some 50,000 tons of CRB and 22,000 tons of URB capacity from Greif’s network and will end Greif’s coated paperboard production on the West Coast.
- International Paper confirmed on May 23 that it plans to close five U.K. packaging sites. This follows its acquisition of British packaging company DS Smith, a deal that closed in January. IP cited “tough trading conditions for the industry” and needing to improve efficiency. “Additional proposals also include the relocation of one site, the move from 24-7 to 24-5 operations at one site and a small headcount reduction at two further Packaging sites in the United Kingdom,” IP added in its announcement. “International Paper expects the proposals would be implemented by the end of this calendar year and that approximately 300 roles may be affected.”
- Silgan Containers is closing a metal cans manufacturing facility in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, according to a May 21 notice. The plant’s 56 employees are subject to layoffs beginning July 21, “and will continue with limited production running into August 2025 or later,” the notice states. “Volumes will be absorbed by other Silgan facilities.”
Other updates
- LanzaTech, a Chicago-area startup focused on transforming waste carbon into sustainable raw materials, will lay off 44 employees in Skokie, Illinois, beginning June 1, according to a May 12 notice. The company has touted a vision of turning air pollution into materials that can be used in plastic packaging and partnered with Plastipak Packaging to produce a PET resin derived from carbon emissions instead of petroleum. The Chicago Tribune reported that the company had 383 employees and is not yet profitable.
