American Packaging Corp. (APC) has opened its $100 million “Center of Excellence” manufacturing facility in Cedar City. The company held an event on Aug. 1 to cut the ribbon on the 275,000-square-foot factory, APC’s sixth U.S. plant. The facility will serve the western region of the U.S. as well as customers in Mexico and Canada.
“This is an exciting day for us at American Packaging Corp. and marks an important milestone in our company’s history,” said Peter Schottland, APC’s CEO and co-chairman of the board. “We couldn’t be in a better community celebrating this expansion. Our Cedar City facility is expected to bring over a hundred new jobs to the area and we’re heavily focused on partnerships and strong working relationships to ensure a fruitful addition to the Cedar City economy. There is no reason why the employment of this plant is not 300 or 400 people down the road five years.”
An APC release said the Cedar City plant is “one of the most modern and advanced flexible packaging facilities in the world … and shows APC’s commitment to growth and investing in world-class print and packaging technologies to support customers’ unique flexible packaging needs.”
Features at the plant include a state-of-the-art prepress, a proprietary flexographic printing ecosystem (HPE Flexo), adhesive laminating and pouching equipment to deliver unique packaging solutions that “not only preserves the integrity of the product, but ensures the product stands out on the shelf.” APC has also invested in high-level automation, full web defect detection and quality control capabilities that streamline operational efficiencies.
According to Teri Meadow, APC director of corporate marketing, APC Cedar City offers a range of engineered packaging options, including film, paper, foil, inks, adhesives and coatings. These include both traditional and sustainable packaging offerings for both rollstock and a wide variety of preformed pouches. Additionally, there are a variety of high-demand packaging features available to customers such as easy open and close options, registered matte and gloss coatings, perforations for breathability and others.
Meadow said customer markets served by the facility run the gamut of flexible packaging, including fresh produce, frozen foods, snacks, coffee and tea, dairy and cheese, liquids, personal care and healthcare.
As part of the project’s first phase, APC hired 35 people and expects that number to reach 75 employees by the end of 2023. APC also transferred several experienced team members, including Robert Jamison from APC’s Story City, Iowa, facility, to Utah as the Cedar City plant manager. APC anticipates that full staffing will bring 135 new jobs in manufacturing, production, engineering and administration with continued hiring and recruitment efforts currently underway.
After purchasing the land in October 2021, APC broke ground on the project in February 2022. APC said the Cedar City facility is positioned well for trucking and rail transport, access to raw materials and provides shipping efficiencies to customers in the western market.
“We appreciate the opportunity to be part of your community and to have you part of our community,” Cedar City Mayor Garth Green said during the ceremony. “We wish you tremendous success and believe that you will have that in every way. These folks really know how to get things done. And they will.”