Company adds 33 employees with expansion
Sonoco (NYSE: SON), one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, announced today that it has completed an 18,000-square-foot expansion at its Waynesville, N.C., thermoforming location, where it will start up a new multilayer, trim-in-place line.
This new machine will enable the production of a wide variety of containers with the added capability of complex shapes for chilled foods, as well as thermally processed shelf stable food products. In addition to the new line, the Waynesville location has added capacity through plant consolidation efforts. As a result of the new line and added capacity, 33 new employees have been hired.
According to Rodger Fuller, vice president of Rigid Plastics, Sonoco's new line is being installed now and will be ready for full production in December. "This investment in large-scale multilayer polypropylene production complements our existing capabilities for processed food packaging, which include crystallized polyethylene terephthalate (CPET) and polypropylene frozen food trays; portion control cups; and blow molded bottles for retorted and aseptically processed beverages," said Fuller. "Sonoco Plastics is a leader in designing and producing innovative, customized rigid plastic packaging for some of the largest food and beverage producers in North America. We look forward to expanding our offering through this new state-of-the-art production line and hope to further grow within this category in the future.
"Sonoco's packaging capabilities for processed food extend beyond plastics to include steam vent flexible bags, as well as retortable flexible pouches, closures and membranes. Our ability to produce barrier plastic trays rounds out our offering across the processed foods category."
Sonoco Plastics is a leading manufacturer of monolayer and multilayer blow-molded bottles and jars, thermoformed cups and trays and engineered molded and extruded containers, spools and trays, with 25 plastics operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Netherlands and Germany.
