MICHIGAN (From news reports) -- A global packaging company is permanently closing its Grand Rapids-area plant and laying off 111 employees as it consolidates operations.
Graphic Packaging International LLC disclosed the layoffs in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act filing to the state on Jan. 10.
The exact closure date of the conversion plant in Wyoming, located at 1957 Beverly Ave. SW, depends on various business plan factors but is scheduled to take place by March 31, according to the notice. The first employee separations will occur in a 14-day period beginning March 11.
A company spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the decision to close the plant came after an evaluation of the company's portfolio.
"After an assessment of Graphic Packaging's overall converting portfolio, it was decided to consolidate the Wyoming production into our broader network of plants," Sue Appleyard, director of global communications for Graphic Packaging, said in the statement. "We anticipate that the plant closure will be completed in Q2, 2024."
Appleyard also said Graphic Packaging is "committed to assisting our affected employees" and has encouraged employees to apply for other jobs within the company while providing outplacement services.
Atlanta, Ga.-based Graphic Packaging is a Fortune 500 company (NYSE: GPK) that produces fiber-based consumer packaging. The company operates more than 100 facilities across the U.S. and around the world.
Locally, Graphic Packaging in early 2022 also announced the closure of its recycled paperboard mill in Battle Creek that came with 200 layoffs, according to local reports. The news came after the company announced a $600 million expansion at a Kalamazoo plant that included a new paperboard machine to boost manufacturing output.
Meanwhile, Graphic Packaging was hit with a class action lawsuit regarding longtime pollution concerns with the company's operations in Kalamazoo. City residents filed a $600 million federal lawsuit in June 2023 based on odors coming from the plant, per local reports.
The state's Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, or EGLE, took some action in December 2023 by signing off on a penalty fine of more than $119,000 and requiring Graphic Packaging to install an emission monitoring system.
The recent Wyoming plant closure announcement coincides with the upcoming closure of Graphic Packaging's conversion plant in Charlotte, N.C. Around 112 employees will be laid off by March, according to local reports.
In its most recent quarterly financial results, parent company Graphic Packaging Holding Company in October reported it generated around $2.3 billion in net sales, a 4% decrease from the same quarter in 2022.
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