CANPACK commemorated the completion of the steel framing for the new 862,000-square-foot aluminum beverage can manufacturing plant during a Topping Off ceremony with Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and local community officials and leaders. The future plant will be home to approximately 345 well-paying, local jobs. The beam marks a significant construction milestone for the property since its groundbreaking in September 2021. Officials expect construction to be completed in time for plant operations to begin in the fourth quarter of 2022. “It’s an exciting time to be in Muncie to celebrate the construction milestone of CANPACK’s second US-based, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility,” said Peter Giorgi. “We appreciate the warm welcome and look forward to becoming an integral part of the Muncie-Delaware County community and contributing to the remarkable business environment that exists throughout the state.”

Smurfit Kappa’s eFlower portfolio is helping customers to capitalise on the growth in demand for eCommerce flower orders which emerged during the pandemic. The customisable portfolio includes nine sustainable packaging solutions ideal for shipping bouquets and potted plants. One of the eFlower portfolio’s stand-out products is the WOW Bloom Box which creates a positive unboxing experience, alongside increased brand perception, making it the perfect eCommerce solution for online flower gifts. The Letterboxable is, as the name suggests, a flower box that is slender enough to go through the letterbox. This, like the entire range of solutions, supports fast product delivery through increased packing efficiency whether the process is handled internally or outsourced to a third party.

Visy/Pratt Industries Exec chmn Anthony Pratt is leading a recycling resurgence. His US company Pratt Industries was the fifth largest US boxmaker in 2019 with a 7% market share and an estimated 27.5 billion ft2 of shipments. The US boxes are made mostly out of lowcost mixed paper. His five containerboard mills with 1.91 million tons/yr of 100% recycled content containerboard capacity are nearly fully integrated to 70 Pratt corrugated plants, including 30 sheet plants. Pratt US last year generated more than $3 billion in sales and $550 million in EBITDA, in a year of record-low mixed paper pricing at a negative-$2/ton average and containerboard prices an estimated 175-200% more than the firm’s production cost.