Packaging Gateway

Daily Newsletter

08 August 2023

Daily Newsletter

Corrugated Partners Group to invest $52.7m in new Pennsylvania facility

The plant is predicted to generate approximately 80 new jobs over the next three years.

Corrugated Partners Group is set to invest $52.7m for the development of a new manufacturing facility in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, US.

Dubbed Keystone Sheets, the new facility will be built on an area of 420,000ft² at 1465 Nitterhouse Drive in the city of Chambersburg.

Intended to serve customers in the Mid-Atlantic region, the facility will manufacture single, double, and triple-walled corrugated sheets.

These sheets are suitable for making boxes, which transport essential supplies to businesses, hospitals, pharmacies, and homes throughout North America.

The plant is expected to help create approximately 80 new jobs over the next three years.

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro said: “I’m thrilled that the Commonwealth [Pennsylvania] won this advanced manufacturing project over other states and am pleased to welcome Corrugated Partners Group to Franklin County.

“Investments like this one support Pennsylvania’s economy by creating good-paying jobs that support our local communities - and we will continue to compete aggressively for great projects like this one as we send the clear message to the world that Pennsylvania is open for business.”

Since January this year, more than $700m in new private sector investments have been announced in the state.

These investments include more than $20.6m from packaging system manufacturer EAM-Mosca for the expansion of its manufacturing operation in Luzerne County. This investment is expected to help create roughly 50 new jobs in the region.

Schless Bottles has also announced its relocation to Pennsylvania, a move anticipated to create an estimated 100 new manufacturing jobs in Allentown.

Generative AI remains an untapped potential across the consumer industry

GlobalData estimates the total AI market will be worth $909 billion in 2030, growing at a CAGR of 35.2% between 2022 and 2030. The consumer goods, foodservice, and packaging sectors are undergoing digital transformation, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and changing consumer preferences. AI can help companies operating in these sectors by significantly reducing costs and production times. In Nestlé's 2022 full-year results, the company announced a renewed focus on digitalization to drive growth. Financial and reputational pressures associated with supply chain disruptions and sustainability concerns are also driving interest in the digitalization of supply chains. Data science and ML are strong investments across all areas. However, the sectors cannot stop at AI-powered data analytics applications. They must also explore computer vision (CV), smart robots, AI sensors that automate manufacturing and distribution logistics, and generative AI tools that increase efficiency across corporate departments and customer service operations and enable innovation in product design. For the most part, the consumer goods, foodservice, and packaging sectors will not play a significant role in creating and developing AI hardware or platforms. Instead, these sectors will help scale up the adoption of AI technologies, such as CV, conversational platforms, and smart robots. This adoption will be driven by the financial benefits and potential cost savings AI automation delivers across global supply chains.