Page 14 - Plastics News September 2017

COMPANY NEWS

Graham Packaging upgrading Atlanta container plant

raham Packaging Co. is spending more than $10 million this to meet their needs,” he said.
Gto expand and upgrade the company’s manufacturing The Atlanta facility historically has been focused on the
plant in Atlanta.The plastic container maker company is automotive market, so converting one line and adding
adding a fourth production line, upgrading electrical and another to serve the household market adds to the
air handling, and constructing two additional resin silos at facility’s capabilities. Along with a physical transformation,
the facility. An existing line also is being converted from to the company also expects to triple the workforce at the
serve the household products market from the automotive Atlanta site. Improvements at the Atlanta plant come
as a result of winning new business for
the site, said Mike King, president of
the HAMC business unit. “The biggest
driver for us is really the growth, our
customers’ success in that region.
And being positioned to support their
success.” While the location started out
serving the automotive industry and has
added household products customers,
King also sees the potential for even
more sectors.
“We’re not just focused on household
or automotive, but also trying to be a
strategic partner to the agri chem and
industrial sectors as well,” he said.
“There’s a lot of that in that area.
We’re trying to be positioned very well
to support those companies.” Planning
for the project began late last year, and
Sweeney said work should be completed
around this time next year or sooner. The
workforce previously was around 20, and
those ranks already have grown to 40
these days with the changes. The staff
is expected to top out around 60 when
the project is completed. To make room
for the changes at the 81,600-square-
foot Atlanta facility, Graham is moving
products market, said Jude Sweeney, project portfolio warehousing to a different location. Improvements are
manager for Graham’s Household, Automotive and Multi- currently under way at a 131,505-square-foot distribution
Customer unit.“Graham is growing and expanding and center in Austell, Ga.
really partnering with our customers to meet their needs. Changes at the Atlanta facility also include work on
That’s really what we’re doing,” Sweeney said. offi ce, meeting, employee break room and locker room
“It’s really meeting our customer demands. They have space. Graham Packaging is owned by Rank Group Ltd.,
increased demands for their product lines and we’re doing an Auckland, New Zealand-based private investment fi rm

Plastics News | September 2017 14