American Packaging Corporation (APC), a family-owned flexible packaging converter and renowned leader in the North American packaging industry, has announced the grand opening of its new 275,000-square-foot Center of Excellence manufacturing facility in Cedar City, Utah. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, several dignitaries and community leaders gathered alongside APC officials to partake in the celebration and officially welcome APC to the Cedar City community. The $100 million facility marks APC’s sixth Center of Excellence across the United States and its first on the west coast.

“This is an exciting day for us at American Packaging Corporation and marks an important milestone in our company’s history,” said Peter Schottland, CEO and co-chairman of the board of American Packaging Corporation. “APC Cedar City is our sixth Center of Excellence across the country, and we couldn’t be in a better community celebrating this expansion. Our Cedar City facility is expected to bring over a hundred new jobs to the area, and we’re heavily focused on partnerships and strong working relationships to ensure a fruitful addition to the Cedar City economy.”

Arguably one of the most modern and advanced flexible packaging facilities in the world, the strategically positioned Cedar City manufacturing facility reflects APC’s commitment to growth and investing in world-class print and packaging technologies to support customers’ unique flexible packaging needs. Among its features, the fully operational plant is equipped with a state-of-the-art prepress, a proprietary flexographic printing ecosystem (HPE Flexo™), adhesive laminating, and pouching equipment to deliver unique packaging solutions that not only preserve the integrity of the product, but ensure the product stands out on the shelf. APC has also invested in world-class automation, full web defect detection, and quality control capabilities that will streamline operational efficiencies across APC’s footprint to better serve new and existing customers.

As part of the project’s first phase of its expansion to Utah, APC has hired 35 new team members and expects that number to build to 75 employees by the end of 2023. APC also transferred several experienced team members, including Robert Jamison from APC’s Story City, Iowa facility, to Utah as the Cedar City plant manager. APC anticipates bringing more than 135 quality career opportunities to Iron County in manufacturing, production, engineering, and administration with continued hiring and recruitment efforts underway. Today, APC employs more than 1,200 talented, motivated professionals in the manufacturing field, including nationwide sales reps and field technical support.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see this project come to fruition,” APC President Jeff Koch said. “APC is growing at a tremendous pace, due in part to the successful contributions of our trusted team, and we look forward to welcoming new team members and customers from the western market to the APC family.”

With community purpose at the core of its corporate mission and philosophy, APC is eager to identify opportunities to cultivate relationships with local businesses, entities, and charitable organizations to contribute to the community in meaningful ways while providing quality career opportunities for residents in the area. APC currently supports a scholarship program with Southwest Technical College and its Automation Technology program to provide career pathways for students interested in careers in manufacturing. APC Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer Ray Graham, and APC Director of Human Resources Olga Mendez presented APC’s full-ride scholarship contribution to Brennan Wood, President of Southwest Technical College at the ribbon cutting. APC has also established a strong working relationship and rapport with several area entities including the City of Cedar City, Iron County, the State of Utah, Made in Southern Utah, Port 15 Utah, and others.

“This investment and expansion wouldn’t have been possible without the support and partnership of many civic leaders, state officials, and the support of the greater Cedar City community,” Ray Graham said. “We’d like to extend our sincere gratitude to those partners in helping APC to turn this vision into a reality with prospects to further new opportunities and greater economic impact in the years to come.”

After purchasing the land in October 2021, APC broke ground on the project in February 2022. The Cedar City facility is positioned well for trucking and rail transport, access to raw materials, and provides shipping efficiencies to customers in the western market.

To learn more about APC, please visit americanpackaging.com.