WestRock breaks ground on new corrugated box plant

WestRock Co., in collaboration with Chicago-based design-build and construction company Clayco, officially broke ground on its new 410,000-square-foot corrugated box plant in Longview, Washington, last week.

The Atlanta-based paper and packaging producer announced plans for the new facility in February 2022 to address its growing demand from regional customers in the Pacific Northwest, and project development began in August.

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The building will host WestRock corrugated manufacturing operations and create about 40 jobs in the city of Longview when production begins, which the company expects will be this fall.

“This new packaging plant will enable our team in the region to serve customers even better in the future, with a manufacturing facility that will provide new capabilities and efficiencies,” WestRock CEO David B. Sewell says. “We are pleased to invest in a local community that is vibrant and growing.”

WestRock gained ownership of the Longview facility in November 2018 when the company acquired KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp. in a deal worth approximately $4.9 billion. Along with the Longview site, WestRock also acquired three other papers mills—two in South Carolina and one in North Carolina—in the deal.

According to WestRock, once completed, the new facility will replace its existing corrugated operations in Longview and will be co-located with the site’s existing paper mill operations to increase containerboard integration.