Packaging Corp. of America to Close Middletown Plant, Affecting 91 Employees

Packaging Corp. of America plans to permanently close its plant in Middletown, Ohio, affecting 91 employees, according to a letter submitted to the state.

Mark Romaniuk, the company’s deputy general counsel, said in the letter that the permanent closure was expected to affect all employees at the location. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services confirmed it had received a layoff notice from the company, although the notice was not yet available on the department’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) website shortly after noon on Friday, October 2.

“This was a difficult business decision; it is in no way a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our valued employees,” Romaniuk wrote.

Hourly production and maintenance employees represented by the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, Local No. 1676, have been notified, the letter stated.

The Illinois-based company is described as the third-largest producer of containerboard in the United States.

The Middletown closure comes alongside other reported plant shutdowns involving Packaging Corp. of America. In Indiana, the company filed a WARN notice for the planned permanent closure of its Gas City plant, affecting 78 employees during the week of October 26.

Media reports in Virginia earlier in 2026 also indicated that the company planned to close a converting operation in Richmond, affecting 110 employees.

The developments follow other closures in the paper and packaging sector. Last year, Graphic Packaging Holding Co. shut its coated recycled paperboard manufacturing facility on Charles Street, affecting approximately 130 employees.