Consolidated Container Co. LLC will close an operation in Alabama and move the business to its newer site in Atlanta, where it is based.
The company plans to shut its blow molding site in Demopolis, Ala., by Aug. 1, Chief Executive Officer Steve Macadam said July 12. About 40 people are affected by the closing, according to local news reports.
The firm's annual report said the Demopolis site includes a 98,000-square-foot manufacturing plant and a 44,000-square-foot warehouse.
Meanwhile, the rigid packaging company is updating machinery and technology at its plants, Macadam said. CCC plans to spend about $40 million this year on capital expenditures, about a quarter of it to maintain plants and the rest for new equipment for growth or to reduce costs. CCC is adding more than a dozen extrusion blow molding machines at various sites.
``We're trying to modernize our footprint over time and replace older equipment with new and better technology,'' Macadam said.
The company also is seeking new acquisitions, especially of small and midsize companies. The bottle maker bought two California companies earlier this year: Mayfair Plastics of Carson, Calif., in June and STC Plastics Inc. of Chino, Calif., in February.
``At some point, we'd like to buy a larger company,'' Macadam said. ``But we know it's not trivial to integrate a new company. It's less risky to do that with a small acquisition before we go after a bigger one.''
The company already is considered one of North America's largest blow molders of bottles for rigid packaging applications. CCC has about 60 locations and recorded sales of $761.3 million last year.