Pactiv invests $5.5 million in S.C. plant

LAKE FOREST, ILL. (UPDATED Feb. 1, 5:50 p.m. ET) — Pactiv LLC will expand its operations in South Carolina, investing $5.5 million to add a new production line to its BeechIsland thermoforming facility.

The expansion is slated to begin in February, and also includes plans to expand the facility's warehouse to consolidate Pactiv's regional operations.

South Carolina's Coordinating Council for Economic Development awarded Pactiv a $150,000 grant for site preparation.

The business also received a five-year tax abatement from Aiken County, S.C.

The expansion is expected to generate 25 new jobs over the next three years. The S.C. Technical College System — a network of 16 technical colleges across South Carolina — will provide pre-employment training.

Plastics is a growing industry in South Carolina, Aiken and Edgefield counties in particular, said Will Williams, director of the Economic Development Partnership, a non-profit aimed at boosting economic development in the area.

“Obviously new jobs in a community is something that we're always looking for, especially from an already existing company,” Williams said in a Feb. 1 phone interview.

Pactiv did not return calls seeking comment.

Pactiv is a subsidiary of Reynolds Group Holdings Ltd., based in Auckland, New Zealand. Pactiv, based in Lake Forest, Ill., is the top thermoformer in North America, and is ranked No. 25 in film and sheet manufacturing, according to the most recent Plastics News rankings.