Gary Plastic Packaging Corp. said it will begin in March to close its New York City facility and move the operation to Spring Hill, Fla., as it had announced in December 2022.
The injection and blow molder said the lease is ending at its Bronx facility, where it will lay off 543 employees, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) issued Dec. 15 by the state.
Layoffs will begin in March and run through July 2024.
The Pasco County Economic Development Council said a year ago that Gary Plastic agreed to create 555 jobs over three years in Spring Hill. The company will lease 279,000 square feet of a 400,000-square-foot building, one of two facilities planned for a 72-acre site.
Gary Plastic said at that time that it would invest $16 million in equipment, furniture and other fixtures.
The company, which makes clear and decorated polystyrene boxes and containers for collectibles and memorabilia has begun advertising for workers in Florida. Its Garyline products include spray bottles, travel cups and beverage tumblers.
Gary Plastic also does printing on bags and totes and has more than 100 products made from recycled materials. The company serves the medical, pharmaceutical, automotive, cosmetic, jewelry and food markets, as well as the government, original equipment manufacturers and discount retailers.
Its Stat-Tech division offers electrostatic-dissipative rigid plastic packaging for sensitive electronic parts.