Pregis LLC continues to heavily invest in the company's Grand Rapids, Mich., facility.
The Deerfield, Ill.-based company is now spending $32 million to expand blown film extrusion operations, including construction of 55,000 square feet of additional space.
The added room will be used for manufacturing, warehouse and offices and bring the site to 205,000 square feet, the company said.
This latest move, announced Sept. 1, continues a series of investments in Grand Rapids over recent years.
A total of $37 million already was spent previously in Grand Rapids between 2016 and 2020, Pregis said. That includes previous installation of additional blown film lines.
"We are seeing increased demand for higher-quality films. This is being driven by our customers' needs to meet more challenging flexible packaging applications. This latest investment will enable us to use more advanced resins in the production of films to offer enhanced strength, puncture and flex crack resistance attributes," David Timm, president of Pregis' performance flexibles operations, said.
The company also will be able to create thinner-gauge products "without sacrificing performance," he said.
Pregis is expanding resin storage and material handling capabilities through the new construction, and the site's laboratory will receive new equipment.
The new project will create room for additional Windmoeller & Hoelscher blown film extrusion lines as well as space for additional growth in the future, Pregis said.