Sri Lankan corrugated carton maker Ex-pack plans a Rs 3 billion new facility on a 10-acre site, raising its capacity to 4,000 tons per month by 2025 from 2,750 tons. Part of the cost is funded by a Rs 700 million IPO.

Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box introduced Vitop Renew, a more sustainable version of its Vitop tap made from bio-based PP resins with 53% recycled and renewable content.

Smurfit Kappa has acquired Verzuolo, a 600,000-tonne recycled containerboard mill near Savona in Northern Italy, for €360 million ($416 million).

Aurora, Illinois packaging distributor Shorr Packaging promoted Steve Cavin to Chief Commercial Officer and Ken Kucera to Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately.

Charlotte, North Carolina corrugated packaging company CompanyBox has completed a capacity expansion by buying a second HP C500 digital press for a multi-million dollar investment.

Owens-Illinois will invest $180 million in two new glass packaging factories in Brazil, starting operations in the third quarter of 2023 and adding more than 650 million units per year of capacity; exact locations are still being discussed.

Lacroix Emballages will invest in its La Ferté-Macé site in Normandy, enlarging the building and diversifying its activity, with state support from the France Relance industrial investment fund. The investment will also create jobs and add solar panels.

Tyoga Container broke ground on a $20 million expansion adding 70,000 sq ft of manufacturing space and 14,000 sq ft of office space, with about 40 new jobs planned.

The French city of Colomiers awarded supplier Sorepack a EUR 400,000 contract for compostable and biodegradable trays, films and labels for its municipal catering centre. The award was published on October 6, 2021.

US retail packaging maker Rohrer has taken over Coburn Carton Solutions, a printer and converter of folding cartons for food, pharmaceutical and household goods brands. Financial terms were not disclosed. The announcement was made on October 5, 2021.

Silgan Holdings has acquired Easytech Closures, which makes easy-open metal ends at Fisciano, Italy, for EUR 31.5 million ($36.5 million). Easytech is projected to generate about EUR 38 million in 2021 sales.

Italian packaging maker Gualapack, through Gualapack Brasil, agreed to acquire Brazilian flexible packaging converter Teruel Embalagens, which has two factories in Brazil. The deal adds laminate production to Gualapack's pouch business in South America. It was announced on October 4, 2021.

HAAS AS, owned by the Akselsen family and holding 50 per cent of Jackon, accepted BEWI's offer to acquire all Jackon shares, taking consideration in new BEWI shares. The minimum acceptance condition has been met.

Heinz rolled out its Eco-Friendly Sleeve Multipack in the UK, a paperboard sleeve for canned products made with WestRock's PEFC-certified CarrierKote paperboard.

Opus Packaging Group acquired the assets of Palmetto Packaging Corporation, a corrugated products maker in Florence, South Carolina, effective October 1, 2021. The deal adds Opus's seventh manufacturing facility and extends its footprint in the southeast US.

GTCR announced on October 1, 2021 its acquisition of PPC Flexible Packaging, a Buffalo Grove, Illinois maker of flexible packaging, from seller MSCP. PPC had completed seven acquisitions under MSCP's ownership.

Irish packaging company Zeus announced a deal to buy Limerick Packaging, a corrugated packaging supplier to the industrial and transit packaging market, in Ireland. The sale is subject to approval by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

Eren Paper, a subsidiary of Turkey's Modern Karton and Eren Holding, completed its acquisition of the Shotton Paper Mill in North Wales on 30 September 2021. Planned containerboard production is expected to make the UK a net exporter and create over 600 new jobs.

ALPLA, Ecohelp SRL and United Polymer Trading form a joint venture to build a PET recycling plant in Targu Mures, Romania, producing 15,000 tonnes of food-grade rPET per year for about €7.5 million, creating 15 jobs.

Starflex PCL and Thai Union Graphic signed an MOU for a joint venture with registered capital of THB 250 million, with Starflex holding 51% and Thai Union Graphic 49%, initially to build a factory producing flexible packaging mainly for food.

Silgan Holdings acquired Unicep Packaging, a precision dosing dispensing packaging maker with two plants in Spokane, Washington and Sandpoint, Idaho, for $237 million, with projected 2021 sales of about $45 million.

Jianas Brothers Packaging was awarded a contract worth up to $47.09 million by the Defense Logistics Agency.

Spanish paper and packaging group SAICA plans to invest $800 million over the next five years to expand in the US market, via acquisition or new plant construction, while building a corrugated paper plant in Hamilton, Ohio due to open in early 2022.

Britvic will invest £26.9 million to install a fourth canning line at its Rugby factory, adding about 18% site capacity and creating at least 20 jobs, with the line fully running in 2022.

SOMIC America agreed to provide GOYA Foods with a proprietary retail-ready end-of-line packaging machine, the 424 T2+ case packer, announced on the opening day of PACK Expo Las Vegas.

Crown Holdings will build a two-line aluminium beverage can facility of 355,000 sq ft in Mesquite, Nevada, creating 126 jobs. Operations are scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2023.

VPK has opened a new production and warehouse plant of 22,000 sqm in Brzeg, Poland, in the Skarbimierz special economic zone. The plant adds 60 million sqm of production capacity and 120 staff, with 60 more jobs planned.

Investment fund LBO France acquired a majority stake in Baobag, a French maker and distributor of large-capacity flexible packaging, alongside AfricInvest, BNP Paribas Développement and management. The deal was announced in Paris on 24 September 2021 and no value was disclosed.

United Caps held a grand opening for its Dinnington factory in Rotherham, England, which has produced dairy and beverage closures since 2020, including tethered closures, in a 5,000 square meter facility expandable to 20,000 square meters.

Ball Corporation announced plans for a multi-line aluminum beverage can plant in North Las Vegas, Nevada, with a nearly $290 million investment, about 180 jobs and production starting in late 2022.

LINDAL Group opened a 12,000 sqm aerosol dispensing facility in São Paulo, Brazil, after a 370-day build, with a €14 million investment and 130 initial employees.

Kruger Packaging is building its first US packaging plant in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, a $114 million investment expected to create 150 jobs and produce 2.4 billion square feet of corrugated boxes per year.

Tekni-Plex agreed to acquire Keyes Packaging Group, a food and beverage packaging provider, from private equity firm Arbor Investments. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Thailand's SCG Packaging announced an 11.8 billion baht expansion in packaging paper in Vietnam through joint venture Vina Kraft Paper, building a new facility in Vinh Phuc to start in early 2024.

Mauser Packaging Solutions is investing in new equipment at its Gebze facility, adding a plastic drum line due for completion in Q4 2021 and an IBC blow molding machine in early 2022.

Heinz rolled out a recyclable paperboard sleeve for its UK multipack cans, made with WestRock CarrierKote paperboard, as part of a three-year GBP 25 million investment at its Kitt Green factory near Wigan. The sleeve is available in major UK retailers from September 2021.

Tetra Pak announced an additional EUR 5 million investment in its EUR 120 million packaging material factory in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, on September 16, 2021. The upgrade will raise annual output from 11.5 billion to 16.5 billion packages.

ALPLA, Ecohelp SRL and United Polymer Trading AG are each investing equally in a joint venture to install an extrusion line recycling post-consumer PET bottles in Targu Mures, Romania, aiming for 15,000 tonnes of rPET per year. The total investment is about EUR 7.5 million and will create 15 jobs.

Golden West Packaging Group has partnered with software company Lumi to make its custom corrugated printing and folding carton products available on the Lumi Marketplace across North America.

Irving Place Capital has agreed to sell Alpha Packaging, a St. Louis-based blow molder of bottles and jars, to Pretium Packaging, a Clearlake Capital portfolio company. Financial terms were not disclosed.

WestRock started up the Três Barras paper mill expansion in Paraná, Brazil, raising kraftliner capacity to 750,000 tonnes per year from 480,000. The expansion cost $350 million within a wider $1.2 billion Brazil investment cycle.

Atlantic Packaging Products, a Canadian corrugated packaging maker, acquired Skybox Packaging, a custom corrugated packaging manufacturer and packaging supplies distributor in Mansfield, Ohio, to expand its US footprint.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners invested £28m in a new high-speed canning line at its Sidcup plant, capable of 2,000 cans per minute, creating 19 jobs. The line is set to open in June 2022.

Berry Global is expanding its Lawrence, Kansas facility with new thermoform production lines and printers in an existing warehouse, investing $61 million and creating 84 jobs to meet demand for clear drink cups and lids.

Robinson, a UK custom packaging manufacturer, is supplying a custom 500ml recyclable PET bottle to fragrance brand My Fabulosa, with a dedicated production cell to meet rapid demand growth.

TricorBraun agreed to acquire Cormack Packaging, a rigid packaging supplier in Australia and New Zealand, marking its entry into Australia. The deal was announced on September 13, 2021 and expected to close later that month.

Cardbox Packaging Group announced the acquisition of Valuepap GmbH, a paper cup producer with 18 staff at its Pinkafeld, Austria site, with closing scheduled for 31 December 2021.

Premier Packaging of Louisville, Kentucky acquired JIT Packaging, an Ohio maker and distributor of industrial corrugated packaging, in a deal advised by Paramax. JIT's manufacturing facility is in Lebanon, Ohio.

UK packing supplier Invopak bought a warehousing facility in Warwickshire for £3.4 million as part of a diversification strategy. The deal was reported on 2 September 2021.

Ball Corporation announced an expansion of its aluminum can plant in Almirante Brown, Argentina, to raise annual capacity by 30% and create 46 direct jobs. The launch is planned for October 2022.