WestRock confirmed Friday that it will close a box plant in Seattle this spring, affecting 88 jobs.
The company also announced this week that it will close a facility in Lexington, North Carolina, which will affect 153 jobs, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification letter filed on Jan. 17.
The Seattle facility manufactures corrugated boxes. Its production will be shifted to WestRock’s new box plant in Longview, Washington, which opened in November, as well as its existing Longview specialty box plant. WestRock CEO David Sewell said in a statement for the March 2023 groundbreaking of the new box plant that this facility would “provide new capabilities and efficiencies” to better serve customers. At that time, the company estimated the Longview facility would create 40 local jobs upon opening.
“Our goal is to optimize service delivery for our customers while ensuring a seamless transition of production. We are excited to serve current and new customers from our world-class Longview box plant complex,” Robby Johnson, senior manager of corporate communications at WestRock, said via email on Friday.
The company expects the Seattle plant’s closure to begin in March and be completed in May. Affected employees may apply for open positions in Longview.
The North Carolina location produces healthcare packaging, and production will be retained within WestRock’s mill network. “The capital investment required to keep the facility competitive is better deployed in other business assets,” Johnson said.
The earliest date for layoffs would be March 18, and operations are expected to cease mid-May. The company is offering outplacement assistance, and eligible employees can apply for positions at other WestRock facilities.
WestRock reported in its fourth-quarter earnings results in November that it took a financial hit from costs linked to facility closures and a decrease in global paper sales. That quarter it closed its Tacoma, Washington, mill that employed 400 people.
Amid a challenging year for demand, numerous packaging companies closed facilities and laid off workers in 2023, affecting at least 9,000 jobs. WestRock announced a string of closures in 2023 as part of what it called “restructuring” due to low demand, with closures occurring in Anne Arundel County, Maryland; Columbus, Indiana; Hazleton, Pennsylvania; North Charleston, South Carolina; and St. Louis, among others.
The company will release its next earnings results on Feb. 1.
