Alcoa Optimizes Thermoforming Operations

Alcoa Flexible Packaging will consolidate its custom thermoforming operations into a new pharmaceutical and medical packaging center of excellence at its Downingtown, PA location, furthering AFP’s position to serve customers in the food, retail, pharmaceutical and medical markets. Existing medical thermoforming operations will be relocated from Wheaton, IL and Cumberland, RI and those facilities will be closed.

Consolidation of these operations will affect 120 employees in IL and 72 in RI. The Downingtown, PA facility will add 140 employees to operate the relocated equipment, bringing total employment there to approximately 340. Production at both Wheaton and Cumberland will continue into the second quarter of this year to ensure that all existing customers’ needs are met during relocation of the thermoforming equipment. Downingtown’s custom thermoforming clean room is slated for full operation by the end of the same quarter. Costs of the closures and consolidation were included in the company’s third quarter 2005 restructuring announcement.

As part of the growth initiative, the Downingtown packaging facility will host the business unit’s technical thermoforming processes in a newly constructed Class 100,000 clean room environment ensuring that the strictest cleanliness processing methods are available when manufacturing packaging of medical products.

The Downingtown Packaging Plant will continue to build on its experience as a major pharmaceutical packaging operation for approximately two decades, providing printed blister lidding material for many major pharmaceutical drug manufacturers. The Downingtown operation also will continue to be a major supplier of printed shrink sleeves, confectionery and other food-related packaging.