Packaging: Portola to close New York operation

Citing high resin and energy costs, closure and bottle molder Portola Packaging Inc. (Batavia, IL) will close its Clifton Park, NY operation, shifting the business to its facility in Kingsport, TN. The company said in a release that it expects the move to be completed by November, with the consolidation leaving Portola with processing sites in Batavia, IL; Phoenix, AZ; and Kingsport, TN. By shifting manufacturing from New York to Tennessee, Portola said it will save 66% on its kilowatt hour energy costs.

Brian Bauerbach, Portola president and CEO, said the moves are part of an ongoing efficiency strategy that was initiated two years ago and includes an investment of $25 million in new manufacturing technologies over the last three years. Included in those investments are rotary compression molding and high-cavitation injection molding.—[email protected]