Products manufactured by Packaging Corporation of America at its Salisbury, NC, plant, which is closing at the end of 2025, eliminating more than 100 jobs.
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Packaging Corporation of America to Close Salisbury Plant, Cutting 108 Jobs Before Christmas

@SpectacularMag Staff

SALISBURY, N.C. — The holiday season will bring heartbreak for more than 100 local workers after Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) announced it will permanently close its Salisbury plant by Dec. 31, eliminating 108 jobs just weeks before Christmas. Employees learned of the shutdown on Oct. 3, with layoffs scheduled between Dec. 5 and Dec. 19.

Business Decision and Economic Context

Products manufactured by Packaging Corporation of America at its Salisbury, NC, plant, which is closing at the end of 2025, eliminating more than 100 jobs.
Products manufactured by Packaging Corporation of America at its Salisbury, NC, plant, which is closing at the end of 2025, eliminating more than 100 jobs. (submitted)

PCA — one of the nation’s largest producers of containerboard and corrugated packaging — said the closure was a difficult business decision driven by changing market conditions and broader industry challenges. The Illinois-based company recently acquired Greif Packaging’s containerboard business for $1.8 billion and operates more than 120 locations nationwide, including six other North Carolina sites in Concord, Farmville, Greensboro, Mooresville, Morganton, and Trinity.

Industry analysts point to trade disputes, retaliatory tariffs, and shifting consumer habits as key pressures on the packaging sector. Rising costs, supply chain challenges, and declining demand for certain packaged goods have forced several U.S. factories to shutter this year.

“This represented a difficult business decision. We regret the impact the permanent plant closure will have on our valued employees and the community at large,” PCA officials wrote in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed with the state.

Impact on Workers and Community

Hourly production and maintenance employees at the Salisbury facility are represented by the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union. PCA says it will assist interested workers in transferring to its other facilities, but for many, this news means searching for a new job just as the holidays approach.

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our Salisbury employees for their dedication and service over the years,” the company said in a public statement.

Rowan County’s unemployment rate was 3.9% in August, slightly above the state average of 3.7%, meaning the sudden influx of displaced workers could impact the local job market.

Why This Matters

The closure underscores the fragility of U.S. manufacturing jobs in today’s global economy and highlights the personal toll of plant shutdowns timed just before the holiday season. For the 108 Salisbury workers losing steady paychecks — many after years of service — the announcement is not just about corporate restructuring but about families facing an uncertain Christmas.