Emerald Packaging Expands Southern California Manufacturing Footprint Through First Acquisition

Emerald Packaging has expanded its production footprint in Southern California through the acquisition of flexible packaging assets from Blower-Dempsay Corp., marking the first acquisition in Emerald’s 63-year history.

The company said the newly established production operation in Santa Ana, California, will strengthen its ability to serve produce-sector customers across Arizona and northern Mexico while adding manufacturing redundancy and additional converting capacity.

Emerald Packaging is one of the larger U.S. suppliers of flexible packaging for the produce industry, with headquarters in Union City, California. The company said the expansion represents a strategic geographic move closer to key agricultural markets and cross-border supply routes.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“The opportunity to expand Emerald Packaging’s footprint and acquire the manufacturing assets of Pacific Flexible Solutions checked every box,” said Pallavi Joyappa, president of Emerald Packaging. “This location allows us to operate closer to a key customer base while maintaining proximity to our headquarters.”

The Santa Ana facility includes an eight-color, 52-inch-wide Windmoeller & Hoelscher printing press, two Nordmeccanica laminators, two slitters and a thermal oxidizer. Emerald said additional slitters equipped with laser and hot-needle capabilities, along with a second printing press, are planned as part of future expansion.

The company expects its workforce to increase from around 250 employees to more than 300 by the end of the year as operations ramp up at the new location.

Emerald said the Southern California site significantly shortens transit time to the Mexicali border crossing, reducing logistics lead times for customers operating in Mexico and the southwestern United States. The company also noted that dual-site manufacturing provides backup production capability in the event of operational disruptions.

Brad Jordan, president of Blower-Dempsay Corp., said the companies shared similar approaches to employee relations and customer support, factors that supported the transaction and ongoing operational collaboration.

The move comes as flexible packaging producers continue investing in regional manufacturing capacity and supply chain resilience amid growing demand from food and agricultural sectors for shorter delivery times and diversified production networks.

Packaging manufacturers serving fresh produce markets have also been under increasing pressure to balance operational expansion with sustainability targets, lightweight packaging requirements and evolving retail supply chain expectations.

Source: PR Newswire

SUNSHINE Spotlight: Flexible packaging manufacturers are increasingly expanding regional production networks to improve supply chain resilience and reduce delivery times for agricultural customers.