Surprise! Plant Slated for Closure Will Remain Open

Fall of 2020 may be remembered as a bit of a dark time. Many Americans were still being heavily impacted by coronavirus-related shutdowns of businesses and schools and vaccines were nowhere in sight.

In the thick of it was the Fort Wayne, Indiana plant for California-based manufacturer Avery Dennison, who announced in October of that year that it would be shuttering the factory.

The company, which produces a variety of labels and adhesive products, told local officials that the 170 workers would be losing their jobs and the plant’s work relocated to two locations in Ohio. Avery Dennison, at the time, forecast the process to conclude by the end of October of 2021. One local newspaper reported that the company told them the plant was too landlocked and didn’t allow any room for needed expansion.

But oddly enough – in this case, the writing on the wall seems to have been erased. According to The Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, the company has reversed course and will not, in fact, be closing the plant. Instead, the company will be investing in it.

According to the report, the plant will receive an amount deemed “significant” and it will be used “to adapt and upgrade the site’s infrastructure and capabilities” with the ultimate goal of transitioning to become part of the company’s “identification solutions” business, which manufactures shipping labels to service the logistics industry.

According to Ryan Yost, VP/GM Avery Dennison Identification Solutions, “this is a long-term investment to support the strategic growth projected in the food and logistics segments” and the company will also add capabilities at its Miamisburg, Ohio plant.

According to the article, the company considers this investment to be a vital step in supporting the Identification Solutions segment and enable the plant to provide “sustainable offerings and accelerate growth in its Intelligent Labels platform.”

But in the meantime, said one company spokesperson, “… nothing changes. It’s business as usual at Fort Wayne.”