Middletown packing plant set to close; dozens of layoffs are planned

MIDDLE TOWN, Ohio —

A Middletown packing plant is expected to close this fall, with dozens of layoffs expected.

According to a notice filed Thursday with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, 91 workers are expected to lose their jobs due to the closure of the Packaging Corporation of America plant, located at 1824 Baltimore Street.

In the letter to the Middletown mayor and Butler County commissioners, Packaging Corporation of America says the decision was made to consolidate the company into “larger and more efficient operations” elsewhere.

According to the company, this includes a new $275 million factory that recently opened just outside of Columbus this summer.

“The PCA will work with you and all other state and local government officials – including the Department of Jobs and Family Services – to provide displaced worker assistance to affected employees,” the letter states. “We will also assist any affected employees who may be interested in transferring to another APC location with vacancies.”

The last day for factory workers will be December 1. Subsequently, the company plans to completely vacate the building by the end of the year.

“This is a difficult business decision; it in no way reflects the hard work and dedication of our valued employees,” the letter concluded.

The layoffs come as a recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the state of Ohio has been steadily cutting jobs for about two years now, with about 23,500 fewer jobs than in October 2024 statewide.

Most recently, that includes a truck manufacturing plant in Springfield that closed this week, leading to nearly 1,400 layoffs.

Despite this, Ohio’s unemployment rate (defined as people who are actively looking for work but unable to find it) has declined significantly over the same period. It currently stands at 3.3%, a historically low level that is the result of a steady downward trend since unemployment peaked at 16.5% at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.