Packaging giant Novolex has announced the upcoming closure of a thermoforming facility in Bakersfield, California, a move that will result in 127 employees losing their jobs. The plant, which was formerly part of Pactiv Evergreen, is scheduled to cease operations on October 14, 2025. This decision was formally communicated to the state of California via a WARN notice and is part of a broader strategic realignment following the company’s massive $6.7 billion acquisition of Pactiv Evergreen, finalized in April 2025.
This is not an isolated incident in Novolex’s post-merger integration process. Earlier this year, the company completed the shutdown of another former Pactiv Evergreen plant located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. That closure, finalized in June 2025, eliminated 153 positions. These actions highlight a deliberate effort by Novolex to streamline its expanded manufacturing network, which specializes in food, beverage, and specialty packaging.
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Strategic Realignment in the Packaging Sector
The acquisition of Pactiv Evergreen transformed Novolex into an industry behemoth, with a portfolio encompassing more than 250 brands and 39,000 products. The scale achieved through this deal is now driving a comprehensive reassessment of the company’s production capacity and geographic footprint. The closure of facilities, such as the one in Bakersfield, points to a focused strategy of eliminating operational redundancies and consolidating manufacturing to enhance efficiency.
These organizational shifts are characteristic of large-scale post-merger integrations, where the goal is to strengthen the combined entity’s competitive stance in a dynamic market. Under Novolex’s strategic direction, all former Pactiv Evergreen locations are undergoing evaluation. The changes are reshaping the packaging industry landscape, underscoring a sector-wide push toward optimized production and distribution networks.
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