Atlanta, Georgia based Smurfit Westrock has announced its plans to close a Georgia facility and permanently lay off 55 employees, according to a worker adjustment and retraining notification filed with the state on November 10.
The corrugated food service packaging plant in Atlanta is slated to close in January 2026 “as part of ongoing optimization,” a spokesperson said. “Production will transition to an improved Smurfit Westrock facility with expanded production capabilities, optimized logistics and certified to SQF standards.”
Smurfit Westrock has carried out a series of closures and layoffs since forming as a company last July via Smurfit Kappa’s acquisition of WestRock. CEO Tony Smurfit said shared that total company headcount has been reduced by 4,500 since the combination. He indicated nine facility closures had been announced as part of the optimization, and the company would continue to “rightsize the business by closing down inefficient or loss-making operations.”
The company is expanding production elsewhere. Recently it announced a nearly $19.3 million investment to boost production capacity by 50 percent at its corrugated plant in Saltillo, Mississippi. Executives described a plan to invest in 25 more efficient converting machines, with implementation slated to begin next year.
