Silgan Containers is expanding into a facility at 8201 Industrial Blvd. in Upper Macungie Township.

One of North America’s largest manufacturers of metal food packaging products has announced it will expand its operations into the Lehigh Valley, creating 29 new jobs over the next three years in the region.

Silgan Containers, which produces steel and aluminum containers for human and pet food, is investing $15 million into a facility at 8201 Industrial Blvd. in Upper Macungie Township, which will enable the company to meet its growing East Coast customer requirements.

The project received assistance from the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC), which has been in contact with the company since November 2016, providing advice and holding discussions about possible locations.

The Silgan Containers logo

“The Silgan Containers development in the Lehigh Valley is an example of the synergy of how manufacturing and product distribution grow together,” said Don Cunningham, LVEDC President and CEO.

“Silgan and its product is an important part of the supply chain of Nestle Purina and other products being made and distributed from the Lehigh Valley,” Cunningham said. “The region’s emergence as a major industrial and manufacturing in Pennsylvania continues to create more jobs here.”

High performance manufacturing and food & beverage processing have been identified as two of the four target sectors of the Lehigh Valley based on the site-specific characteristics of the regional economy.

The new project provides Silgan Containers a strategic location on the Interstate 78 corridor, giving it strong access to New York and New Jersey markets and a close proximity to Nestle Purina, the nation’s top pet care company, which has a facility in Upper Macungie Township.

The project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, the economic development arm of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration, which often works in collaboration with LVEDC. The Pennsylvania Department of Economic Development (DCED) announced the relocation on Jan. 12.

“From day one, I’ve made manufacturing one of the top business priorities of my administration by expanding workforce development programs, eliminating burdensome business taxes, and proactively working with manufacturers to help them grow and thrive right here in Pennsylvania,” Wolf said.

“This project will bring 29 good-paying manufacturing jobs to Lehigh Valley workers and their families,” he said. “I applaud Silgan Containers for choosing Pennsylvania as their new hub on the East Coast.”

Silgan Containers received a funding proposal from the DCED that includes a $120,000 Pennsylvania First grant, a $13,050 WEDnet grant for employee training, and $87,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits to be issued after the new jobs are created.

The company’s $15 million investment will include the purchase of equipment and training for its employees, according to the state. The project is in a Liberty Property Trust building that previously housed ULine, a distributor of shipping, industrial and packaging materials.

Silgan Containers officially became a company in 1987, acquiring its first can operation from Carnation Company. Its expertise in can-making can be traced back to 1899, when the Carnation Company began making its evaporated milk cans.

Today, it is the leading supplier of metal food containers in the United States, with approximately half the U.S. market. It serves clients throughout North America from over a dozen strategically located manufacturing facilities around the country, according to the company.

In addition to containers for human and pet food, the company also produces metal, composite, plastic closures for food and beverage products, containers for personal care, health care, pharmaceutical, household, and industrial chemical, agricultural, automotive, and marine chemical products.