Berry Boosting Investment in PPE Material Production

Berry Global Group is a Fortune 500 company based in Evansville. (photo provided)

Evansville-based Berry Global Group Inc. (NYSE: BERY) is looking to expand production capacity in response to a growing demand for personal protective equipment. The company says it will install $8 million worth of new equipment to enhance production of spunmelt nonwoven materials used in PPE such as medical gowns and face masks.

The equipment will be installed at Berry’s facility in Statesville, North Carolina. The company says the spunmelt nonwoven materials are also used in hygiene applications, including baby diapers, adult incontinence, and feminine care.

“We are excited to announce this investment as our Statesville site plays an important role in our global nonwoven footprint,” Robert Weilminster, general manager for Berry’s Hygiene business in the United States and Canada, said in a news release. “This expansion supports our ability to provide maximum output for our products.”

The additional equipment and expanded capacity are expected to be operational by December 2021. 

The investment comes just five months after Berry announced plans to about $20 million to expand production lines in support of what it described as growing breathable film and sustainable product market demands throughout North America.