ORBIS Corporation, an international leader in reusable packaging, has broken ground on an expansion of its manufacturing facility located in Urbana, Ohio. This new facility will expand an already existing ORBIS plant, located at 200 Elm Street, adding 30% more space for the manufacture of totes, bulk containers and pallets. This will add more presses and tools to increase capacity and shorten lead times. Coupled with its favorable geographic location for freight optimization, the Urbana plant expansion will help ORBIS better serve its customers.

“This is a very exciting expansion for ORBIS as it will not only provide more manufacturing flexibility to improve throughput and reduce lead times for our customers, but it will also bring new learning opportunities and technology to our current and future Urbana plant associates,” said Bill Ash, president at ORBIS Corporation. “For decades, we have been part of the Urbana business community and we look forward to this new chapter, with enhanced capabilities and state-of the-art equipment.”

ORBIS, part of Menasha Corporation with headquarters in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, operates 13 manufacturing plants in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Employing more than 300 employees at the current Urbana plant, ORBIS plans to add an additional 40-50 jobs over the next three years. These additions will bring ORBIS’ overall head count to more than 3,150 throughout North America and Europe. 

“This expansion would not be possible without the support of our employees, the Teamsters union and the Urbana community,” said Todd Mathes, EVP of manufacturing at ORBIS. “We look forward to enhancing our Urbana operations, including building upgrades and training programs for our employees as well as new and expanding technologies for the ORBIS business.” 

This expansion will increase the company’s overall molding capacity by 10% and has a targeted completion in the second quarter of 2023. Reusable packaging products produced at the plant are used in many industries, including automotive, food, beverage and consumer packaged goods. With reusable packaging at the core of its business, this larger plant also will deliver other environmental benefits, including water neutrality, increased energy efficiency and superior processing ability for recycled materials. 

Most construction activities are being provided by local Ohio contractors. ORBIS also is partnering with a local developer to construct an all-new off-site warehouse in Urbana, in conjunction with this plant expansion. 

About ORBIS Corporation
With more than 170 years of material handling expertise and 65 years of plastics innovations, ORBIS helps world-class customers move their product faster, safer and more cost-effectively with reusable totes, pallets, containers, dunnage and racks. Using a proven approach, ORBIS experts analyze customers’ systems, design a solution and execute a reusable packaging program for longer-term cost savings and sustainability. Using life-cycle assessments to compare reusable and single-use packaging, ORBIS also helps customers reduce their overall environmental impact. ORBIS is a part of Menasha Corporation, one of the oldest family-owned manufacturers in the United States. As a steward of sustainability, ORBIS is committed to a better world for future generations. Headquartered in Oconomowoc, ORBIS has more than 3,100 employees and almost 50 locations throughout North America and Europe.