KALAMAZOO MI (From news reports) -- Graphic Packing International reached out to Battle Creek city leaders on Thursday, February 17, 2022, to inform the city of its plan to close the Battle Creek facility.

Graphic Packaging employs approximately 200 employees at its Battle Creek facilities. The initial target date to close down operations in the city is expected to be in August 2022.

City leaders say they plan to work closely with the company to ensure those not offered positions at other Graphic Packing locations have the resources to find jobs within the city.

Graphic Packaging International, a Fortune 500 company that completed a new $600 million factory in Kalamazoo. The company produces packaging cartons for dry goods, frozen items, and beverages. They are an important part of our nation's food supply chain.

In 2019 when the company announced its new facility in Kalamazoo, representatives at the time described a new machine that would be housed at the new location would be used to replace other production facilities like the one in Battle Creek.

The latest news on the future of the Battle Creek location likely won't come as a complete shock to employees there, many of whom will likely find positions at the newer Kalamazoo facility.