With the cardboard industry struggling to meet demand, a new International Paper factory that is being built in Atglen could help alleviate the issue, writes Matthew Shaer for The New York Times. 

International Paper is a packaging concern headquartered in Memphis and the biggest among the conglomerates that dominate the North American section of the cardboard industry. It is responsible for a third of the boxes made in the United States. 

In recent years, the company has especially benefited from the rapid growth of e-Commerce. 

“After online shopping really caught on, that’s the moment corrugated production numbers really went wild,” said Tim Cooper, a project director for Smithers. 

But as demand kept growing, cardboard manufacturers found themselves continually playing catch up with demand. In trying to overcome this challenge, International Paper announced last year it would build a new plant in Atglen.

The facility is expected to be completed in early 2023. It will employ over 130 people and serve as another bridge between the company’s network of pulp mills in the South and the markets across the Northeast. 

Read more about the Atglen factory in The New York Times.