Crown Holdings to build $145M aluminum can factory in Henry County

Fortune 500 manufacturer will create 126 jobs with new plant

Published January 28, 2021 by Sydney Lake

Yardley, Pennsylvania-based metal packaging tech company Crown Holdings Inc. will establish a $145 million aluminum can manufacturing operation in Henry County, creating 126 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday.

The company will build the 355,000-square-foot facility to be used for aluminum beverage can production in the Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre. Founded in 1892, the Fortune 500 company has operations in 47 countries, employing more than 33,000 people. It has operated in Virginia for more than 60 years and has facilities in Frederick County and Suffolk as well as subsidiary operations in Henry County and Pittsylvania County. It currently employs 200 Virginians.

“We are thrilled to see a longtime Virginia employer and Fortune 500 company like Crown Holdings select Henry County for its new East Coast manufacturing operation,” Northam said in a statement. “The addition of 126 high-quality jobs is a huge opportunity for the people of Southern Virginia, and the region’s tireless efforts to build a skilled workforce pipeline will benefit the company for decades to come.”

Crown Holdings Inc. is a global supplier of rigid packaging products to consumer marketing companies. It also produces transit and protective packing products, equipment and other services. Virginia competed with North Carolina and South Carolina for the project.

“This investment further demonstrates Crown’s commitment to support its customers in meeting the increased demand for aluminum beverage cans,” Crown Holdings Inc. President and CEO Timothy J. Donahue said in a statement. “The Henry County plant will give Crown a stronger position in the specialty can market, while allowing Crown to better serve the needs of customers and consumers for more sustainable packaging.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) worked with the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation to secure the project for Virginia, and Northam approved a performance-based $3 million Virginia Investment Performance Grant, which encourages continued capital investment by existing Virginia companies.

Northam also approved a $1 million Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund grant to help Henry County with the project. Crown Holdings can also receive Port of Virginia Economic and Infrastructure Development Zone Grant Program and Virginia Enterprise Zone Program benefits. The Virginia Jobs Investment Program will provide employee training services.

“This investment by Crown Holdings, Inc. in Henry County is an important addition to Virginia’s growing food and beverage packaging industry,” John Reinhart, Virginia Port Authority CEO and executive director emeritus, said in a statement. “We have invested in our terminals to better serve clients like Crown Holdings and its peers, and we look forward to helping this industry expand into new international markets.”