WestRock

WestRock was an American paper and packaging company that operated from 2015 until its combination with Smurfit Kappa in 2024. The company was created through the merger of MeadWestvaco and RockTenn, bringing together businesses involved in containerboard, corrugated packaging, folding cartons, paperboard, displays, beverage packaging, retail packaging, and related design and printing services. Its customers included companies in food and beverage, consumer goods, food service, household products, personal care, beauty, spirits, pharmaceutical, and industrial markets. The merger was intended to create a large integrated packaging group with capabilities spanning raw materials, paper production, converting, printing, structural design, and packaging distribution. WestRock expanded that platform through a series of acquisitions. These included SP Fiber Holdings, which added recycled containerboard and kraft and bag paper capacity; Cenveo Packaging, which strengthened folding-carton and litho-laminated display operations; Star Pizza Box, a major U.S. pizza-box producer and distributor; Multi Packaging Solutions International, which added international print, graphics, and premium packaging capabilities; Plymouth Packaging; and KapStone Paper and Packaging, which broadened WestRock's paper and corrugated-packaging footprint. The company also reshaped its portfolio by selling its dispensing-systems operations to Silgan Holdings in 2017 and selling RTS Packaging to Sonoco in 2023. These transactions reflected a strategy of concentrating on paper-based packaging, corrugated products, folding cartons, beverage packaging, and higher-value design and printing services. At its peak, WestRock was one of the largest paper and packaging groups in the world and the second-largest American packaging company by the description used in its Wikipedia coverage. It operated more than 300 locations in roughly 30 countries and employed more than 50,000 people. Its headquarters were consolidated in Sandy Springs, Georgia, after the company had maintained significant offices in the Atlanta-area community of Norcross and in Richmond, Virginia. In 2023, WestRock and Ireland-based Smurfit Kappa agreed to combine. The transaction closed in July 2024, creating Smurfit Westrock, a global packaging group. WestRock therefore no longer operates as an independent listed company, although many of its facilities, products, customer relationships, and operating capabilities became part of Smurfit Westrock.

WestRock was established in 2015 through the combination of MeadWestvaco and RockTenn. The transaction joined two substantial American packaging and paper businesses and created an integrated company with activities ranging from paper and containerboard production to corrugated converting, folding cartons, displays, printing, and packaging design. MeadWestvaco stockholders received shares in the combined company under the merger terms, while RockTenn stockholders had a choice involving shares or a specified cash alternative. The new company pursued scale and breadth through acquisitions. In October 2015, it purchased SP Fiber Holdings, adding recycled containerboard together with kraft and bag paper operations. In January 2016, WestRock acquired Cenveo Packaging for $105 million. Cenveo contributed folding cartons and litho-laminated display packaging, including specialty foil and low-migration-ink capabilities, with facilities in the United States, Canada, and the Dominican Republic. WestRock continued expanding in food service and premium printed packaging. In March 2017 it bought Star Pizza Box, described in the reference material as the largest U.S. manufacturer and distributor of pizza boxes. The following month, it completed the sale of its dispensing-systems business to Silgan Holdings for $1.025 billion, reducing exposure to that activity. In June 2017, WestRock acquired Multi Packaging Solutions International for an enterprise value of $2.28 billion. MPS operated across North America, Europe, and Asia and strengthened WestRock's printing, graphics, and design offering in premium consumer categories such as spirits, confectionery, beauty, and cosmetics. In January 2018, WestRock acquired Plymouth Packaging. Later that month it announced an agreement to acquire KapStone Paper and Packaging, a competing pulp, paper, and packaging company. The KapStone transaction closed in November 2018 and added further paper and corrugated-packaging capacity. WestRock was ranked 194th in the 2018 Fortune 500, reflecting the scale of its revenue and operations. The company's operating model combined manufacturing assets with customer-facing packaging development. It supplied corrugated cases, containerboard, cartons, displays, beverage packaging, paper bags, pizza boxes, and other paper-based formats, while also providing design, graphics, printing, and structural engineering. This breadth allowed it to serve both high-volume industrial requirements and more differentiated consumer-packaging applications. By the end of its independent existence, WestRock had become a major international packaging group, with more than 50,000 employees and more than 300 locations in approximately 30 countries according to the cited reference material. It consolidated its headquarters in Sandy Springs, Georgia, while retaining important historical operating centers in the Atlanta region and Richmond, Virginia. In 2023, WestRock announced two important portfolio developments. It sold RTS Packaging to Sonoco and entered into an agreement to combine with Smurfit Kappa, an Ireland-based corrugated and paper-packaging company. The combination closed in 2024 and formed Smurfit Westrock. WestRock's independent corporate identity and stock-market listing ended with that transaction, while its businesses became part of the new combined packaging group.

• 2024

  Smurfit Westrock is created

  [1]WestRocken.wikipedia.org

  The combination with Smurfit Kappa closes, ending WestRock's independent corporate status.

• 2023

  RTS Packaging sold to Sonoco

  [1]WestRocken.wikipedia.org

  WestRock completes the sale of RTS Packaging to Sonoco.

• 2023

  Combination with Smurfit Kappa announced

  [1]WestRocken.wikipedia.org

  WestRock and Smurfit Kappa agree to combine their operations.

• 2018

  Plymouth Packaging acquired

  [1]WestRocken.wikipedia.org

  WestRock adds another packaging operation to its growing manufacturing network.

• 2018

  KapStone acquisition completed

  [1]WestRocken.wikipedia.org

  The completed transaction expands WestRock's pulp, paper, containerboard, and corrugated-packaging footprint.

• 2017

  Star Pizza Box acquired

  [1]WestRocken.wikipedia.org

  The company expands its food-service packaging portfolio through the purchase of a major U.S. pizza-box producer and distributor.

• 2017

  Dispensing systems business sold

  [1]WestRocken.wikipedia.org

  WestRock sells its dispensing-systems operations to Silgan Holdings and narrows its portfolio toward core paper and packaging activities.

• 2017

  Multi Packaging Solutions acquired

  [1]WestRocken.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition adds international premium print, graphics, and design capabilities.

• 2016

  Cenveo Packaging acquired

  [1]WestRocken.wikipedia.org

  WestRock expands its folding-carton and litho-laminated display-packaging business.

• 2015

  WestRock is formed

  [1]WestRocken.wikipedia.org

  MeadWestvaco and RockTenn combine to create WestRock, an integrated paper and packaging company.

• 2015

  SP Fiber Holdings acquired

  [1]WestRocken.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition adds recycled containerboard, kraft paper, and bag-paper capabilities.

An integrated, large-scale paper and packaging supplier serving consumer, food and beverage, food-service, retail, industrial, and premium-product markets. WestRock combined paper and containerboard manufacturing with converting, printing, structural design, and packaging systems, positioning itself as a broad packaging partner rather than a single-product carton manufacturer.

• Paper packaging

  Corrugated packaging

  WestRock's corrugated packaging business supplied shipping cases, transport boxes, retail-ready formats, and other fiber-based structures. These products combined containerboard materials with converting and structural design capabilities for customers moving food, beverages, household goods, industrial products, and consumer merchandise through distribution networks.

• Consumer packaging

  Folding cartons and litho-laminated displays

  The company produced printed folding cartons and display formats for consumer categories including food, confectionery, beauty, personal care, and household goods. Its capabilities included litho-lamination, specialty foil effects, and printing systems designed for products requiring shelf visibility and branded presentation.

• Food and beverage packaging

  Beverage packaging

  WestRock supplied paperboard and corrugated formats for beverage producers and distributors. The offering included packaging intended for transportation, retail presentation, and food-service use, supported by the company's paper manufacturing, converting, printing, and packaging-design infrastructure.

• Food-service packaging · 2017

  Pizza boxes and food-service packaging

  Through Star Pizza Box and related operations, WestRock manufactured and distributed pizza boxes and other food-service packaging. These products served restaurants, pizza chains, food distributors, and takeout channels where stackability, printability, food protection, and cost-efficient distribution were important.

• Paper materials · 2015

  Containerboard, kraft paper, and bag paper

  WestRock manufactured and converted paper materials used in corrugated cases, bags, sacks, and other packaging formats. The SP Fiber Holdings acquisition strengthened recycled containerboard and kraft and bag paper capabilities, supporting the company's strategy of integrating paper production with downstream packaging conversion.

• 2023

  Agree to combine with Smurfit KappaM&A

  Background

  WestRock and Smurfit Kappa sought greater global scale and complementary paper and packaging capabilities in a consolidating industry.

  Action taken

  The companies announced an agreement to combine their operations and create Smurfit Westrock.

  Aftermath

  The transaction closed in 2024, ending WestRock's independent listing and transferring its operations into the new combined group.

  Source

• 2017

  Sell the dispensing-systems operationsM&A

  Background

  WestRock was building scale around paper, packaging, graphics, and converting while reviewing the fit of other activities in its portfolio.

  Action taken

  It sold the dispensing-systems operations to Silgan Holdings.

  Aftermath

  The transaction reduced WestRock's exposure to dispensing systems and reinforced its concentration on paper-based packaging and related services.

  Sale value. $1.025 billion (2017)

  Source

1. 1WestRocken.wikipedia.org