Following a return to profitability in 2025 after three years of losses, Sussex-based marketing experience company Quad is expanding its national footprint with a new packaging plant in Salt Lake City, Utah. The addition of the facility is the company’s first real estate addition since 2018 when it expanded its Franklin plant.
Over the past 15 years, Quad has closed over 50 plants as the print industry has softened. Last year, Quad sold a building on its headquarters campus for $20 million to Generac, a culmination of real estate shrinkage after years of Quad reducing its footprint and transitioning from a print manufacturer to a marketing experience company.
Operations at the 100,000-square-foot Salt Lake facility will include a high-speed Heidelberg XL 106 press with UV capabilities, a sheeter, die cutters and folding gluers.
Quad plans to occupy the facility in the fourth quarter of 2026 in an effort to serve its western clients more efficiently while strengthening its existing packaging network, including facilities in Franklin; Spartanburg, South Carolina; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The expansion is a response to increased demand from the company’s packaging sector, a company spokesperson said.
“This is an important milestone for Quad’s packaging offering,” said Joel Quadracci, chairman and CEO of Quad, in a press release. “By rounding out a national manufacturing footprint for packaging, Quad is making it easier for clients to reduce lead times, improve logistics efficiency and scale packaging programs across multiple regions while maintaining the quality, consistency and partnership they expect from us.”
Quad has already added several employees to support the opening of the facility and will hire more as needed. A spokesperson declined to disclose the number of employees hired or needed.
The company has already secured client volume and capacity commitments from brands headquartered in the western U.S.
“This investment expands Quad’s ability to efficiently serve both national consumer brands and regional companies with the speed and flexibility today’s market demands,” said Tim Ohnmacht, division president of Quad Packaging. “By establishing a presence in Salt Lake City, we’re closer to brands in high-growth markets like food and beverage and health and wellness, creating new opportunities to continue growing our packaging business.”
