Materials & Packaging Manufacturing

From bottling, canning, and paper-based packaging to plastics and labeling, the packaging materials business is strong in Northern Kentucky. That’s partly thanks to the range of other advanced manufacturers in the sector, from “makers” to F100 companies, producing everything from food to medical devices and shipping it worldwide from our transportation and logistics hub.

“We are pleased to be part of Kentucky’s expansive manufacturing presence. Our goal is to empower an inclusive and engaged community culture, and proudly bring manufacturing jobs to the region through our partnership with BE NKY and other city, county and community entities.” 

Adam C. Walker, CEO, Summit Packaging Solutions

There are 25 four-year colleges/universities and 11 community and technical colleges located about 75 miles from Northern Kentucky. Business leaders cite the talent –dedication, education, and training combined with a willingness to learn– as a major asset for NKY. SmartAsset named the Cincinnati region as the #1 city for new college grads in 2022, the fourth year in the top spot. The talent pipeline features 5,500 engineering graduates per year within a 75-minute drive of NKY and rapidly growing manufacturing technician programs at Gateway Community & Technical College.

The Northern Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (NKY FAME) program at Gateway offers students the opportunity to work at a company focused on packaging materials or other advanced manufacturing while attending classes and earning a degree at Gateway, which is paid for by the manufacturing company. Safran, Perfetti Van Melle, and Bosch Automotive Steering are among 14 employers in the region attracting the next generation into manufacturing apprenticeships and NKY FAME.

Toyota started FAME in Kentucky and grew it into a national program of the Manufacturing Institute, which has dozens of chapters around the country. FAME works through regional partnerships with manufacturers to provide apprenticeship-style training in conjunction with classes for students while preparing them for well-paying careers in manufacturing.