Corvaglia Closures USA Success Story

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Laying the Foundation for Automation

Corvaglia Closures USA, located in Newnan, Georgia, is the North American manufacturing arm of a global leader in beverage cap technology. A subsidiary of Switzerland-based Corvaglia Group, the company specializes in one-piece plastic closures that are fully recyclable.

The company’s founder, Romeo Corvaglia, is an engineer and mold designer, specializing in highly technical cap and mold designs, which gives the company a competitive edge in the global market. Since opening its U.S. facility in 2019, Corvaglia Closures USA has grown significantly, with plans to nearly double its employee base by 2030.

Tom Sammon get tour of Corvaglia Closures USA facilities

Situation

The Corvaglia Group’s goals for launching operations in the U.S. were two-fold: first, to establish a manufacturing and North American headquarters location in the world’s largest beverage market and, second, to introduce the latest in European one-piece lightweight cap technology.

By 2022, the company was running multiple production lines and poised for rapid expansion through 2030. To support growth and prepare for future automation, President and General Manager J.B. Fisher sought a long-term strategy for optimizing production and warehouse operations.

Fisher had seen the benefits of automation at the company’s Switzerland plant, and he wanted to devise an automation solution specifically tailored to the needs of the Newnan facility. He was referred to the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech by the Georgia Department of Economic Development for help devising a strategy.

Solution

GaMEP technology project manager Tom Sammon worked closely with Fisher to develop a cutting-edge strategy for automating production and warehouse operations. The plan encompassed transport of packaging materials to the production line, filling and palletizing of finished goods, and efficient product storage.

“The design that Tom and the group came up with was really great,” Fisher said.  “Our owner and other executive leaders were very pleased with the concept they created.”

The company will add yet another production line in the first quarter of 2026 and expects this pattern of capital investment to continue for several years. Long-term plans include maximizing efficiency to quadruple facility capacity utilizing the existing footprint. Although full automation is still a few years away, Fisher prioritized being proactive. “I didn’t want to get several years down the road and already have a bunch of other infrastructure in place,” he noted. “I wanted to have a roadmap prepared for when we are ready to pull the trigger.”

In the interim, GaMEP operational excellence project manager Tianna Marynell helped Corvaglia re-design its warehouse layout to improve efficiency and prepare for future automation. She met with the team to understand the immediate challenges and then created several design options, incorporating best practices in warehouse layout and design. “We don’t have anyone on staff that has warehouse layout experience or CAD capabilities, so it was very helpful to be able to tap into that,” Fisher said.

Additionally, Corvaglia worked with Richie Lafaille, safety consultant with Georgia Tech’s Safety, Health, and Environmental Services (SHES) group, who conducted an audit to ensure OSHA compliance and decrease risk for personnel.  The assessment identified multiple areas needing attention, referencing OSHA Code of Federal Regulations (CFR’s), that allowed Corvaglia to correct specific safety areas promptly.

Results

By working with GaMEP, Corvaglia Closures USA has:

  • Developed a roadmap for automation of production and warehouse operations to allow the company to quadruple its production capacity in the next ten years.
  • Invested $2.5 million in new plant equipment and infrastructure in 2025.
  • Through enhanced operational efficiency, postponed $3 million in planned project costs, freeing up resources for other priorities.
  • Redesigned its warehouse layout to support near-term growth and prepare for long-term automation

Testimonial

“Having experts in close proximity who can easily visit and provide valuable input to your organization in a variety of categories—to me, that’s huge. I’m a member of a CEO group in Atlanta where I’ve referred members to GaMEP, and I know that they have reached out and utilized the services as well.”

— J.B. Fisher, President and General Manager, Corvaglia Closures USA

 

 

Note: Corvaglia Closures USA signed a waiver of the confidentiality clause (1908.6(h)(2)) for the OSHA 21(d) Consultation program, allowing this story about the company’s work with Georgia Tech’s Safety, Health, and Environmental Services (SHES) program to be published.