Safety first

At Elopak’s new plant in Little Rock, Arkansas, life moves pretty fast. For Quality, Health and Safety Coordinator Rob Greer this presents an exciting challenge as he works to ensure that the 100 new employees at Elopak’s first ever U.S. plant stay healthy, and our cartons meet customers high expectations.

Driven by sustainability

Originally from Los Angeles, California, Rob moved to Little Rock during high school. He has over ten years’ experience in health and safety and has trained staff in health and safety administration at companies across the United States.

Having first been drawn to Elopak because of the company’s sustainability credentials, he’s now excited to help reduce the burden of global plastic waste.

– I was just looking for something different and when I first read about Elopak, it seemed very interesting. The sustainability and environmentally friendly aspect made me think it was a good company to join. Growing up in Los Angeles, there’s a lot of plastic and so just anything to make the world a little bit healthier and a safer place is nice.

Quality built-in

With responsibility for over 300,000 square feet (approx. 28,000m2) of factory floor, Rob is always on the lookout for potential safety pitfalls.

– From our forklift operations to daily safety, to securing the building, I make sure our employees are being as safe as possible and try to keep everybody healthy.

He’s also accountable for the plant’s quality control, ensuring that all Pure-Pak® cartons produced at Little Rock meet the top specifications that Elopak customers have come to expect from the company’s global operations.

Managing both roles in such a fast-paced environment is a challenge, but one that Rob welcomes. It’s made easier by Elopak’s use of state-of-the-art packaging equipment, as well as extremely high health and safety standards.

– I’ve been in a lot of different industries, with my last job, and seen the work environments. The cleanliness of this facility is ridiculous. It’s impeccable.

Room to grow

Elopak’s Little Rock plant officially opened its doors on April 30, 2025, with construction completed in just over twelve months. According to Rob, the new employees quickly got into the Elopak groove and have received a lot of support from their sister plant near Montreal.

– My colleagues have been so helpful, especially in the Montreal location. We had to go there a couple times for training, and everyone was so helpful in training us up, ready to run the Little Rock facility. Teamwork is key here, as we all have different hats and help each other with different aspects of the job.

For Rob in particular, it’s been gratifying to see the products he helps produce on the shelves at his local supermarket. He’s also excited that the new plant has plenty of room for expansion, allowing Little Rock to bring Elopak’s low carbon, naturally renewable cartons to more American shoppers than ever before.