“Can-Do Attitude:” CPC and Crown Holdings Celebrate 40-Year Partnership

In 2026, CPC Logistics is celebrating 40 years of partnership with Crown Holdings, an American multinational packaging company headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Crown is a global leader in the design and manufacture of rigid metal packaging, producing a wide range of solutions for both consumer and industrial products. Its beverage packaging includes aluminum cans and ends, along with specialty designs such as the “SuperEnd.”

Crown manufactures nearly 20 percent of all beverage cans worldwide. The company is also the world’s leading manufacturer of food cans, producing steel and aluminum packaging for fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products. In addition, Crown produces aerosol cans used for household essentials, beauty products and insecticides, as well as metal closures such as vacuum seals and crown caps, including twist-off and pry-off designs. Through its Signode Division, Crown also provides transit packaging solutions that help secure goods during transport. Crown continues to innovate in metal packaging technology, providing durable and infinitely recyclable options for consumer goods.

CPC’s relationship with Crown began in 1986 with private fleet management. The company turned to CPC for support managing many of its beverage warehouses and packaging sorting facilities as well. Early in the first quarter of 2000, CPC began staffing a sorting facility in Preston, Maryland, which inspired Crown to entrust CPC with more business over time.

“Crown values its partnership with CPC because they know we will always get the job done for them, no matter what,” said John Blymyer, CPC Regional Manager and Eastern Division National Account Coordinator who has been working with Crown since 1996. “They like our can-do attitude and how we always perform with excellence.”

CPC currently hires, trains and manages hundreds of employees working in Crown’s eight beverage warehouses and sorting facilities located across the East and Midwest, including the company’s largest beverage warehouse in Kirkwood, New York.

“When we helped open the warehouse in Kirkwood, it was only 170,000 square feet,” John said. “We did such a good job managing it that demand for the space increased, and it has grown to 340,000 square feet.”

Crown appreciates the care CPC employees put into their work. For instance, many of Crown’s products are shipped on secondary packaging materials (dunnage) that are reusable. This secondary packaging requires special handling to maintain its integrity and ensure it remains food and beverage grade throughout the production and shipping process.

Team members also work hard to ensure each warehouse and facility is run as efficiently as possible. When materials for packaging and shipping products are returned to Crown’s facilities, employees separate the items that can be reused from those that are damaged or dirty, which saves Crown millions each year.

“The sorting our employees do makes a big difference and a huge cost savings,” John said.

The employees CPC hires to work with Crown are thoroughly vetted. They bring a deep commitment to their work, with many remaining in their positions for years.

“All of our key managers and many of our employees have been with us for a long time,” John said. “Ben Hudson, who was originally handling private fleet management for Crown, has been serving as Operations Manager, Regional Packaging Manager and Plant Manager for more than 19 years and is my right-hand person.”

John believes employees enjoy the environment they work in. As food grade beverage warehouses and sorting facilities, they meet rigorous sanitation, structural and operational standards.

“We provide good jobs with solid compensation and benefits packages, and we treat everyone with respect, which helps us hire the right people,” John said. “That’s what keeps Crown coming back to us.”

CPC is also flexible to accommodate Crown’s needs. For example, when a tornado damaged one of Crown’s facilities in Bowling Green, Kentucky, CPC pivoted to accept products from one of the company’s plants in Brazil, which required customized service.

“Sometimes we have to reroute and think outside of the box to make things happen for Crown, but we do it every time,” John said.

As Crown grows and evolves, John is confident CPC will continue to be there to support them.

“I think of our relationship with Crown as a work in progress because they’re always changing,” John said. “Over the years, we’ve adapted with them. Wherever they go, we will go.”