Manufacturing News
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026 · Lake County · Story 3 of 5
Sutton-Garten Opens a 17,000-Square-Foot Dry Ice Plant in East Chicago
Indianapolis-based Sutton-Garten is holding a Nov. 11 grand opening for its new dry ice production plant in East Chicago, a 17,000-square-foot building that took $2 million in renovations and got knocked off schedule by the Aug. 11 derecho. The plant already employs 10 people and is built to serve the Chicago, northern Illinois, and northern Indiana markets, joining Sutton-Garten's existing Indianapolis and Fort Wayne sites. Here's a detail worth flagging for anyone who buys dry ice or dry ice blasting services from a regional supplier: the East Chicago facility, unlike Sutton-Garten's Indianapolis plant, which added a carbon dioxide reclaimer last year, has no disclosed reclaimer and no disclosed long-term carbon dioxide supply contract. That leaves it exposed to spot pricing right as industry analysts are warning that maintenance cycles at ethanol and ammonia plants could push carbon dioxide prices up as much as 300% sometime in 2026.
- Impact
- Unlike its Indianapolis Roosevelt Avenue plant, which added a CO2 reclaimer in 2025, the East Chicago facility is listed as dry-ice-production-only with no disclosed reclaimer or long-term CO2 contract, leaving it fully exposed to spot CO2 pricing just as industry analysts warn of a possible 2026 shortage driven by ethanol/ammonia plant maintenance cycles that have spiked prices up to 300%. Sutton-Garten is also entering a Chicago market already dominated by Nippon Sanso Carbonic Products and Reliant Dry Ice, betting its edge is 24-hour freshness and a dry-ice-blasting equipment push that puts it in a co-opetitive relationship with its own event partner, Cold Jet.
- Watch
- Watch for whether Sutton-Garten discloses a CO2 supply contract or installs a reclaimer at East Chicago before the facility ramps toward peak winter cold-chain demand.
- For the huddle
Before we lean on regional suppliers like Sutton-Garten for dry ice or industrial cleaning services, have we confirmed they've locked in long-term CO2 supply contracts ahead of a potential 2026 feedstock crunch?
Ask directly whether the supplier has a signed carbon dioxide contract or a reclaimer in place, since a 2026 feedstock shortage driven by ethanol and ammonia plant maintenance could push spot prices up sharply and get passed straight to you.
Sources
- Sutton-Garten Co. plans East Chicago opening · nwindianabusiness.com
Earlier coverage
- Indiana American Water Finishes $24.5 Million Gary Main Overhaul
- Ozinga Opens Million-Ton Slag Cement Mill in East Chicago
- BP Locks Out Nearly 1,000 Steelworkers at Whiting as the Dispute Enters Its Sixth Day
- Gov. Braun Orders NIPSCO Outage Investigation Over Lake County Storm Response
- Cleveland-Cliffs: Fatality, Ontario Idling, and Indiana Workers Left on Contract Extensions
From the brief, October 22, 2026
- Radiant's Kaleidos Microreactor Headed to NSWC Crane in Martin County
- Digital Realty's 1.5-Gigawatt Data Center Pitch Tests Indiana Grid Capacity in Kokomo
- Sutton-Garten Opens a 17,000-Square-Foot Dry Ice Plant in East Chicago
- Cleveland-Cliffs Delays Burns Harbor Blast Furnace Reline a Third Time
- Brightray's 10-Megawatt Data Center Letter of Intent Names No Indiana Site
This story
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