Plastics Industry Grows in Indiana

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--According to the 2017 Size & Impact Report by the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS), the industry was optimistic regarding continued growth through 2017 and into 2018. Employment in the U.S. plastics industry grew 1% in 2016 (from 954,000 workers to 965,000 workers). The growth trend was predicted to continue, but to slow somewhat over the next few years, due to a shortage of qualified workers and a skills gap.

The report also noted that Indiana had the most plastics industry employees per capita, with 16.5 of every 1,000 non-farm jobs. This has allowed several manufacturing firms to expand their operations in the state and has attracted new facilities to utilize the well-trained workforce.

A firm at the forefront of this growth in Indiana is MonoSol LLC (Merrillville, Indiana), a subsidiary of the Kuraray Company Limited. (Tokyo, Japan). In addition to preparing to start on the third phase of an expansion at its plastic film plant in Portage, MonoSol soon will begin construction of a $72 million plastic film plant in Lebanon. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Listed below are more plastics industry projects in Indiana being tracked by Industrial Info.

• Berry Global Group (NYSE:BERY) (Evansville, Indiana) has begun working on a $70 million expansion of its Evansville plastic products plant. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
• The Tredegar Corporation (NYSE:TG) (Richmond, Virginia) is also preparing a $25 million expansion of its plastic film plant in Terre Haute. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
• MCP USA (Portage), a subsidiary of M.C.P. Performance Plastic Limited (Kibbutz Hamaapil, Israel), will locate its North American operations to Portage, and is renovating a facility at cost of $11.38 million. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
• 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics Limited (Holiday City, Ohio) is also entering Indiana, with $27 million in renovations of a facility in Bluffton to produce structural plastic foamed products. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
• The American RENOLIT Corporation (La Porte, Indiana), a subsidiary of JM Holding GmbH & Company KGaA (Worms, Germany), is performing a $25 million equipment addition to the La Porte plastic film plant. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
• A $6 million plastic products production facility with additional office space is being built for Metro Plastics Technologies Incorporated (Noblesville, Indiana) in Noblesville. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
• Alliance Barrier Films LLC (Washington, Indiana) is adding $5.1 million in equipment to its plastic film plant there. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

There are also some Tier 1 automotive parts suppliers that are expanding the plastics industry in Indiana.

• M & C Tech Indiana Corporation (Washington, Indiana), a joint venture of Moriroku Holdings Company Limited (Tokyo, Japan) and Chubu Chemical KK (Tsu, Japan), is investing $4.6 million in a new plastic auto parts facility in Washington. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
• Sanko Gosei Limited (Nanto, Japan) is working on a $5.5 million expansion of an automotive plastics plant run by its subsidiary, Sanko Gosei Technologies USA Incorporated, in Fort Wayne. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

These projects amount to nearly $282.6 million in capital investments in Indiana, and will no doubt grow the number of plastics jobs needed in the state.

Other factors may affect continued growth in the plastics industry in Indiana, such as possible changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and possible fallout from the new U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs on the automotive industry spilling over into plastics. But for now, the continued support from the state and local governments, and the availability of a large skilled workforce, may serve to fuel further plastics industry expansions.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.