Jones Plastic & Engineering Corp. is expanding beyond its old Kentucky home, where it has four custom injection molding plants, into neighboring Tennessee by building a 63,000-square-foot plant set to open in April. The company, based in the Louisville suburb of Jeffersontown, Ky., is spending about $6 million to $7 million to build and equip the factory in Camden, Tenn., according to Craig Jones, vice president and general manager.
Jones Plastic will target the appliance, automotive and consumer markets with the facility. Jones said the firm has customers in the area, but he declined to identify them.
Initially, the Camden plant will house eight to 10 injection molding machines, he said. The machine supplier has not been determined.
The company looked at six or seven states. Jones said Camden won ``due to the economic climate, centralized location to current and future customers and solid work force availability.'' The company also received tax incentives, Jones said. He declined to provide details.
The company expects to employ between 75 and 100 people when the plant opens next year.
Jones Plastic has four molding plants, all in Kentucky, in Jeffer-sontown, Williamsburg, Frankfort and Leitchfield. A second plant in Jeffersontown, Rev-a-Shelf Inc., assembles a line of furniture, storage units and kitchen and bath products. The company also assembles business machine keyboards in Law-renceburg, Ky.
According to Plastics News' latest ranking, Jones Plastic is the 29th-largest North American custom injection molder, with 1994 molding-related sales of $103.5 million. A company news release said current total annual sales are $155 million.
The company employs about 2,000.
Brothers R. Larry and D. Harry Jones founded the company in 1961.
