One of North America's top film manufacturing companies plans to invest $35 million in two new flexible plastic packaging plants in Joplin, Mo.
American National Can Co. of Chicago has broken ground on the side-by-side plants on 31 acres. Production of films and laminations for the food industry is scheduled to begin the second half of 1998. The operation will start with 80 employees, growing to 100 in the next two years.
ANC officials did not return telephone calls. However, local and state development officials provided some details.
Some 105,000 square feet will be used for manufacturing, with warehousing of raw materials and finished products occupying about 90,000 square feet.
``The company is focused on a team concept,'' Rob O'Brian, Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce spokesman, said in a telephone interview. ``Separate product lines are under different roofs.''
The firm received economic incentives including property tax abatements, job training assistance and funding for infrastructure improvements through a Missouri program. The program is earmarked for projects costing more than $15 million and employing at least 100. ANC will repay the bond program using money it saves through tax credits of $800,000.
A Chapter 100 bond from the state allows the company to defer city taxes on equipment. Since Missouri does not have a statute to abate taxes on equipment, the Chapter 100 bond allows the city to issue bonds, which ANC buys. The city then buys the equipment. Because the machines are owned by a government entity, the equipment is not taxed.
In a news release, David Kowalski, ANC plastic packaging vice president of manufacturing, credited development officials for putting together ``an aggressive and attractive development plan.''
ANC's estimated North American film and sheet sales for last year were $551 million, placing it ninth in Plastics News' Sept. 14 ranking. ANC's plastic packaging operation, with sales of nearly $1 billion, has 18 flexible packaging plants, 12 in the United States, that use polyethylene, PVC and PET. It also manufactures bottles in three U.S. plants and one Canadian plant.
ANC is a subsidiary of Pechiney of Paris. Pechiney's core businesses include metal and plastic packaging, aluminum and semi-finished aluminum products. Last year, Pechiney reported sales of $12.6 billion.
