Decking maker Master Mark expanding
PAYNESVILLE, MINN. - Master Mark Plastics Inc. is expanding at its facility in Paynesville.
Company officials declined comment, but officials with the Economic Development Authority of Paynesville said the city and the township of the same name each have granted the firm five-year loans of $50,000 at 4 percent interest.
Master Mark has indicated the money will be used to buy new machinery, officials said. The firm also plans to expand its building, using a bank loan.
According to the Paynesville Press, the firm also plans to add one production line for its Rhino decking product. Rhino boards are extruded from 50 percent recycled high density polyethylene and 50 percent sawdust, according to the company's Web site.
Master Mark is owned by Avon Plastics Inc. of Albany, Minn., where it operates a second manufacturing site.
Aladdin consolidating into one facility
HENDERSONVILLE, TENN. - Aladdin Temp-Rite will consolidate its plastics and other operations in Hendersonville this summer.
The producer of containers and related products to keep food hot or cold will lease 235,000 square feet of space in the former Bosch Automotive Motor Systems facility. The site is about 20 miles northeast of Nashville, where Aladdin currently has its plant, warehouse and distribution operation in three separate facilities.
Aladdin has injection molding presses with clamping forces up to 700 tons, Tim Altizer, vice president of operations, said in a telephone interview. The company also does extrusion and thermoforming. It uses plastics such as polypropylene and heat-resistant engineering resins, as well as ceramics to make containers, carts and other food-delivery systems for institutional markets, Altizer said.
The company will begin relocating to Hendersonville in a few months and it expects to complete the move by the end of summer. About 190 people will be employed in Hendersonville.
Bloom seeks tax incentives to relocate
CHAMPION, OHIO - Bloom Industries Inc. is seeking a 75 percent, 10-year tax abatement that would help the injection molder relocate to nearby Warren, Ohio, from Champion.
The company filed the application last month with the Trumbull County Planning Commission and a decision is expected sometime next month, said owner Ted Bloom.
The firm currently operates a 120,000-square-foot plant with another 20,000-30,000 square feet leased off-premises, Bloom said. If the abatements are approved, Bloom Industries would move into a 214,000-square-foot plant in Warren.
Bloom Industries operates 19 injection presses at the Champion site with clamping forces of 500-2,000 tons, molding primarily for housewares, automotive and lawn and garden markets. The Champion site employs at least 100, Bloom said, and the company may add 80-100 in the next three to five years.
Local news reports said Bloom would be required to invest $3.1 million in the new site, including $600,000 for machinery and equipment. Work would begin in May and finish in December.
B&M owner buys into extruder Azimuth
EVANSVILLE, IND. - Bill Gillenwater, owner of custom compounder and distributor B&M Plastics Inc. of Mount Vernon, Ind., has bought a stake in Azimuth Custom Extrusions LLC, a sheet extruder in nearby Evansville.
According to a news release, Gillenwater now holds 14 percent of Azimuth. The company was founded in early 2002 by four former executives of Proform Inc., who bought part of the bankrupt American Sheet Extrusion Corp. Azimuth makes ABS, acrylic and polystyrene sheet on four coextrusion lines in a 90,000-square-foot plant.
Azimuth employs 35 and is completing installation of its fifth coextrusion line. The firm expects to post sales of between $12 million and $15 million this year.
B&M produces compounds based on polycarbonate, ABS and other engineering resins. Gillenwater founded the firm in 1983 after a 10-year career with GE Plastics in Mount Vernon.
B&M is moving from Mount Vernon to an Evansville site formerly owned by Robur Corp. The new site will allow B&M to consolidate its compounding, pelletizing and warehousing operations.
