Cast film manufacturer Advanced Barrier Extrusions LLC is doubling the size of its plant in Rhinelander, Wis., and expanding slitting capacity there — a total investment of $2.1 million.
Construction should be completed on the 30,000-square-foot addition in early 2011, ABX President Tony Haug said.
ABX was founded in 2006 by Haug and two other film industry veterans, who built a 30,000-square-foot plant in Rhinelander. The company makes cast multilayer cast film for food packaging, medical and industrial markets.
“We're doing good,” Haug said. “In fact, we're making a profit and growing. But it's still a tough business that we're in.
“We're really working hard.”
On Aug. 17, the Oneida County Board of Supervisors approved a $1 million loan for the building addition. Haug said ABX got a bank loan for another $1 million to add more slitting equipment, additional racking to hold rolls of film, silos and new technology for the plant's cast film line.
The city of Rhinelander kicked in another $100,000 for site preparation, he said.
The county and city government votes were both unanimous, Haug said. That shows Oneida County values packaging manufacturing — an important sector that supports Wisconsin's food industries, such as sausage and cheese, he said.
The county in northern Wisconsin also is home to blown film maker American Plastics Co. Inc., and film converter Printpack Inc. has a plant there.