FORT WAYNE, IND. (Aug. 19, 1:40 p.m. ET) — Bridge Packaging LLC of Fort Wayne has started a new subsidiary, Bridge Plastics Mfg., which is entering the poly bubble film manufacturing business.
According to an. Aug. 18 news release from the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance, Bridge will move its new operation into a 4,000-square-foot area within the city's Urban Enterprise Center, a small business incubator.
The company will manufacture poly air bubble and bubble laminates for industrial and retail customers throughout the Midwest, according to the release.
“The project is phase one of a series of planned equipment acquisitions that will allow Bridge Packaging to manufacture about 35 percent of what it typically wholesales,” President Gary Elliott said in the release.
He claimed that the new business will be the only producer of bubble-type film in Indiana.
Sales for the initial three years of operation are projected to be in the $3 million to $4 million range, according to the release.
Bridge also has hired a new plant manager, three machine operators, support personnel and a group of five independent representatives and sales agents. Bridge will hire 5-10 employees for Bridge Plastics and Bridge Packaging over the next year, according to the release.
Privately held Bridge is a wholesaler of paper and packaging goods and equipment.
The firm carries products from nearly 30 manufacturers — including 3M, Sealed Air, Intertape, Rubbermaid and Ivex, according to its website — selling products like polyethylene bags and films, stretch films, banding, void fill packaging and other items for both retail and industrial uses.
