WNA Inc., a maker of plastic cutlery and dinnerware, on Aug. 14 announced plans to invest $21.7 million in its Chattanooga, Tenn., facility.
The first phase will be the addition of a $6 million production line, which is scheduled for installation later this year.
The project will help create 53 jobs over the next three years and expand the facility's manufacturing capacity, according to a company news release.
WNA, a division of Waddington Group Inc., operates six North American plants — in Covington, Ky.; Chelmsford, Mass.; City of Industry, Calif.; Lancaster, Texas; St. Laurent, Quebec; and Chattanooga. The firm employs between 1,200-1,400 and has annual sales of about $300 million, according to industry sources.
Waddington Group was acquired by Olympus Partners, a private equity based in Stamford, Conn., in October 2012. Waddington has since acquired Toronto-based Par-Pak Ltd, a thermoformed packaging company.
WNA ranked 61st in Plastics News' most recent ranking of North American thermoformers.