Custom injection molder Thomson Plastics Inc. has opened a new manufacturing facility in Lexington, N.C.
The 108,000-square-foot plant, Thomson Plastics' second outside its home state of Georgia, will produce plastics for small engine and automotive end markets, said President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Kibbey.
“Our objective is to try to put the right size plants in different regions of the country, because injection molding is such a regional business,” he said. “There's just a real shortage of capacity in the southeast, and we think this helps to fulfill that capacity need here.”
The Lexington site was formerly occupied by Tarheel Plastics LLC, which closed in October 2013, according to Plastics News reports. Thomson Plastics purchased 11 presses from the closed business and is in the process of moving equipment from its Thomson, Ga., facility to the new location, Kibbey said. In total, the plant will operate 23 injection molding machines ranging from 120 tons to 1,500 tons of clamping force.
Thomson Plastics started operations in Lexington in September, Kibbey said. The company has been approved for a $750,000 loan from the state and has committed to creating 38 full-time jobs, records from the state's Office of the Secretary of Commerce show.