Homeland Vinyl Products Inc., which is based in Birmingham, Ala., bought a new manufacturing plant in Surgoinsville, Tenn., that housed automotive injection molder Engineering Plastics Components Inc. (EPC) for the last four years, and housewares molder Alladin Plastics Inc. before that.
Homeland, a vinyl fence, deck and railing maker, plans to move equipment from its Colorado facility to the 28,000-square-foot site as soon as it can and begin operations, which will include new product lines.
Homeland officials declined comment following a May 7 announcement about the building purchase, but marketing director James Etheridge said the company will release more information after operations begin in Surgoinsville.
“We still have a lot to do,” he added.
Homeland will retain EPC's 40 employees and eventually hire another 25 workers. Homeland is working with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology to recruit skilled workers.
EPC had been phasing out operations at the Surgoinsville facility and the 40 jobs would have been lost if Homeland Vinyl Products had not bought the plant and needed a workforce, according to Clay Walker, who oversees industrial recruitment in Hawkins County.
“This is 25 new jobs, but ultimately it's 65 jobs because we were going to lose those 40 jobs over the next several months,” Walker told the Kingsport, Tenn., Times-News.
EPC is relocating the Surgoinsville operations to a 75,000-square-foot facility it bought in Leeds, Ala., in May 2014 with plans to invest $7.3 million and make it the hub of its Southeastern operations. Based in Grinnell, Iowa, EPC also makes thermoplastic products for the appliance, medical and consumer markets.
Homeland Vinyl Products says it is one of the largest vinyl deck, fence and rail manufacturers in the United States. The company has 40 years of experience and serves residential and commercial customers with vinyl products in a white, tan, beige and gray, according to its website. The products are made from a custom blended PVC and come with a lifetime warranty.
