Flexible packaging maker Takigawa Corp. is building the company's first manufacturing facility in the North America.
Construction has begun on a new 148,000-square-foot location in Bardstown, Ky., for the company that makes laminations and films and produces a rage of bag formats and closures.
The new $46 million location will join Takigawa's headquarters operations in Funabashi, Japan, and another production site in Tan Uyen, Vietnam, that was built in 2011.
The plant is expected to be completed in March and open next April.
"Breaking ground on our first U.S. facility is a significant step forward for Takigawa Corp. and one we are proud to take alongside the people of Kentucky and Bardstown," said President Hiroyuki Takigawa said in a statement.
The new facility will create 180 jobs, the company said.
Gray Construction of Lexington, Ky., is building the greenfield plant.
Takigawa is a family-owned company that dates back to 1907 with its origins in musical instrument making. The company moved into plastics in 1949.
The new facility is located on 18 acres, contractor Gray Construction said. Bardstown is 40 miles from Louisville, 61 miles from Lexington, and about 25 miles from Interstate 65, which runs north to south from the Chicago area to Mobile, Ala.
The new location "represents an exciting moment for Takigawa, Nelson County and the commonwealth as we continue to solidify our position as a prime location for investment in the food and beverage industry," Gov. Matt Bevin said in a statement.
State officials met with Takigawa leaders in December as part of a trade mission to Japan. That followed an initial meeting last summer at an investment summit in Washington held by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority is providing up to $2 million in tax incentives for the project. The company will qualify for the financial help by meeting job and investment targets, the state said.
Takigawa also is eligible to receive no-cost job recruitment and placement services as well as reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives through a program called the Kentucky Skills Network.