Rotational molder and vacuum former Redline Plastics LLC will break ground March 21 on a 117,900-square-foot factory in an industrial park in Manitowoc, Wis., more than doubling the size of its current facility in the city.
In addition to plastics processing, the company also does cut and sew work to fabricate leather and textile products for the powersports industry, including motorcycle luggage and saddlebags.
The $12.5 million investment is scheduled to be completed by November, city officials said in a news release. Redline Plastics, which currently employs 100, plans to hire another 40 during the next three years with the expansion.
The building will be on an 11-acre site so Redline could add another 100,000 square feet of manufacturing to accommodate future growth.
Redline's plastics-related markets include the construction equipment market where it makes fuel tanks, engine covers and body and interior components.
"Manitowoc is a wonderful community and we are excited to continue our growth and investment in the community and its people," Nick Murray, vice president of operations at Redline Plastics, said in a news release.
Redline officials were not immediately available for comment for this story.
The former Dowco Inc. plastics operation was renamed Redline Plastics in mid-2018, after Dowco sold its marine business segment that made boat covers and related accessories. Dowco, a company that began in 1922 as Dow Canvas making products for the tent and awning industry, got into plastics processing in 2016, when it bought Premier Plastics Inc., a rotational molder and vacuum former in Hoyt Lakes, Minn. Dowco closed the Hoyt Lakes factory in late 2017 and moved the machinery to its plant in Manitowoc.
