Compounder Otech Corp. has added production capacity in Indiana and plans to open a site in Massachusetts.
Otech has installed two new production lines at its headquarters site in Rolling Prairie, Ind. One of the lines is a continuous mixer with annual production capacity of more than 50 million pounds. In a news release, officials said that the mixer will make higher-volume flexible PVC compounds. They added that the mixer will allow all lines more flexibility and will reduce lead times for customers.
Otech's other new production unit is a Banbury mixer that will make conductive and static dissipative PVC compounds, as well as other specialty PVC compounds. The new mixer has annual production capacity of 10 million pounds.
In a phone interview, Otech President Ted Irvine said that the new lines are needed because of demand growth in wire and cable, profile extrusion, conductive compounds, footwear and molding. Otech has added more than 10 new jobs because of the new production and is likely to add at least five more in 2023.
In Auburn, Mass., Otech has leased a 60,000-square-foot building that will operate as many as three compounding lines. The site also will be used for warehousing, offices and a lab. Officials said that opening a compounding facility in central Massachusetts "has been a long-term goal."
Irvine said the new location should be open by the end of 2023 or early 2024. It will create 10-12 jobs initially, with the potential to grow that number to 20-25.