A plastics recycler and packaging maker based in Germany is planning its first manufacturing site in the United States.
Papier-Mettler KG plans to invest $48 million at an existing industrial building in Moorefield, W.Va., to establish production operations in the United States.
The project is expected to create up to 100 new jobs, according to the West Virginia governor's office, which unveiled the news.
Papier-Mettler, which also makes paper packaging and is based in Morbach, Germany, has been recycling plastics for a quarter century to make new bags and films.
Papier-Mettler has about 5,000 employees in 16 countries, including a sales office in Raynham, Mass.
"Papier-Mettler boasts the largest recycling capacity within our industry anywhere in Europe and offers a recycling concept that is individually tailored to the needs of the customer," the company said on its website.
"The USA is one of the largest growth markets for Papier-Mettler. That's why we want to focus our energy on U.S. expansion. We are convinced that the new location will not only create numerous advantages for us, but also for the local economy as well as the job market," CEO Michael Mettler said in a statement.
The governor's office cited Moorefield's proximity to the Port of Baltimore as well as planned infrastructure as key reasons for Papier-Mettler to select West Virginia.
News of Papier-Mettler's expansion into Moorefield, located in the state's Eastern Panhandle, comes just a few months after the state touted plastics as part of the state's growing export rate.
"Our days of being 50th in every category coming and going are over," Gov. Jim Justice said in a statement at the time. "Nowadays, more and more often, West Virginia is ranking at the very top of the list of states, especially when it comes to how our state is growing from a business and economic standpoint."
West Virginia said it had the second-highest export growth rate in the nation for 2021, jumping from $4.6 billion in 2020 to $6.2 billion in 2021. Growth in coal and plastics exports were particularly strong in 2021. Plastics exports from West Virginia surpassed $1 billion in 2021 for the first time since 2018, the governor's office said.