Greek packaging manufacturer Flexopack SA is investing $33 million in a production plant in Pennsylvania, in part to support a customer in the poultry industry.
An Oct. 4 statement from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said the facility in Lebanon County, about 35 miles east of Harrisburg, would be Flexopack's first U.S. manufacturing facility and ultimately will create 64 jobs.
The Koropi, Greece-based company plans to build a 107,000-square-foot facility there, in the first part of a three-phase project, Shapiro's statement said.
The company supplies coextrusion barrier and non-barrier flexible films, with a focus on the food industry.
"Our new manufacturing facility in Lebanon County aims to strengthen the already significant commercial presence of Flexopack Group in the U.S. market," said Stamatios Gkinosatis, CEO of Flexopack SA. "We are thrilled about our decision to proceed with this investment in Lebanon which will also further support — through local manufacturing — the increased packaging material requirements of our close partner Bell & Evans."
Bell & Evans is a Fredericksburg, Pa.-based supplier of poultry.
Flexopack, in an Oct. 8 disclosure to the Athens Stock Exchange, said it had signed a preliminary agreement to buy 80,000 square meters of land in Lebanon County, Pa., with plans to build a factory.
"This new planned production investment of Flexopack Group aims to strengthen the group's already significant presence in the United States market," it said. The $33 million will be invested over at least four years, the company said.
The stock exchange announcement said the company had already received approval from Pennsylvania for a $500,000 grant and would apply for manufacturing tax credits and funding from a rail assistance program.
The state said the grant can be used for a variety of purposes, including machinery, job training and infrastructure improvements.