Logistics firm Packwell Inc. plans to build a major new resin packaging facility in the Houston area.
The facility to be built by Houston-based Packwell will cover 800,000 square feet and will be served by rail to cover the region's large and growing resin market, officials said in a news release.
The facility will feature three high-speed packaging lines, 350 truck spots and capacity for 500 rail cars. Packwell signed a 50-year agreement to develop the facility on 56 acres at the Port Houston Bayport Industrial Complex.
"We have a proven track record and are excited to be integrally involved with Port Houston for this major new facility," Packwell President Al Duran said in the release.
"As a family business, we have been able to grow steadily in the resin market thanks to our dedicated team members, good business practices, and our many loyal customers," he added.
Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther said that the port "is America's preeminent resin port." Officials added that Port Houston is one of the six largest container ports in the U.S. and was the fastest growing as of 2019. The port handles more than two-thirds of containers that move through the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and has a 59 percent market share of all resins exported from the U.S.
Packwell and other logistics firms have opened major new assets in Texas over the last several years as large amounts of resin capacity — mainly for polyethylene — have been added as the U.S. has developed low-priced shale oil and gas feedstocks. Much of this new capacity has been targeted at export markets.
In 2017, Packwell opened a large shipping center in Fort Worth, Texas. The firm worked with BNSF Railway Co. and Hillwood Development Co. LLC on that project, which enabled Packwell to ship resins in containers to end users through ocean steamship lines that work with BNSF.
Packwell also recently signed a packaging and warehousing contract with distribution firm Vinmar International Ltd. for Vinmar's facility in Baytown, Texas. The two firms have worked together for more than 25 years, officials said in a news release.
Vinmar's Baytown plant covers 500,000 square feet and operates two packaging lines. The facility can package and distribute more than 1 billion pounds of resin annually and has room for future expansion.
Vinmar is a global plastics and chemicals distributor that posted sales of $3.6 billion in 2019. The firm has more than 50 offices in more than 35 countries with sales in more than 110 countries.