A South America-based plastics company is establishing a recycling and production foothold in a uniquely named Ohio city.
Grupo Plastilene SAS will spend $47 million to create a research and development facility in Washington Court House in Southwest Ohio, a project that will create 58 new jobs, the company said. The new location also will manufacture new products.
Plastilene makes packaging for the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical device, home and personal care segments.
The new location will help the company "focus on the development of recyclable food packaging that will help food producers reduce their carbon footprint and environmental impact," the company said Jan. 11.
Plastilene, which has locations in Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala, produces films, packaging and industrial products.
"Washington Court House is a natural fit for Plastilene," Washington Court House City Manager Joe Denen said in a statement. "Not only are they joining a community with a strong manufacturing tradition, but our companies represent the type of businesses that can benefit from the work of Plastilene's Innovation Center.
The location will not only conduct research but also manufacture food packaging. The company cited the size of food and agribusiness in Ohio, the largest industry in the state, as a key reason for locating there.
The new business, which will be located in an existing building, will have an estimated payroll of $3.8 million per year.
Plastilene's facility will conduct research as well as produce food packaging. Food and agribusiness is the largest industry in Ohio, and the state is home to hundreds of companies that cultivate, process, package, distribute and market food and drinks enjoyed by consumers around the world.
The new location, called the Sustainable Food Packaging Innovation Center, "will focus on the development and high-volume commercialization of game-changing recyclable food packaging," the company said.
"Plastilene's R&D Center in Washington Court House will establish its first U.S. operations, combining Ohio's leading role in advancing plastics technology with a global leader in sustainable packaging," said CEO J.P. Nauseef of JobsOhio, an economic development group, in a statement. "Plastilene will continue to develop disruptive, sustainable packaging technology for foods, pharmaceuticals and other product sectors that positively impact our lives every day."