Pregis invests $5M in new film line in Michigan

Pregis LLC continues to invest in film production at one of its facilities in Michigan.

The Deerfield, Ill.-based firm is spending another $5 million to purchase and install a fourth Windmoeller & Hoelscher blown film line that will add 4 million pounds of production capacity.

Pregis also is leasing another 35,000 square feet at the Grand Rapids location for additional warehouse space, the company said.

The five-layer line will be the company's fourth W&H installation at the Michigan location and addresses "growing demands for high quality, consistent product," Pregis said.

The company previously spent $32 million for three W&H lines as well as additional production space starting in 2016.

"We are seeing increased demand for higher quality flexible packaging, ecommerce protective material and surface protection films. Our continued investment in this facility will help us meet market segment expectations for package performance and provide vertical integration for some of Pregis' other products," Tom Wetsch, chief innovation officer, said in a statement.

Creating more storage space allows the company "to create customer inventory programs which will result in reduced lead times for converters serving the food, medical and industrial markets," Pregis said.

Along with the W&H lines, the Grand Rapids location also includes four other blown film extrusion lines and a laboratory. A research-and-development team also works at the location, Pregis said.

While Pregis did not break out specific employment figures regarding the newly installed line, the company did say it has hired more than 20 workers during the past two years as the Grand Rapids location expanded.

Pregis typically plans for expansions 12 to 24 months in advance and needs less than two months "from installation to startup," the company said.