Plastic food products supplier Poly Sachi Polymers LLC is staying in Texas but relocating from Taylor to Harlingen.
On May 17, the firm signed an agreement to make that move. Harlingen is about 350 miles south of Taylor and is near the Mexican border.
In a May 30 phone interview, owner and President Haresh Sashithandandan said the company generates about 70 percent of its sales from exports to Mexico, and that rising transportation costs were making that part of the business more challenging.
"After searching for a new location to call home, we found that Harlingen and the Rio Grande Valley would be a great location for our growing company," Sashithandandan said.
Poly Sachi will occupy a 35,000-square-foot building in Harlingen by the end of the summer. The firm is spending $1 million on the move, which will create 20 new jobs.
Poly Sachi Polymers is the parent company to Pari Olefins LLC, Winlon Food Liners LLC and Fibers & Yarn LLC. Those units make extruded film and food liners, as well as rope and yarn based on polypropylene and high density polyethylene. The firm also makes some aluminum film products. Most of Poly Sachi's output is sold into the food market.
Sashithandandan said moving closer to Mexico will allow the company to ship materials there faster. Poly Sachi expects to post sales of around $4.6 million in 2019, with solid growth expected.
Poly Sachi employs 10 in Taylor, but expects to employ 70-80 in Harlingen within the next five years, Sashithandandan said.
Poly Sachi can receive up to $100,000 through a Job Creation Grant from the Harlingen Economic Development Corp. (HEDC). Those funds will be given on an annual basis over five years. Harlingen also entered into a non-annexation agreement with the company that provides a reduction on city taxes.
HEDC President Michael Lamon said that Harlingen "is in a perfect spot for industrial and manufacturing companies like Poly Sachi."
Poly Sachi traces its roots to Winzen Film & Fiber Inc., a plastic film maker founded in Sulphur Springs, Texas, in 1949. Winzen initially produced specialty films for research balloons used by the U.S. military and NASA.
In late 2012, Sashithandandan formed Pari Olefins to acquire Winzen, which he then relocated to Taylor. He has more than 20 years of experience in plastics, fabrics and textiles.
Poly Sachi formed in 2018 as a parent company. Winlon Food Liners also was created at that time to focus on food liners. The firm began making high-tenacity PP yarn earlier this year.
In addition to Mexico, Poly Sachi exports its products to other countries including India, Thailand and China.