Berry Plastics is planning a major expansion of its thermoforming business – one that will create 150 jobs and devote $80m to construction and new equipment.
But the Evansville, Indiana-based plastic packaging giant hasn’t designated a site for the project, which is set to open in early 2010.
Berry officials said that the firm “is evaluating multiple sites to determine the final location for the expansion”. Officials added that the expansion “is being driven to add capacity which will support customers’ growing desire for plastic thermoformed products”. Berry executives Randy Hobson and Adam Unfried declined to add specific details, but Hobson – the firm’s executive vice president of commercial development – said the decision would be made “in weeks, rather than months”.
“There’s no drop-dead date to decide by, but this capacity is needed by our customer base, so the project is definitely being fast-tracked,” Hobson added. Berry currently does thermoforming at three US plants but officials declined to comment on the possibility of any of those sites getting the expansion. Factors affecting the decision include site availability, a competitive work force, construction costs and proximity to customers.
