ALABAMA STATE EDITION
231
65
72 Florence
2
Huntsville
20 Decatur
72
565 59
43
A Supplement to:
231
431
31
5
Gadsden
78 59 Anniston
20
Birmingham Bessemer
82 Tuscaloosa
65 280
20 82 Auburn
80
85
Selma
Phenix City
Montgomery
82
December 14 2011 Vol. XXIIV • No. 25
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“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”
Dothan
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Mobile
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Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479
Polyplex Corp. Brings $187 Million Project to Decatur By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT
The city of Decatur, Ala., is making history as the site of a $187 million construction project that’s being launched by the India-based Polyplex plant. It will mark the company’s first North American plant and will be located in Mallard Fox Creek Industrial Park. The site selected is already home to many of the city’s largest employers. “Decatur was a good choice for Polyplex for many reasons, including the strategic supplier agreement with the BP plant in Decatur,” explained Polyplex spokesperson Angela Wilson. “BP will be the primary supplier for one of the raw materials to our process. In addition to the raw material supply, the strong industrial base along with the skilled workforce available in Morgan and surrounding counties made Decatur the optimum site selection for this significant capital investment.” Company officials announced in July that the second phase should be completed in late 2015. The company also plans to relocate its U.S. headquarters to the site. The polyester film plant is under construction on property purchased for $1.7 million, with one of the local incentives including the clearing of trees and stumps from the site. With site excavation in the very early stage, construction will be a fairly lengthy process. Groundbreaking was held in July 2011. “This project is Polyplex’s first significant capital investment in the U.S. Additionally, it is the largest single capital investment
The city of Decatur, Ala., is making history as the site of a $187 million construction project that’s being launched by the India-based Polyplex plant. It will mark the company’s first North American plant and will be located in Mallard Fox Creek Industrial Park.
Polyplex has made in the company’s history,” Wilson explained. “There are challenges with any large project, but the difficulties are not driven by our parent company being overseas. We have assembled a very talented project team who have partnered with excellent strategic partners. Thus far, we are very pleased with the progress of the project.” Described as a global leader in high-performance plastic films
made of polyester and polypropylene, Polyplex Corporation Ltd. was established in the 1980s and maintains plants in India, Turkey and Thailand. Polyplex produces a plastic film used primarily in food packaging, and is considered one of the world’s largest manufacturers of thin polyester film. Polyplex CEO Sanjiv Saraf said the new addition, most likely operating in three shifts, will be its best to date. “When this plant opens next
year, it will represent our company’s largest single capital investment ever,” he explained. Amit Kalra, president and general manager of the company, stated, “We always felt we needed to have a significant presence in North America. We came to the point where we felt we needed to be closer to our customers.” Polyplex reportedly first looked at locating in Mexico, where costs would have been
lower; however, there were concerns over ongoing violence there, and officials were drawn to the high worker productivity in the United States. A handful of states were considered, before Polyplex tapped Decatur based on its sound infrastructure. According to Polyplex plant manager Jeff Hudspeth, “As with all construction projects, timing see PLANT page 2