3 Questions for Our International Partners

With a strategic focus on supporting international business, we asked a few partners to participate in a Q&A about their selection process and how they ultimately chose the Greater Waco community.

1. When evaluating potential locations, what specific assets or qualities was your company seeking?

ENVASES:

When evaluating potential locations for expansion we prioritized regions that offered a strong combination of workforce availability, logistical advantages and supportive business environments.

Additionally, proximity to suppliers, customers and sufficient local resources (technical schools, community colleges) to support workforce development.

POLYGLASS:

When it was determined that strategically our next manufacturing facility should be in the southwest region of the United States, there were many factors that went into our decision-making process.

From a practical and logistical perspective:

• Existing structure; size and configuration

• Access and proximity of raw materials

• Easily accessible transportation routes; major highways

• Convenient access to major international ports

• Access to major airports

• Business friendly state and local government

• Availability of local trades

• A robust and growing labor pool

• The opportunity for physical expansion

UZIN UTZ:

When considering expansions, Uzin-Utz evaluates many factors including:

• Proximity to customer base and raw materials

• State and County business climate

• Quality of the proposed site

• Proximity to major highways, air and sea ports

• Stability of utilities infrastructure, cost of utilities

• Availability of skilled labor

• Educational infrastructure and learning environment

• Affordability and quality of life

• Economic development collaboration opportunity with local authorities

2. What key factors influenced your company’s decision to expand operations into the United States?

ENVASES:

Envases’ expansion into the United States is aligned with our strategic goals of generating value for our U.S. based customers and enhancing our manufacturing network of plants across North America.

Several key factors influenced our decision to expand operations into the United States. The U.S. offers a strong and stable manufacturing infrastructure, including access to advanced technologies, skilled labor, and a robust supply chain network. Additionally, being closer to our U.S. customer base allows us to reduce lead times, improve responsiveness, and better align with just-in-time delivery models. Texas also provides a favorable business environment with support for innovation, strong incentives at the local level and growth opportunities that align with our long-term growth strategy. Ultimately, this investment in Texas enhances our ability to serve strategic customers more efficiently while reinforcing our commitment to quality and operational excellence.

POLYGLASS:

Since first establishing operations in the United States in 1992 (Fernley, Nevada), Polyglass’ strategic goals have been to expand our product lines and capacity to produce, sell and stand behind complete building envelope protection for the entire U.S.

Since then, we have added four additional manufacturing sites to include commissioning the Waco plant in 2017 and expanding in 2024.

Key factors which continue to influence our decision to expand in the U.S. include:

• The importance to Polyglass of offering products made in the U.S.

• Supporting our contractor customer base with the right products at the right time; quick response time to market

• Global diversification

• U.S. forward looking growth plans in commercial and residential construction

UZIN UTZ:

The Uzin-Utz Group’s presence in the U.S. was established in 2007 with a sales and distribution organization. Our presence grew in 2015 with the addition of a production facility in Dover, Delaware. The need for investment in a second production facility was identified in 2018 to support the steady growth in demand for our product and flooring systems. The investment in our Waco, Texas facility further solidifies our commitment to North America’s flooring market, people and industry.

3. What distinguishing characteristics made Waco stand out during your site selection process?

ENVASES:

When evaluating potential locations for expansion in Texas, it became clear that Waco provided a competitive advantage for our business.

• Strong sense of community

• Support from Chamber and the Economic Development group

• Strategic location in Central Texas

• Opportunities for continued expansion and growth

• Local financial incentives

• Commitment to developing a technical workforce locally

POLYGLASS:

As we dove deeper into the analysis of potential locations, it was clear that the City of Waco, and the support of the Chamber, provided unique and distinguishing characteristics which weighed on our decision:

• Culture of the community

• A focus on general growth and expansion of the region

• Hands-on support and partnership from the Chamber and the City

• Various tax abatement opportunities

• Employee training incentives

• Opportunities for networking, visibility, and growth

• Long term partnership

UZIN UTZ:

Our site selection process started off with the evaluation of ten potential locations in the southwest region of the U.S. There were a number of strong contenders, which we eventually reduced to two options. Considering the outcome of our matrix-based evaluation, a seemingly complex decision was made fairly easy, especially considering how welcoming, qualified and supportive the people of Waco we interacted with were. For us the people of Waco made the difference!