Ring Container Technologies’ new facility will manufacture high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic bottles. Image courtesy of Growing Labs.

The Hagerstown plant is Ring Container’s 18th manufacturing plant. Image courtesy of Dierk Schaefer.

The new facility will receive plastic resin in the form of pellets. Image courtesy of Bjorn Watland.

Ring Container Technologies inaugurated a new plastic bottle manufacturing plant near Hagerstown, Maryland, US, in April 2018.

The plant also includes a warehousing facility and is anticipated to commence production towards the end of the second quarter of 2018.

Being built as part of Ring Container’s nationwide growth plans, the new facility is the company’s 18^th manufacturing plant. It will manufacture high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic bottles for the food packaging industry.

The facility is expected to initially employ 18 people.

Location of Ring Container’s new facility

The new plastic bottle manufacturing and warehousing plant is located in Hagerstown, Washington County.

The location was selected due to its close proximity to major highways and to the company’s customers in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

The site is also located close to distribution centres for fine china and tableware producer Lenox and office supply company Staples. Availability of skilled workforce and improved transportation infrastructure in the state was another reason for choosing to locate in Hagerstown.

The site provides savings by reducing the shipping distance of the empty containers. It also enables the company to easily transport the products to regional customers.

Details of Ring Container’s new facility

An existing building located at 16522 Hunters Green Parkway off the Hopewell Road near Interstate 70 was refurbished to build the new facility.

The retrofitted facility covers an area of 78,517ft² and includes a warehouse/production area, a pump room and a new chiller. It also includes two new silos located on the left side of the building.

Plastic resin will be transported to the facility in the form of pellets by tanker trucks and stored in the silos.

Other facilities at the plant include two mechanical rooms, offices, a shop area, a parts area, a shipping office and an IT room.

Restrooms, a break room, an employee locker room and a drivers’ lobby are also included in the new facility.

Government support and incentives

The Maryland government is supporting the new facility and providing incentives under its More Jobs for Marylanders programme, which provides tax incentives to manufacturers that create jobs in the state.

The incentives provided under the programme include a ten-year income-tax credit for approximately 5.75% of the total wages paid per employee. Sales-tax refund, state property-tax credit and elimination of corporate filing fees are also part of the programme.

Marketing commentary on Ring Container

Headquartered in Tennessee, US, Ring Container Technologies is a part of the RING Companies, which also includes RAPAC, the biggest polystyrene recycler in the US. Ring Container Technologies owns and operates a number of plants across the US, Canada and the UK.

The company is focused on manufacturing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and HDPE plastic containers, as well as providing sustainable solutions to the consumer packaging industry. The company’s customers include Bay Valley Foods, Cargill, ConAgra Brands, Hormel, and Ventura Foods.

As part of its nationwide growth strategy, Ring Container also plans to open a manufacturing facility in Louisville, Kentucky, towards the end of 2018.