Gov. Matt Bevin announced plastic bottle and packaging manufacturer Alpla Inc. will grow its Bowling Green facility with a $6.9 million project expected create 24 full-time jobs.
“Since locating their second Kentucky facility in Warren County just a few years ago, Alpla has continued to steadily grow their operations,” Gov. Bevin said. “The company’s newest expansion is great news for the Bowling Green region and is emblematic of Alpla’s success here in the commonwealth. We wish them much success moving forward, and are grateful for their continued dedication to doing business in Kentucky.”
The 100,000-square-foot expansion will provide Alpla’s Bowling Green facility with additional warehousing. When complete in 2019, the space will help Alpla more quickly and efficiently meet customer demand for its blow-molded plastic bottles and hollow plastic parts. Since opening in 2013, the plant’s success required converting some warehousing space to manufacturing.
“Alpla would like to thank the Governor’s office, the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority, the Warren Rural Electric Cooperative Corp. and the TVA for their assistance and support with this project,” said Peter Irby, director of finance at Alpla. “We are excited about the opportunity to continue our growth in Warren County and the Bowling Green area. Our success is dependent upon our people and we continue to find qualified, hard-working and dedicated employees to work with us in this region.”
Headquartered in Hard, Austria, Alpla employs more than 19,300 people across operations in 45 countries. Alpla produces bottles from both low and high-density polyethylene (LDPE and HDPE) PET and other plastics. Products include water and drinks bottles, preform sports bottles, hinged lids, measuring caps, child safety caps and sports caps among other custom designs. In Kentucky, the company employs 83 people in Bowling Green and 58 at a manufacturing facility in Florence. The 24 new positions in Bowling Green include process technicians, packaging operators and downstream packaging assistants.
Brothers Helmuth and Alwin Lehner founded the company in 1955 as Alpenplastik Lehner Alwin GmbH and set up production in their parents’ laundry room using an injection-moulding machine. Within a few years, Alwin Lehner designed and built the company’s first in-house machine, leading to a series of machines and continuous technological development that continues today. Company leaders over the last several decades also invested heavily in plastics recycling technologies and expertise through both R&D and corporate acquisition.
Rep. Michael Meredith, of Oakland, said the project will benefit both the company and the community.
“I’m extremely happy to see Alpla Inc. expand its presence in Warren County,” Rep. Meredith said. “This investment will go a long way in the company’s growth and Warren County residents will greatly benefit from this expansion.”
Bowling Green Mayor Bruce Wilkerson said the city and its residents appreciate Alpla’s growth.
“We congratulate Alpla on this expansion project,” Mayor Wilkerson said. “It’s always a good day when we celebrate the success of companies in our community.”
Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon said Alpla’s new jobs and investment further showcase the county’s attractiveness for manufacturers.
“It’s very exciting to continue to see companies thrive all across our community,” said Judge-Executive Buchanon. “Warren County is a great place to do business and Alpla is one more shining example of our strong business community.”
Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ron Bunch welcomed the project.
“We are excited to celebrate the expansion of Alpla here in Bowling Green,” Bunch said. “They have been exemplary members of our business community. Their success is no surprise and we look forward to their future in our community.”
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in July preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $400,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
In addition, Alpla can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives.
For more information on Alpla, visit https://www.alpla.com/en.
A detailed community profile for Warren County can be viewed here.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at www.ThinkKentucky.com. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion on Facebook, follow on Twitter and watch the Cabinet’s “This is My Kentucky” video on YouTube.
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