AR: AREZ to Locate New Manufacturing Facility in Crossett

AREZ LLC recently announced it will locate its U.S. headquarters and a new manufacturing facility in Crossett that will produce rosin-based resins for the printing ink industry. AREZ will invest approximately $6.8 million in the facility, where 121 new jobs will be created. AREZ LLC is a subsidiary of AREZ International Ltd. of Ireland. This is the company's first location in North America.

AREZ will build a 270,000-square-foot facility on a six-acre site in Crossett to produce resin.

The primary supplier of rosin to AREZ will be Georgia Pacific in Crossett.

John L. Smith, chief operating officer of AREZ LLC, remarked that he has never worked with state and local government officials who have shown such attitudes of "how can we help" and "let's get it done". "We at AREZ are thankful for these attitudes because we saw the local manufacturing infrastructure, talent pool, and quality of life as very desirable for us to place our facilities in Crossett," said Smith. "The government streamlined the process whereby we can get into operation much faster than we would have ever thought possible."

In addition to its headquarters in Ireland, AREZ International also has locations in mainland Europe and China. With the China manufacturing facility at capacity, the company chose to locate in Crossett to better meet the needs of clients in the U.S.

"With options throughout the country, AREZ chose to locate its first U.S. facility in Arkansas, and they will be pleased with the talent and work ethic they find here," Governor Mike Beebe said. "Paired with Georgia Pacific's recent announced expansion, AREZ's arrival builds the positive momentum for Crossett and Southeast Arkansas."

The Crossett facility will have the capacity to produce 25 million pounds of resin annually. AREZ will begin construction immediately and hopes to begin initial production by October 2011.

AREZ Crossett will also provide tolling services for production of resin solutions.

"AREZ choosing Crossett is a statement about the quality of life and the resiliency of this community," said Crossett Mayor Scott McCormick.

Additional information can be found at www.arezinternational.com.