PWP Industries Opening New PET Plastic Plant in Texas

ABILENE, TX. -- March 14, 2006 -- DevelopAbilene, a team of economic development professionals, packaged all its assets to attract PWP Industries, which has announced that it will open a 120-employee manufacturing plant in Abilene, Texas.

The California-headquartered producer of PET plastic packaging for the food industry will spend $9 to $12 million in equipping a 112,500-sq.-ft. building. The facility is located in the Five Points Business Park in Abilene, Texas. PWP has agreed to lease, with an option to buy, the building from the Development Corporation of Abilene.

PWP, a division of HPC Industries, produces PET packaging for the food industry with a full line of products and the ability to manufacture innovative designs that meet customers’ needs. The Company has manufacturing plants in California and West Virginia. Work-force quality, customer proximity and support for the project from both the Abilene Industrial Foundation and the Development Corporation of Abilene were all major factors, explained Ira Maroofian, President of PWP. “I have been especially pleased with the assistance we’ve received from the local economic development groups,” Maroofian said. “The work force in Texas is outstanding, and the proximity of this new location to our customers will improve our delivery time and allow us to respond quickly to our customer’s needs. The welcoming support we have received and availability of a modern facility has made it very easy to locate our third manufacturing plant in Texas.”

PWP’s new facility in Texas, along with the California and West Virginia facilities, will help the company solidify its position as one of the largest producers of PET packaging for the bakery and fresh-cut produce industries in the U.S. The Abilene facility will also add to the company’s reputation as the leader in customer-responsive, innovative PET packaging designs. Modifications to the building will begin immediately. Production is scheduled to begin in August of this year.