Plastilene Group opened its first Production Facility and Innovation Center in Ohio, USA.

The ribbon cutting ceremony on June 7 marked the official grand opening of the new U.S. facility. ¨In this first operations phase, we look forward to serving the market of high barrier films for food industry¨, explained Guillermo Umaña, manager of Plastilene Inc.

The opening, which was attended by customers, suppliers, banks, government authorities, executives of the different companies of Plastilene Group, and the entire Plastilene Inc. staff, also included a guided tour, which allowed all of the guests to learn about the facility´s  technological capabilities and, finally, networking among more than 180 invited people.

After the opening, “the interest in the entry of this new facility has attracted many new customers and suppliers, which impacts the entire value chain, given the relevance of the new project”, added the executive.

Tailor-made development

Customers highlighted our towering capacity to develop customized and scalable products according to specific needs, emphasized Umaña.

“We have laboratory equipment here to make films, so the customer can come and explore with the machine; that is, we can develop at lab level the product the customer needs and then move on to an industrial process, without the cost or time delay of performing those developments on an industrial-scale machine.”

Conquering the North: a dream fulfilled!

Ohio local authorities expressed their satisfaction with the Colombian company´s entry, emphasizing that our company is here to invest and generate new quality employment leveraged on the technology we are bringing along, a great differentiator for this area, which is predominantly agricultural, thus allowing us to diversify the economy in the region with opportunities for many local families.

Jon Husted, Ohio´s Lt. Gov., guest of honor at the event, emphasized that they see in Plastilene “the perfect lab for U.S. market, because your company is able and willing to develop products tailored to the needs of customers and you have the knowledge, talent and machinery to achieve it, as  well.¨  All of this is translated into support for the new operation in the North American market.

That was precisely the reason why we received investment capital from JobsOhio, promoting innovation and growth in the region. We prepared for more than a year of work to obtain a Grant (financial incentive that does not require return), which helped us to set up our lab and become the first Colombian company to set foot in this territory.

Packaging Innovation for meat and dairy products.

 We entered this market with cutting-edge technology developed in Colombia during the last 5 years, providing a solution for the protein packaging of one of our strategic allies in Ohio. This monomaterial application is highly sustainable and replaces a non-recyclable material.

All our customers get support and advice in packaging selection that best suits their needs and which is sustainable at the same time.

During the conversations going on with our new allies, it is very gratifying to hear them saying that Plastilene Group has the support and experience of the entire Latin American operation, which gives them enormous confidence to work side by side in North American market.

With the start-up of the new extrusion capacity and sheet plant in August, Plastilene Group’s first phase of investment in Ohio, USA, is complete.