American Plastics investing in Seneca County facility

Company investing $3.5 million, adding 138 jobs

By NICK DUTRO

Tiffin-Seneca Econimic Partnership

TIFFIN – American Plastics, a premier plastic injection molding company located just south of Tiffin, has announced that it will be investing a total of $3.5 million and hiring more than 130 workers by the end of 2019.

The new investment and job creation is due to both the acquisition of the former Katy Industries facility by High View Capital in 2018 and the additional business to produce plastic shelving and totes under the Craftsman brand label for Lowe’s.

American Plastics’ Tiffin facility will be the sole manufacturer of shelving for the Craftsman brand, to be available at the more than 1,500 Lowe’s stores in North America. The plant currently specializes in the production of plastic shelving and plastic totes, including the Commander and Blue Hawk name brands for Lowe’s; Husky for Home Depot; and Tough Box for Sam’s Club. American Plastics has 14 other facilities throughout the United States, including facilities in Sycamore, Findlay and Arizona.

This announcement represents a commitment to a second, $2.5 million phase of investment in new tooling at the 68,000-square-foot Hopewell Township plant, adding to the completion of $1 million investment in equipment and facility upgrades in 2018. Company employment, which was 27 at the beginning of 2018, is expected to reach or exceed 165 by the end of 2019, representing a net 138 job increase.

“This is a huge positive step forward for our operations here and represents both the company’s bright future and the quality of our workforce,” said Joe Roth, plant manager for American Plastics in Tiffin. “We contribute our growth and success to our dedicated team, innovation, quality and customer relationships.  I only see this getting stronger as we grow along side with the City of Tiffin.”

Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz was impressed by the company during a visit there in early 2019.

“This major expansion represents another example of the great economic momentum we are seeing in the greater Tiffin area across all sectors, including manufacturing,” he said.

“This is a huge win for Seneca County, and we look forward to seeing their continued success,” said Seneca County Commission President Shayne Thomas.

Nick Dutro is development manager for Tiffin-Seneca Econimic Partnership.