VAN WERT — Tekni-Plex Inc. plans to expand its footprint in northwest Ohio, creating up to 100 new full-time positions and bringing $4.8 million in annual payroll to Van Wert County, State Rep. Roy Klopfenstein announced in a release from the Ohio House of Representatives.
The expansion was approved for a 1.311 percent, seven-year Job Creation Tax Credit from the Ohio Tax Credit Authority, according to the Ohio House release. The credit is tied to the new jobs the company commits to create in Van Wert County.
“Today’s announcement is a testament to Tekni-Plex’s continued partnership with northwest Ohio and their decision to invest in the people of Van Wert,” Klopfenstein said in the Ohio House release. “By expanding the workforce and creating new opportunities for individuals and families, Tekni-Plex is contributing to the overall growth and prosperity of the region.”
Tekni-Plex is a globally integrated company that provides products through materials science and manufacturing technologies, according to the Ohio House release. Its operations serve markets that rely on specialized packaging and materials produced in plants like the one growing in Van Wert County.
The Van Wert project was among the business expansions the Ohio Tax Credit Authority took up as the state continues to compete for manufacturing investment in smaller and rural counties, where a single plant expansion can rank among the largest private job announcements of the year. One hundred new full-time jobs, with $4.8 million in new annual payroll, would be a significant addition to the Van Wert County workforce.
State job-creation tax credits are performance-based: the company receives the benefit as the committed jobs are actually created and verified. The seven-year term gives Tekni-Plex a defined window to build out the expansion and reach the full employment target announced this week.
The announcement also continues a run of state-backed manufacturing growth across northwest Ohio, where communities along the U.S. 127 and U.S. 30 corridors have competed for plant expansions by offering a trained workforce, available industrial land and access to regional highway and rail networks. Local leaders in Van Wert County have pointed to exactly those advantages when recruiting employers, and a 100-job commitment from an established manufacturer already operating in the county is the kind of expansion economic development officials say is most likely to endure.
For Van Wert County families, the announcement means new openings in manufacturing close to home, in a region where plant jobs remain a backbone of the local economy. Hiring timelines and application details are expected from the company as the expansion moves forward, and NewsForce247 will update this story as those details are released.