Posted on 08/10/2017 7:17:19 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
MASON — Food and beverage packaging manufacturer Dart Container Corp. plans to invest $40 million in a new technical and innovation center in a project that is expected to create at least 136 new jobs in the Lansing region.
The new jobs will be in areas including engineering, skilled trades, technology and administrative, it said Wednesday in a news release.
The expansion by Mason-based Dart is being supported by a $1 million Michigan Economic Development Corp. grant from the Michigan Business Development Program, which provides economic assistance to businesses that create jobs and investment in Michigan. Alaiedon Township is also is supporting the project through a tax abatement, the release stated.
According to the release, the project includes:
•Construction of a 250,000-square-foot facility on 38 acres in Alaiedon Township adjacent to Dart's existing corporate campus in Mason. The two-story technical and innovation center will feature 80,000 square feet for offices and 170,000 square feet for the development and production of prototype packaging solutions.
•Renovation of existing space to expand Dart's tooling and machine manufacturing operations from 215,000 square feet to 330,000 square feet.
The company makes Solo and foam cups, plastic utensils and carryout containers.
"The center will allow us to optimize collaboration, increase our ability to create prototypes and spur innovative product development for our customers," Dart Container President Jim Lammers said in the release.
Dart Container in 2012 acquired Solo Cup Co. In the past five years, Dart Container said, it has invested more than $60 million in the Mason campus and created more than 500 new jobs. Dart Container's Mason campus and Holt ink plant have more than 2,000 employees.
“Dart Container Corporation of Mason, Michigan, United States is the world’s largest manufacturer of foam cups and containers, producing about as many as all competitors combined. Dart Container is privately held by the Dart family.
In May 2012, Dart acquired Illinois-based Solo Cup Company and now has approximately 15,000 employees and more than 45 production, distribution center, and office locations in eight countries.[3]”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dart_Container
I’m happy for Lansing, Mi. This sounds like a good investment for a needed service. Many already financially strapped cities will be eager to spend millions on building a new sports stadium, thinking this will generate more income for the city. A lot depends on how many wins the team makes, and how popular that sport is in that locale.
“Dart Manufacturing Company was founded in 1937 by William F. Dart as a machine shop, manufacturing key rings, steel tape measures, and dog tags for the Department of Defense.[4] When his son, William A. Dart, came out of the University of Michigan with three degrees (metallurgy, mathematics, and engineering), he worked for DuPont briefly, then joined the family business in the late 1950s. He experimented with and perfected an expandable polystyrene (EPS) molding process, and shipped their first insulated foam cups in April 1960.[4] Dart Container Corporation was incorporated in 1960.[5]”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dart_Container
Some cities here in California probably would not have approved this project because they manufacture foam cups and plates. Many Greens think the foam restaurant cups and containers are not biodegradable, create pollution and increase...Global Warming.
Some of my favorite Chinese restaurants have been forced to throw out all their old foam plates and containers, trading them for various kinds of cardboard which leaks or plastic which can be expensive. So be it. For now.
And with the President Donald J. Trump's energy policy
The cost of energy and the raw materials for those foam cups and containers will be a lot less
Expect Dart Corp to grow even bigger
and hire a lot more Americans in the process.
Dart And The Environment
The drive for efficiency is a core value at Dart. Our mission statement says: “Dart sets the industry standard of excellence by efficiently providing high quality foodservice packaging solutions and exceptionally reliable service.” Efficiency is the cornerstone upon which Dart’s business decisions are made. ...”
Despite conventional wisdom to the contrary, foam foodservice products hold many environmental advantages over alternative types of single-service cups and containers.
To find out more information about foam products and the environment, please visit our “Environmental Question and Answer” section. ...”
Foam foodservice products can be recycled as part of an integrated waste management strategy. Dart encourages the recycling of foam cups and foam foodservice products by offering three options: The CARE Program for large operators; Recycla-Pak, a mail-back recycling program for small operators; and drop-off locations for the general public. ...”
https://www.dartcontainer.com/environment/
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.