Site of WNA Chattanooga expansion.A Chattanooga food service packaging plant has unveiled its second expansion in two years, boosting its announced investment to about $33 million as its latest addition creates 40 new jobs.
Greg Dempsey, WNA Chattanooga's vice president of operations, said the newest $11 million investment will redo part of a building near its Quintus Loop facilities to make room for two more production lines.
"We've already started work to convert it," he said.
WNA plans to install high-speed thermoforming machines to manufacture products such as plastic clam shells and hinged container packaging.
Production is to start early next year, Dempsey said. The new jobs are to pay between $10 and 15 per hour, he said.
Dempsey said the company will have a total of about 270 full-time workers in Chattanooga within the next couple of years.
The company is leasing 40,000 square feet initially, and within three years will take over the remainder of the building, rounding out the operation at 67,000 square feet capable of housing up to 12 production lines, according to the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.
Charles Wood, the Chamber's vice president of economic development, said WNA's expansion is "a great example of a company successfully building on Chattanooga's strengths as a center of manufacturing."
WNA will supply the thermoformed containers to customers in the Southeast and Central U.S.
"As we've noted with our last expansion, we are the primary U.S. thermoforming operation for WNA," said Dempsey in a statement. "There is a strong potential for growth within the small format footprint that we will be initiating, and with this addition, we are able to greatly expand our product offering.
Last year, the Covington, Ky.-based company that for many years was known as American Plastics unfurled a $22 million expansion and 53 additional jobs. That project, in addition to more production, also was to bring warehousing and distribution operations to the city.
WNA parent The Waddington Group was acquired by Olympus Partners, a private equity firm, in October 2012.
The WNA division has five U.S. plants manufacturing food service and other disposable packaging. Waddington also has plants in Montreal and Colorado.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.