PTI Engineered Plastics to Expand Facility

Macomb, Mich.-based plastics manufacturer PTI Engineered Plastics is expanding its main facility by 36,000 square feet in an effort to create new technology as well as jobs. The expansion will bring the facility to a total of 150,000 square feet. In January, when PTI made its intention for expansion known, the company forecasted 80 new jobs over the next two years. That number is now a more conservative 50. PTI plans to invest $3.11 million in new machinery, equipment, furniture and fixtures and another $1.7 million in building improvements.

The expansion was made possible by the Macomb Township board of trustees’ approval in January of an industrial facilities exemption certificate, or tax abatement, for PTI. In fact, PTI was able to build its current facility in the first place because of an older tax abatement granted them by the township in 2008.

“Construction took place in 2008 when things really started turning south and without motivation like this tax, which has helped tremendously with the budgets, we may not have pulled through,” James Kaiser, PTI chief financial officer told the Macomb Patch. “We made a proviso that if we couldn’t get the abatement we wouldn’t buy the land.”

CEO Mark Rathbone has set a completion goal of Fall 2012. “Our continued commitment to be in the forefront of our customers’ needs and expectations spurred this decision,” he said. “Along with this expansion we plan on increasing our workforce, there will be opportunity in the advanced skilled areas of mold making, the engineering department, as well as general manufacturing.”