From:Plastics News

(Parker Plastics Inc.)Parker Plastics Inc. said it will be able to serve its customers in California better with its new plant in Nevada.

Blow molder Parker Plastics Inc. will open a facility in North Las Vegas, Nev., to be near important customers in California.

Parker new projects manager Matt O’Neill said in a phone interview that the plant will open in the third quarter of 2015. It initially will focus on PET bottle production using reheat and blow processes, and will offer its custom bottles and entire range of stock, narrow-neck PET containers. Customer PET containers include wide-mouth and large-format products in multi-liter sizes.

“We eventually plan to contain all our capabilities in the new operation,” O’Neill explained. At full capacity the plant will employ about 60. Parker already has begun the hiring process, he added.

“We expect custom blow molding will be a big business in Nevada,” O’Neill predicted.

O’Neill declined to provide equipment and cost details for North Las Vegas but he said his company will conduct site improvements on an existing 70,000-square-foot building. It will buy new equipment for the site rather than relocate blow molders from its other facilities.

Parker said “the state’s favorable business climate” also figured in the decision to locate in North Las Vegas. Its location should also help it capitalize on new business opportunities in western United States.

Parker’s markets include food and beverage, home and office water, agricultural chemicals, oil and household chemicals. Its current plants are in Sand Springs, Okla.; Pleasant Prairie, Wis.; and Hagerstown, Md.

Parker announced last month that it has launched production of wide-mouth PET containers with the installation of two-stage, reheat and stretch blow molding machinery and enhanced technical capabilities. The project means Parker can supply PET jars and containers with neck finishes up to 130 millimeters to complement its range of narrow-neck PET, high and low density polyethylene and polypropylene bottles.

The company claims the wide-mouth project makes it one of the few custom blow molders in North America to offer non-spin trimmed, blow-molded, wide-mouth PET containers. One benefit of the technology is low mold costs for custom containers. The project also includes heat-set capabilities for containers that will be hot-filled.

Parker ranked No. 36 in Plastics News’ most recent survey of North American blow molders, with estimated sales of $45 million.