ORIGINALLY WRITTEN BY STAFF
Container Services Inc. will begin to expand its production line into a new plastics technology with the help of a recently approved USDA Rural Development loan.
The local producer of plastic containers has been approved for a $450,000 Business & Industry Loan to be used to expand into PET, a clear-look plastic.
Darrell Driggers, co-owner of the 10-year-old company located in the Hillsboro Industrial Park, said the grant would be used to purchase and install ?reheat and stretch blow? equipment, the same technology used to produce one- and two-liter plastic soft-drink bottles.
?That?s the way the industry is going,? Driggers said.
To date, the company is a major manufacturer for semi-clear plastic ?honey bear? containers for Barkman Honey Co. and Granny Mustard, two local businesses.
The company also has several other clients. The addition of the new equipment will supply clear containers for Barkman, but will also meet the needs of new and existing clients.
The company runs two 10-hour shifts and expects to stay in the range of 15 to 17 employees, though the addition of the new equipment could add two positions to the firm, Driggers said.
Central National Bank is the local lending institution for the guaranteed loan, according to a statement from William Kirk, state director for USDA Rural development in Kansas.
The purpose of the loan program is to ensure that jobs remain in the rural areas rather than migrating to larger cities, Randy Snider, rural development specialist, told the Hutchinson News. The program defines rural areas as communities of 50,000 people or less.
USDA Rural Development loan will enable Container Services to expand product line
