The expansion includes moving production from four buildings in Knoxville (45,120 sq. ft.), and one building in Powell (15,000 sq. ft.). The new facility is located at 10215 Caneel Street and has 220,199 sq. ft. of combined production and office space.
The $43 million investment over the next two years will involve adding new equipment that will enable the company to increase production of digital label printing, flexographic printing, digital offset printing, and sheet-fed offset printing.
“WS Packaging Group has a long-standing history as a leading provider of complex label solutions for branded consumer and business-to-business products for companies throughout North America,” said Rex Lane, chief executive officer of WS Packaging. “This expansion in Knoxville will allow us to meet the changing and growing needs of our customer base. It also will enable us to leverage a strong business environment, with support from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, to create additional employment opportunities.”
Currently, WS Packaging employs 68 people in Knoxville and 44 in Powell. The expanded operations at the new facility are projected to create 231 new jobs from March 2014 through 2016. Job postings will be made to the company’s website at www.wspackaging.com as they become available.
The move to the new Knoxville facility is expected to begin in April 2014 and be completed by July 2014.
The $43 million investment includes a $1.2 million funding FastTrack Grant from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
“We’re extremely grateful for the support from the State of Tennessee, as well as a strong and vibrant local labor market,” Lane said. “This consolidation and equipment expansion will allow us to expand our support of our current customers, and remain well-positioned for long-term growth. We’re excited about our growth prospects and the opportunity to continue investing in our business for the future.”
