Axium Plastics’ expansion in New Albany’s International Personal Care and Beauty Campus has increased in scope, according to local officials.

The expansion project, which is expected to be completed by December, has increased from 90,000 square feet to 158,000 square feet.

Jennifer Chrysler, New Albany’s community-development director, said City Council in March approved a 15-year, 100 percent property-tax abatement on the proposed 90,000-square-foot expansion.

“They need to make the facility larger, which is different than what was approved,” she told City Council on July 7.

City Council on July 7 voted unanimously to amend the agreement to include the increased expansion.

The new expansion plans include “an additional 8,000 square feet of manufacturing space and an additional 60,000 square feet of warehouse space,” according to the legislative report.

Axium also “will commit to create an additional 20 jobs with an annual payroll of $600,000,” the legislative report said.

Axium built a 110,000-square-foot facility in 2011 and expanded by 90,000 square feet in 2012, Chrysler said.

She said the company has exceeded all the city’s benchmarks for the development.

Axium officials said in March the company has more than 200 full-time employees working three shifts and seven days a week at the site. They said the annual payroll is $7.5 million.

“Once complete, the total project (including all expansions) will generate at least $33,500 annually for infrastructure debt service, $30,800 annually for the Johnstown-Monroe school district and $30,800 annually for the city’s general fund. The overall growth of the company has resulted in a $2,000,000 increase in payroll in 2015 from the benchmarks provided in the original two community-reinvestment-area agreements,” according to the legislative report.

Chrysler said Axium officials hope to begin the expansion within the next three weeks.

Axium, based in Mississauga, Ontario, manufactures plastic containers ranging in size from 0.5 ounce to 40 ounces for the food, personal-care, health-care and automotive industries.

Axium officials told City Council the company manufactured 1.6 billion bottles last year at the New Albany facility.

By Lori Wince
This Week Community News