Japan-based Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc., the largest glass reinforced polypropylene manufacturer in North America, plans to invest $5 million in a new compounding line and plant improvements at its Fowlerville, Michigan, production facility to accommodate increased business.

The firm plans a $3 million investment in a large compounding extruder and $2 million investment in plant upgrades and other improvements. The new equipment is expected to be operational by the end of this year, providing a 30 percent capacity increase for its advanced line of Thermylene-brand specialty polypropylene products and a 10 percent capacity increase over all product lines.

"This $5 million investment is in addition to the $15 million invested in the last 5 years for new equipment and continuous improvement," said Prasad Puttagunta, vice president operations, Asahi Kasei Plastics. "We are very excited about the growth our company is experiencing – we are ahead of the market recovery growth rate and many of the product development investments we have made over the years are now paying dividends with increased business in new areas," said Puttagunta. "The additional capacity will ensure that we have a robust supply chain to support the growth of our customers."

"This is a very exciting time for us," said John Moyer, president of Asahi Kasei Plastics. "We are continuing to increase capacity in our plant to support business demand and we are receiving very strong support to pursue expanding our business and production capabilities in other regions in North America," said Moyer.