Area Development
Austria-based plastic bottle and packaging manufacturer Alpla Inc. will expand its facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The company will invest $6.9 and is expected to create 24 full-time jobs.

The 100,000-square-foot expansion will provide Alpla’s Bowling Green facility with additional warehousing. When complete in 2019, the space will help Alpla more quickly and efficiently meet customer demand for its blow-molded plastic bottles and hollow plastic parts. Since opening in 2013, the plant’s success required converting some warehousing space to manufacturing.

“Alpla would like to thank the Governor’s office, the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority, the Warren Rural Electric Cooperative Corp. and the TVA for their assistance and support with this project,” said Peter Irby, Director of Finance at Alpla. “We are excited about the opportunity to continue our growth in Warren County and the Bowling Green area. Our success is dependent upon our people and we continue to find qualified, hard-working and dedicated employees to work with us in this region.”

Alpla produces bottles from both low and high-density polyethylene (LDPE and HDPE) PET and other plastics. Products include water and drinks bottles, preform sports bottles, hinged lids, measuring caps, child safety caps and sports caps among other custom designs. In Kentucky, the company employs 83 people in Bowling Green and 58 at a manufacturing facility in Florence. The 24 new positions in Bowling Green include process technicians, packaging operators and downstream packaging assistants.

To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in July preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $400,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets. In addition, Alpla can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network.

“Since locating their second Kentucky facility in Warren County just a few years ago, Alpla has continued to steadily grow their operations,” Governor Matt Bevin said. “The company’s newest expansion is great news for the Bowling Green region and is emblematic of Alpla’s success here in the commonwealth. We wish them much success moving forward, and are grateful for their continued dedication to doing business in Kentucky.”