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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Ocean Bio-Chem Plans Montgomery, Alabama, Subsidiary Expansion

02/03/2021
Florida–based Ocean Bio-Chem, Inc., the parent company of Star brite, Inc. and Kinpak Inc., manufacturer of marine, RV, and outdoor performance and maintenance chemicals, reported Kinpak Inc. plans to expand its manufacturing and distribution facility in Montgomery, Alabama.

According to company officials Kinpak’s plant, on its 23 acre site in Gunter Industrial Park, will be expanded by an additional 69,000 sq. ft. This planned expansion will bring the total facility square footage to exceed 370,000 sq. ft. of dedicated space for production, warehousing, and distribution. This is the second major expansion of their facilities in less than five years.

"As previously announced, our 2020 sales increased over 32% or $13.3 million to approximately $55.6 million from 2019 sales. Our 2017 plant expansion was essential to support the increase in business we realized in 2020,” said Peter Dornau, Ocean Bio-Chem President and CEO. “Without the plant expansion, we would not have had the capacity to meet customer demands. Our current expansion plans are essential in supporting our anticipated business growth in the future."

Kinpak Inc.’s OBCI's manufacturing arm is a full-service, vertical manufacturing facility that handles all aspects of the process: blow molding, blending, filling, warehousing, and distribution. Kinpak produces and distributes Star brite-branded and Star Tron branded products, as well as Performacide, antifreeze, and many well-known private label products for both outdoor and home categories.

Company officials noted the announcement comes at a time when the local Montgomery economy, like other cities around the US affected by the coronavirus pandemic, has experienced high unemployment rates. Designated as an "essential business," the Kinpak facility is able to continue operations, and has continued operating throughout the lockdown.

"Also as a result of growth of our business we have directly supported the local Montgomery, Alabama economy during this time of lower employment," Dornau added. "Not only did we increase our hiring during 2020, we now employ approximately 145 full time employees with benefits, an increase of approximately 50% from the beginning of 2020."

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