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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Hicks Plastics Invests $10.4 Million To Open Manufacturing Plant In Knoxville, Tennessee

04/01/2015
In order to increase supplier efficiency, advanced plastics manufacturer Hicks Plastics will open a new production facility in Knoxville, Tennessee. Hicks Plastics plans to invest $10.4 million to begin operations in an existing building located at 1821 Mid Park Drive, creating 202 new jobs in Knox County.

Hicks Plastics produces automotive lighting components, specializing in molded and vacuum metalized lighting components. The company is expanding its manufacturing operations from Michigan to Knoxville in order to be closer to SL Tennessee, which manufacturers and produces head lamps and tail lamps for the automotive market. At the Knoxville location, Hicks Plastics will produce lighting components for various GM vehicles.

“SL Tennessee was in search of a supplier with metalizing capabilities to take on a significant volume of work in the Clinton area and after several months of careful review, we found Knoxville to be the ideal location with a knowledgeable labor force and a variety of skilled trades and contractors,” Hicks Plastics Vice President Tim Hicks said.

“With the help of these local contractors, Knoxville city officials, and SL Tennessee’s Business Development Manager Scott Laska, Hicks Plastics is on track for summer 2015 production. We are looking forward to a successful partnership with SL Tennessee, the state of Tennessee, and the greater Knoxville area,” Hicks added. The company plans to begin producing in Knoxville in July 2015, becoming fully operational by December 2015. SL Tennessee will be Hicks Plastics’ first customer in Tennessee.

“We are proud to be a part of what we hope will be the first of many similar expansions in the Knoxville area,” Laska said. “We have received excellent support from the city as we worked together from the early stages of this project. We look forward to continuing that relationship in order to expand the scope of our local supply base in the coming months and years.”

“We want to welcome Hicks Plastics to Tennessee and thank them for creating these new jobs,” Governor Bill Haslam said. “We recognize that companies have a lot of choices when it comes to doing business and we work hard every day to create the kind of environment that encourages growth, allowing us to continue our efforts to become the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”

“With more than 900 automotive suppliers located here, Tennessee is in a great position to capitalize on the geographic shift of automotive manufacturing toward the southeast,” Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd said. “Through companies like Hicks Plastics, we will continue to strengthen our supplier network and provide opportunities for growth in our communities. I want to thank Hicks Plastics for their investment and creating these valuable new jobs.”

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