Techmer PM, a Tennessee-based maker of thermoplastic resins, will relocate its Pennsylvania production facility to New Castle, DE, reports delawareonline.com.
Delaware’s Council on Development Finance approved a $315,879 performance grant tied to job creation, as well as a $60,000 grant to support upgrades at Techmer’s proposed Delaware location in a 122,000-square-foot building at Centerpoint Business Complex.
Launched in 2004, Techmer ES – a subsidiary of Techmer PM – makes custom-engineered plastic compounds that equipment manufacturers used to create parts for printers, vehicles and medical equipment through injection molding and 3D printing. The company, which also operates production facilities in Tennessee and California, acquired three buildings – totaling 50,000 square feet – in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, when it purchased TP Composites in 2013.
“We knew we were going to outgrow those facilities when we acquired them,” said Tom Drye, the company’s managing director. “So about a year ago, we began looking around the Tri-State area for a location where we could consolidate those operations and have room for future growth.”
Techmer ES employs nearly 60 workers at its current plant in Aston, PA, along with an administration building in Aston and warehouse in Marcus Hook. Drye said most workers at those three facilities are expected to make the move to Delaware once the new site is up and running early next year.
The leased plant in New Castle also would allow the company to hire another 10 to 15 workers – at a minimum salary of $30,000 – soon after the move, with additional growth expected in the next two to three years, he said.
“From the start, we’ll have three more production lines in Delaware than we have in Pennsylvania,” Drye said. “We anticipate adding even more as business continues to pick up.”
Techmer’s move is still pending approval by the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control of a Coastal Zone permit for 5.5 tons of air pollutants a year.
