Posted September 11, 2017
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Nonwovens fabrics manufacturer WPT Corp. will open a $6 million, 40-job plant – its second in Ohio County, Kentuck – to add capacity for materials used in hygiene and filtration products such as diapers and furnace air filters, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin announced.
“As a family-owned and operated company, WPT Corp. is taking a major step forward in establishing a new production facility,” Gov. Bevin said. “Our state and local economic development efforts provide support for exactly this kind of business growth across Kentucky. We congratulate both the company and the Ohio County community on this new project and look forward to their continued success.”
WPT will locate its new operation in the 60,000-square-foot former Nestaway plant on 7th Street in Beaver Dam. The facility will increase WPT’s manufacturing capabilities with installation of a state-of-the-art nonwovens production line focusing on the hygiene and filtration media sectors. WPT’s current facility on South Main Street underwent an expansion in 2015 and is now nearing capacity.
Wayne Robbins founded WPT in 2008, and his grandson, Travis Robbins, currently leads the 57-employee company.
“We’re excited to grow our company in Ohio County, and most of all I’m proud of the hard work and dedication from our team of employees,” Travis Robbins said. “Without their countless hours, attention to detail and dedication to our customers, this would not be possible. We also appreciate the support from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and Gov. Bevin. Our new state-of-the-art facility will be online in late March, and we look forward to the opportunity to supply a high-quality product to the region’s and commonwealth’s nonwoven hygiene and filtration markets.”
WPT uses raw fibers – polyester, rayon and cotton – to manufacture a wide range of products such as telecom cable wrap, landscape fabrics, fire-retardant roof membrane and hot oil filtration media.
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in August preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $750,000 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, WPT can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. In fiscal year 2016, the Kentucky Skills Network provided training for nearly 95,000 Kentuckians and 5,000 companies from a variety of industry sectors.
Source: Kentucky Governor’s Office
WPT Corp. to add second nonwovens plant in Kentucky, create 40 jobs
