M&M Industries to Add Rail Spur as Part of $38M Investment
LORDSTOWN, Ohio – A $100,000 grant from the Ohio Rail Development Commission will help M&M Industries construct a vital lifeline for its plastics manufacturing plant in Lordstown.
The funding is part of M&M’s $38 million investment at the former Magna Seating plant, 1702 Henn Parkway, which includes $750,000 for the rail line. The rest of the investment will be through an addition to the rear of the building and equipment installation.
“Rail is the preferred method for shipping. We will be adding silos to the building to accept this and be able to manufacture out of our Lordstown facility,” said CEO Glenn Morris at the rail commission’s monthly meeting Wednesday.
Four silos to store the pellets of raw plastic will be added to the west side of the building, facing state Route 46.
“The rail has been designed to miss the building and come up alongside it, letting us load those silos,” said chief operating officer Darrell Davis.
The rail spur, about 1,200 linear feet, will connect a new manufacturing facility to the Norfolk Southern line just to the north of M&M’s site. In 2015, the line received a $285,000 grant from the Ohio Rail Development Commission matched by Norfolk Southern to keep the line in shape for service after the operator considered discontinuing it.
“This development is exactly the type of development ORDC and the [Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber] wished to encourage with our project in 2015,” the information packet for Wednesday’s meeting read.
In addition to the rail line, M&M will add an expansion – Davis said the size will be between 75,000 and 85,000 square feet – to the northern side of the building. When M&M announced it was moving to the Lordstown site, the company said in a statement that it planned to begin operations this summer and hire 106 workers within five years.
With its headquarters in Chattanooga, Tenn., M&M Industries is a manufacturer of plastic pails for both hazardous and nonhazardous materials. Most containers are U.N. certified and are made with FDA-grade materials. In addition to the Tennessee site, it also has a plant in Phoenix, Ariz.
“I can’t begin to describe our excitement and enthusiasm for working with the extraordinary people of Ohio, playing a role in the growth of Ohio and becoming a part of the community. We can’t wait to get started,” Morris said in a statement issued by the Regional Chamber after the meeting.
Added Sarah Boyarko, chief operating officer of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber: “We are extremely pleased to have worked with M&M throughout the attraction process. They are an impressive company, and their investment will help to diversify our local economy and strengthen our future.”
In November, Lordstown Village Council and Lordstown Local School District’s board of education approved a 75%, 15-year tax abatement for the project.
Pictured at top: M&M Industries will use this site in Lordstown, 1702 Henn Parkway, for plastics manufacturing.
Related Coverage
Nov. 9: Lordstown Council OKs Tax Breaks for M&M Industries
Nov. 13: M&M Industries Eyes Mid-Summer 2021 to Start Operations
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