Industry News

Monosol breaks ground on new $72-million IN film plant

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Against a backdrop of massive earth-moving equipment and stacks of structural steel, Indiana’s manufacturing base took another step forward at the ceremonial groundbreaking for MonoSol’s new plant in Lebanon, IN, yesterday.

Pictured (left right): Ross Pangere, President & Owner of The Ross Group, Inc.; Tim Boyle, Senior Vice President Operations; Hitoshi Toyoura, Kuraray America President; P. Scott Bening, MonoSol President & CEO & Kuraray Executive Officer; Lebanon Mayor Matt Gentry; Shinichi Koga, Senior Process Engineer; Christian Herrmanns, Senior Vice President Marketing & Sales; Jason Lake, Senior Managing Director at Cushman & Wakefield; Mike Powell, Senior Project Manager.

MonoSol and its customers continue to benefit from major capital investments by its parent company, Tokyo-based chemical manufacturer Kuraray Group, Ltd. The new $72-million, 150,000-sq-ft production facility is MonoSol’s sixth manufacturing plant and its fourth in Indiana. The company makes water-soluble films for single-unit-dose laundry and dishwasher detergents, personal care, food ingredients and agriculture products as well as films that are used to improve manufacturing processes. MonoSol films are made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), a biodegradable, non-toxic film that dissolves in water.

Construction on the site, located in the Duke Realty Lebanon Business Park, began early this spring. When the current plan is completed in late 2020, the company expects the facility to employ up to 90 workers. Founded in Indiana in 1953, MonoSol currently employs nearly 600 workers at its three plants in Northwest Indiana and its Merrillville headquarters. The company additionally manufactures its water-soluble films in the UK and Japan.

Company leaders and employees were joined by local and state officials to celebrate the groundbreaking. MonoSol President and Kuraray Executive Officer P. Scott Bening said the project is designed to enhance the company’s proximity to its growing global customer base and provide a degree of geographic diversity.

“MonoSol serves many of the largest consumer products companies in the world,” says Bening. “Building this new facility in Lebanon positions our company to continue growing alongside of them, while also proving that world-class companies can be born and grow right here in Indiana.”

Company and local officials also participated in a traditional Japanese “Daruma” good luck ceremony. A Daruma doll is one of the most popular lucky charms in Japan and helps fulfill wishes. At the beginning of an important project, leaders paint one eye of the doll. Upon project completion, the other eye is painted in celebration of wishes being fulfilled.



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