Ohio-based manufacturer Buckhorn Inc. is adding employees at its Partnership Industrial Center facility in response to increased demand and a company decision to consolidate operations.
The maker of injection-molded plastics and structural foam announced on Friday plans to hire up to 80 jobs in 2010, including about 40 in the first quarter.
The move is a combination of response to increased demand in a new product line and companywide consolidation in its legacy division, according to Larry Spilker, Springfield plant manager. He said the company began manufacturing plastic cargo palettes in 2008, and the demand for those has grown to the point that additional workers are needed.
"We make about 6,000 of those a day, and we're spending $3 million to modify those operations to allow for another couple thousand a day," Spilker said. "That operation has a need for additional people. We've used a lot of temporary people and will be converting those to permanent jobs."
The Springfield facility, 2727 N. Partnership Blvd., also is adding jobs due to the consolidation of a facility in Shelbyville, Ky., which is closing due to the economic downturn and declined demand for the company's original product lines.
Buckhorn is investing a total of $6.5 million in the Springfield facility to expand palette capacity and move the Kentucky operations. A news release from the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce said Springfield competed with other locations outside the state for the additions.
The new jobs start at $10 to $12 per hour with medical benefits, and the jobs are mostly entry-level. The plant currently employs 160.
Spilker said Springfield's central location and strong work force were a determining factor, along with tax credits through the Enhanced Enterprise Zone, which offer tax credits and property tax abatements to employers that invest at least $100,000, create at least two new jobs and pay at least half of employee health premiums.
"Due to the work force here and the performance here, as well as the tax credit incentives, it was decided that this was the best location," Spilker said.[[In-content Ad]]
