By ROD ZOOK
Hutch Post
SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — American Packaging in South Hutchinson has finished a major expansion project that started last year. Tony Schleich, president of American Packaging, says that, while the project took a little longer than expected, all is up and running.
“It did extend a little longer than we thought,” Schleich said. “We had a couple of weather setbacks and that kind of thing.”
Still, the new expansion, which was finished late in the summer, is paying off with increased production and better warehouse space. Schleich says it certainly has made a difference.
“We have a couple pieces of new equipment that dramatically increased our capacity,” Scheich said. “Not to mention the material handling, in the form of conveyors and some other material handling pieces.”
Schleich says the expansion has allowed the company to increase not only its mechanical footprint, but to make the facility more efficient. Schleich says he is still looking for about five employees to add to the current workforce of 60. The 100,000-square-foot expansion has also allowed the company to put all of its operations and shipping under one roof.
“It’s affording us an opportunity to move our finished goods and warehouse all under one roof,” Schleich said. “We’re going to retain our warehouse across the street to the south of us for some spillover square footage.”
The expansion added more than 100,000 square feet of space to what was an existing 45,000-square-foot facility. The cost of the expansion was around $7 million.
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