Plastic logistics co. opens new $24M Baytown warehouse
December 11, 2017
To meet a growing customer need in the petrochemical supply chain, a Houston-based plastic logistics company has expanded its greater Houston presence.
Plantgistix held a grand opening of its 333,000-square-foot warehouse at 717 Logistics Drive in the AmeriPort Industrial Park in Baytown. The expansion is a $24 million investment that has created 17 new jobs.
The warehouse includes a large plastic resin packaging line. Rail carts bring in the resin that is extracted and puts it into packages and pallets. Plantgistix then stores and ships the resin.
Plantgistix CEO Marc Levine described the machine as the biggest and largest available.
“I’m excited to have state-of-the art equipment and be part of the shale gas miracle,” Levine said. “I’m so fortunate to participate in all of it.”
The family-owned company chose the location because of its storage and switching capacity for 2,400 rail cars as well as barge service. Tony McFarland, the operating manager, said that the facility will be able to handle 100 to 200 rail cars a month.
The expansion also allows the company to begin plastics resin drying and volumetric blending in addition to its other services that include in-plant and off-plant services, transportation and other logistics operations.
Cheap shale gas has spurred the growth for his company, Levine said. Around $60 billion in chemical plant construction announced since 2012 has been completed or is nearing completion, according to data from the Greater Houston Partnership.
Several city and county officials attended the grand opening, including Baytown Mayor Stephen DonCarlos.
“Seeing the technology and seeing the company already having contracts with clients paints a bright picture for our future,” he said.
Plantgistix broke ground on the warehouse in the spring, and it was operational by July, McFarland said. Houston-based National Property Holdings was the general contractor, a spokesperson said. It also manages the 835-acre AmeriPort Industrial Park, per its website. The lease on the new space is for 10 years. Bob Berry with Avison Young acted as the broker on the deal.
Plantgistix also has 660,000 square feet near Interstate 10 and Market Street on the east side of downtown. So the new facility brings Plantgistix’s total square footage in Houston to nearly 1 million. It has a total of 134 employees.