A resin manufacturer announced Monday it plans to build a $6.8 million plant that will employ 120 people in Crossett.
AREZ LLC plans to sell the resin to makers of printing ink, for which resin acts as a binding agent so ink will adhere to a printed surface.
AREZ, a subsidiary of an Ireland-based AREZ International Ltd., decided to open a U.S. plant after a factory in China reached capacity.
The Crossett factory will include a 270,000-square-foot facility on a 6-acre site in Crossett. The company will use rosin, derived from pine trees, to create the resin. AREZ will buy the raw material from Georgia-Pacific, which has a large operation in Ashley County, where Crossett is the county seat.
AREZ chief operating officer John L. Smith said government officials were quite helpful in trying to get the plant site approved.
"We at AREZ are thankful for these attitudes because we saw the local manufacturing infrastructure, talent pool, and quality of life as very desirable for us to place our facilities in Crossett," Smith said. "The government streamlined the process whereby we can get into operation much faster than we would have ever thought possible."
The announcement complements an earlier one that Georgia-Pacific LLC will upgrade its Crossett mill and add 40 jobs to the 2,100-strong workforce it already has in Ashley County.
"With options throughout the country, AREZ chose to locate its first U.S. facility in Arkansas, and they will be pleased with the talent and work ethic they find here," Gov. Mike Beebe said. "Paired with Georgia Pacific's recent announced expansion, AREZ's arrival builds the positive momentum for Crossett and southeast Arkansas."
The new factory will be able to produce 25 million pounds of resin per year. Construction is to start immediately and production is tentatively scheduled to begin in October.