For over 30 years, Value Properties, Inc. has provided manufacturing, warehouse, office, and laboratory space to numerous companies, including Fortune 200 and International Manufacturers. Value Properties is now preparing for substantial growth in a region it anticipates will be the Plastics Capital of the United States within the next decade.
“There is no question in my mind — the Pittsburgh region has assets pertinent to the plastics industry that simply no other region has,” says Von Fisher of Value Properties at its Ambridge Regional Center. “We are within 700 miles of 70% of the PE/PP marketplace, 500 miles of 50% of the U.S. population, and atop one of the world’s largest natural gas deposits; we have the preeminent plastics feed stock about to come online, and we have the legacy infrastructure from the steel industry — nobody can touch this area when considering cost efficiency in the plastics manufacturing industry.”
Shell Chemical saw similar attributes when it decided to build its $6-billion ethylene cracker plant in Beaver County — approximately 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.
“The cracker plant will be coming online in two or three years, and two more cracker plants are in the pipeline locally,” said Mr. Fisher.
It is estimated that 800,000 tons per year of ethylene, 450,000 tons per year of propylene, and 230,000 tons of benzene will be produced at the Shell Cracker Plant alone. Value Properties is taking advantage of this unique situation by expanding its marketing campaign to land national and international plastics manufacturers.
“Not only are we working with companies to build facilities that meet their needs, but we are aligning ourselves with the local and regional development agencies to assure we can do our part to help those companies apply for grants and tax credits, utilize our enterprise zone and free trade zone designations, and so on,” said Mr. Fisher.
The plastics industry is not the only industry expected to reap the benefits of this alignment of assets. “We are also anticipating associated industries, warehousing, chemical, and general manufacturing to also grow tremendously over the coming decade within the region,” said Mr. Fisher. “While we already have a strong presence in those markets, we are increasing our marketing focus those to industries as well.”
For more information about this and other Value Properties projects, please visit www.vpindev.com or call 800-371-5606.