Japanese Firm Plans to Build PET Plastic Recycling Plant in Tennessee

The Japanese company VIAM Manufacturing has announced plans to locate a plant in Manchester, Tenn., that will produce PET stable carpet fiber from clear recycled PET bottles. The new facility will be operated by VICAM, a newly formed subsidiary of Japan Vilene Co (JVC). It will be managed by VIAM Manufacturing.

The company will use fiber technology by the Japanese company Oyama Chemical. The carpet fiber produced by the plant will be used in headliner, seat backs and door panels for the automotive industry.

According to an announcement by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, the plant is expected to open in January 2012, and represents an investment of $32 million.

“I welcome VICAM to Tennessee and thank JVC, VIAM Manufacturing and Oyama Chemical for their confidence in our state’s business-friendly climate and high-quality workforce,” says Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam in a release. “Japan has long been Tennessee’s largest foreign investor nation, and we are particularly grateful for the growing presence of Japanese companies in the Volunteer State and the investment and jobs they bring.”

The plant will be located on a 12-acre site that will house a 44,000-square-foot facility with the capability for a future expansion of 120,000 square feet.

JVC, established in 1960 in Japan, is a manufacturer of nonwoven products. The company expanded its operation into North American in 1983 with the establishment of VIAM Manufacturing Inc. in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., and then VIAM Tennessee in Manchester in 1999. In 2008, VIAM’s Manchester location became the headquarters for VIAM North America.