Japanese Plastic Company Opens First North American Production Plant

Nissei Plastics will boost its global production network with a new 115,000-square-foot facility in San Antonio, TX.

Japan-based Nissei Plastic Industrial Co. is celebrating the grand opening of its subsidiary, Nissei Plastic Machinery America Inc., located in San Antonio, TX. The new 115,000-square-foot production facility represents $21 million in capital investment at Brooks City Base on the city’s South Side.

The company cites San Antonio’s geographic location and Texas’ tax structure as main factors that led to the choice to locate in San Antonio. Also recognized by Nissei, San Antonio has attracted a number of auto makers and is in close proximity to automotive manufacturing clusters in the Midwest region. San Antonio also boasts ready access to Mexico, with its own rapidly growing auto industry.

“San Antonio is centrally located between North, Central and South America, which are key markets for our future and Texas is ranked #1 in the U.S. with a total of about 77,000 workers in the plastic industry,” said Hosumi Yoda, President, Nissei Japan.

Nissei Plastic Machinery America Inc. San Antonio, TX
Image: Nissei Plastic Machinery America Inc.

Production at the facility includes medium-to-large-scale hybrid injection molding machines (mold clamping force 600 to 1,440 US tons), with the main components supplied by Nissei plants in Japan, China and Thailand. The new plant also includes a Technical Center equipped with demonstration machines for mold and material, which enables testing with customers prior to purchase.

“A facility like Nissei’s can change lives,” said San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg. “The manufacturing jobs and opportunities afforded can provide the kind of economic mobility that changes lives and shapes futures.”

The new facility is ideally situated to supply Nissei’s expanding demand in North America and represents a key part of the company’s global production and distribution network. The San Antonio plant will initially supply markets throughout the Americas and in the future may expand to European markets.

“Our region has a longstanding and powerful manufacturing industry with enormous economic benefits. I’m confident that Nissei will be a strong addition with lasting impact on the community,” said Judge Nelson Wolff.

“We’re excited to help bring these manufacturing job opportunities to San Antonio and look forward to having Nissei employees and their families living, working, learning and playing at and around Brooks,” said Brooks President & CEO Leo Gomez. “Our mixed-use community provides the quality of life benefits that Nissei was seeking for its employees, with the Greenline linear park, eateries, entertainment venue, attractive housing options and superior education opportunities from kindergarten to graduate school all within walking distance.”

“With our partners at the SAEDF and the County, Team San Antonio is proud to see our collective strategy for target industry growth come to fruition with a high-performing, global company like Nissei. The benefits to San Antonio will be felt for generations,” said City Manager Sheryl Sculley.

The San Antonio plant is Nissei’s third production facility outside of Japan, joining the Taicang subsidiary in China, which opened in 2009, and the Rayong subsidiary, which opened in Thailand in 2012. With production facilities at five key locations, Nissei will boast a global supply chain, with access to markets all over the world and the ability to pursue procurement on a global scale.

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