U.S. Corrugated closer to $80M ‘super plant’ in Dover

U.S. Corrugated of Delaware, a company that produces corrugated cardboard boxes, announced Monday that it has chosen Dover as its “location of preference” for a new 457,000-square-foot manufacturing facility that is expected to add 159 jobs to central Delaware.

U.S. Corrugated Chief Operating Officer Jeff Coleman was joined by consultant Andreas Akaras to present the company’s plan Monday at the Council on Development Finance, seeking approval of more than $3 million in performance-based grants from the Delaware Strategic Fund — including a job performance grant of $450,000 and a capital expenditure grant of up to $2.73 million — which it was able to secure. The project is expected to open up 159 jobs to Dover.

U.S. Corrugated of Delaware is considering central Delaware as the site for a new $80 million box-manufacturing “super plant” that would feature the latest technology for its industry. The project anticipates breaking ground in November and includes a new facility on a 37.4-acre site at 1601 POW-MIA Parkway.

“Manufacturing has long been part of a strong middle class, and this is another win for Delaware and for Kent County,” said Gov. John Carney. “This brings back to the area more of what I call the ‘new old’ jobs that, for years, have helped Delaware families put food on the table, pay the mortgage and send their kids to college.”

U.S. Corrugated of Delaware previously had been approved for a $600,000 grant from the Delaware Transportation Infrastructure Investment Fund. This grant would support signalization, entrance enhancements and other improvements at the teardrop-shaped piece of land near railroad tracks, which will enable it to bring in materials.

Mr. Coleman, a 41-year veteran of the manufacturing industry, mostly in the mid-Atlantic states, highlighted the opportunities a Dover location would provide U.S. Corrugated.