Nefab to spend $8.3 million on plastic packaging business with new Tennessee facility

PolyFlex, a subsidiary of Nefab Group, is spending $8.3 million to expand its heavy-gauge plastics packaging business to a new 137,000-square-foot site in McMinniville, Tennessee.

The new location will consolidate and expand on existing operations in Nefab’s Morrison Thermoforming business and add 58 new jobs, for a total of 85. According to a company release, the new site will feature an expanded rotary line to increase production capacity, new capabilities for extruding thin- and heavy-gauge roll stock, and a new grinder for Nefab’s closed-loop recycling system.

With the last of these, the McMinniville site — about 50 miles northwest of Chattanooga — will become a recycling hub for heavy-gauge thermoformed trays, the company says. In Nefab’s closed-loop systems, plastic trays are used to package auto parts. On return to a site like McMinniville, the trays are ground up and turned into new plastic sheets.

What people are saying

"This expansion is not only about increasing our manufacturing capacity but also about strengthening our commitment to sustainability," said Darrell Tiedeman, VP of Plastics Solutions Americas at Nefab. "By integrating recycling directly into our operations, we can help customers reduce their environmental impact while improving material efficiency."

“What happens in rural Tennessee matters to all Tennesseans, and I’m grateful to PolyFlex for their additional investment in Warren County,” said Governor Bill Lee. “These nearly 60 new jobs will bring greater opportunity to Tennesseans across this region, and I look forward to seeing the continued success that follows today’s announcement.”

“TVA and McMinnville Electric System congratulate PolyFlex on its decision to expand operations in Warren County. It’s always an exciting day when we can celebrate a company’s continued commitment to growth in the region. We are proud to partner with the Industrial Development Board of McMinnville-Warren County and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to support companies like PolyFlex, and we celebrate this announcement together,” said John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of economic development

Manufacturers investing in Tennessee

Genera invests $340M to expand sustainable packaging manufacturing facility in Tennessee
The facility uses regenerative grasses grown on local farmland to produce more than 2 billion molded fiber packaging pieces annually.

Ultium Cells invests $2.3B to upgrade battery manufacturing facility in Tennessee
The upgraded facility will produce low-cost lithium iron phosphate battery cells by late 2027.

General Motors invests $4B to expand gas and electric vehicle manufacturing facilities in Michigan, Kansas, and Tennessee
The new investment gives GM the ability to assemble more than two million vehicles per year in the U.S.