By Jim Johnson
SENIOR STAFF REPORTER
Published: August 11, 2014 4:37 pm ET
Updated: August 11, 2014 4:41 pm ET
Image By: Sigma Group Inc.
Sigma Plastics Group said its Rosman, N.C., plant will focus on medical and hygenic packaging film.
North Carolina — when it comes to plastics — is on a roll.
Sigma Plastics Group, in news unveiled Aug. 11, indicated the company will create 80 jobs at the former Excelsior Packaging Group’s Rosman, N.C., plant as part of a plan to restore the facility.
And while some areas of the country might not take much notice of 80 new jobs, in this part of North Carolina, it’s a big deal, according to one local politician.
It was just four months ago that Sigma — the second largest film and sheet producer on a recent Plastics News ranking — unveiled its move to acquire Excelsior assets in Rosman and Yonkers, N.Y.
Sigma is the largest privately held maker of polyethylene films in bags in North America.
The 80 new jobs comes on top of the 50 former plant employees that Sigma, through a new legal entity called New Excelsior Inc., rehired when it took over the site.
Gov. Pat McCrory’s office released some details of the deal, which include a grant of up to $80,000 from the One North Carolina Fund, which provides financial assistance to attract business projects. The cash comes as jobs are created and investment performance standards are reached.
North Carolina, just a few weeks ago, also was able to lure Sealed Air Corp.’s headquarters to the Charlotte area in a move that will bring more than 1,200 jobs to the state.
The governor called the Sigma project “a significant step forward in our manufacturing comeback,” in a statement.
State Rep. Chris Whitmire (R-Rosman) called the news “a great day” for the area. “The expansion of this plant gives Transylvania County one of the largest job announcements and economic development boosts in the past decade,” he said in a statement.
The new employees in North Carolina will join 4,750 Sigma workers in 43 locations in the United States and Canada. Annual sales were more than $2 billion last year for the Lyndhurst, N.J.-based firm.
The Rosman site will specialize in medical and hygienic packaging, Sigma said in March. | 
