DAK Americas Announces Major Expansion in Hancock County’s Port Bienville Industrial Park

August 28, 2015

Hancock County, Miss. (August 28, 2015) – The Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission is pleased to announce that DAK Americas has chosen Port Bienville Industrial Park in Hancock County as the site for its new multi-million dollar Polyester Staple Fiber (PSF) manufacturing facility.

The company announced the project at the Hancock County Industry Awards Gala, where company executives were on hand to receive the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission’s 2015 Port Industry Award of Excellence.

Gov. Phil Bryant and officials from DAK Americas announced that the new manufacturing facilities will produce 230 million pounds per year of Polyester Staple Fibers. The multimillion dollar investment will create 86 new full service jobs with an average annual wage of $50,000.  The new jobs will bring the number of full service DAK employees at the site to 239.

“DAK Americas is a truly world class company with a major impact on the global polymer economy, and we have worked very hard with the company to land this major expansion in Port Bienville,” said Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission Executive Director Ashley Edwards.  “DAK Americas’announcement today has solidified Hancock County’s position as one of the world’s most important locations for consumer polymer production and has established our polymer and chemical industry cluster as one of the strongest you will find anywhere nationally or internationally.”

DAK’s Pearl River Site currently manufactures polyethylene terephthalate resins, or PET resins, which are primarily used to in bottling and packaging applications.  These resin operations will continue and polyester staple fiber manufacturing operations will be installed on-site to supply both textile and nonwoven fiber markets for uses such as apparel and industrial applications.  In September 2011, DAK Americas purchased the former Wellman PET resin manufacturing facility at Port Bienville. The acquisition positioned the company as the largest PET resin manufacturer in North America. 

“DAK is proud of the resilient and dedicated workforce at its Pearl River site and excited to expand employment opportunities with the expansion into fiber production. With a high quality workforce and considerable infrastructure currently in place at our Pearl River Site, DAK has a unique opportunity to grow its fiber manufacturing capabilities and meet customer demands”stated Jorge Young, DAK Americas President and CEO. Furthermore, “the new fiber facility in Hancock County geographically strengthens DAK’s ability to supply PSF across the Americas with a second U.S. fiber manufacturing location, as well as, places DAK in a good position to service the growing Mexico fiber market. We truly appreciate all the efforts from Governor Bryant, the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA), Hancock County and Port Bienville to help bring this project to Hancock County.”

The project is expected to begin operating in the second half of 2016.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., DAK Americas is a subsidiary of Alpek S.A.B. de C.V., a business group of Alfa S.A.B. de C.V., one of Mexico’s largest global industrial companies. DAK has five business units and operates seven production facilities across the Americas. The company has more than 1,600 full-service employees throughout its locations, as well as an array of contract partners. For more information, visit www.dakamericas.com.