Rising bottled water sales in Europe mean one thing for Hoop Roche, Chairman and CEO of Erie Plastics: stepping up production of bottled water dispensing closures to meet European suppliers' needs.

Founded in 1960, Erie Plastics specializes in the design, development and custom injection molding of rigid, thin-wall, plastic packaging components including lids, closures and vials. A Top 100 injection molding company, it services numerous global customers from three production facilities based in Corry, Pa. (headquarters), Westborough, Mass., and Székesfehérvár, Hungary.

"We have doubled both the capacity and output of our Hungary-based facility, enabling us to produce substantially more closures daily. Demand from France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the UK is driving our European plant expansion; and we expect to keep growing," said Roche.

Dr. Tibor Szanyi, Political State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy and Transport in Hungary; Stephen Knode, Commercial Attaché of the American Embassy; Székesfehérvár Mayor Tihamér Warvasovszky; principals and guests recently attended an official ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the expansion.

"Congratulations to Erie Plastics on the formal opening of its expanded facility in Székesfehérvár," said George H. Walker, U.S. Ambassador to Hungary. "Erie Plastics represents another significant investment by a fine U.S. firm, and is a showcase of innovative plastics technology."

Erie Plastics shares facility space in Hungary with strategic partner, Loranger Ipari, a multi-continental maker of precision engineered metal and plastic components.

The winner of last year's prestigious Diamond Dupont award for engineering

an advanced, Folgers AromaSeal closure system, Erie Plastics produces closures for the consumer product, food and beverage, household chemical/detergent, personal care and pharmaceutical industries.

The company estimates a 2 percent global market share for bottled water closure production.