Berry Plastics Corp. recently announced it will expand its operations in Evansville, Ind., adding a 600,000 square foot distribution center and 49 new jobs throughout its Southwestern Indiana operations over the next three years.

The plastics packaging company, which employs nearly 1,200 people in Evansville and more than 6,500 worldwide, is set to begin construction on the new facility before the end of the month on a leased site near the Evansville Airport.

The new $20-million facility will provide a state of the art distribution center with the potential of adding an additional 200,000 square feet of either light manufacturing or added distribution capabilities. In addition to the new facility, the company also plans to make an additional $23 million capital investment to its current Evansville operations.

“This expansion will give us the infrastructure we need to move our products to our customers faster and more efficiently,” said Bob Smith, Berry’s director of warehousing and product logistics.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered the company $500,000 in tax credits and $100,000 in infrastructure grants to encourage the development. Berry Plastics’ announced expansion in Evansville is the second in two years from the plastic packaging giant. In 2005, the company expanded its existing facilities and support staff that included a 170,000 square-foot addition and added 64 jobs.

Berry Plastics is a leading manufacturer and marketer of plastic packaging products.

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