Portage packaging company plans expansion
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
A manufacturing and packaging company headquartered in Portage is growing its operations. The Portage City Council this week approved incentives for plans by MSI Express to invest nearly $4 million in a new manufacturing line and create 15 jobs.
The new line will be installed at the company’s facility in the Ameriplex at the Port business park. Our partners at Lakeshore Public Media report the new equipment will include a conveyor, hopper and final packaging system.
MSI Express is a co-packing company, which manufactures and packages products for a variety of national brands. The company’s operations include dry foods and blending packging, liquid packaging and bottle filling, vitamins and supplements, dry pet food packaging, and secondary packaging.
A timeline for completion of the new line was not provided.
Speaking before the council on Tuesday, Portage Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Andy Maletta said the expansion is due to MSI inking a contract with a national company.
“They’re growing like crazy,” Maletta said. “[When] we hear that they’re looking to expand, we want to jump in right away and make sure that expansion takes place here in Portage. It’s a great company, and it’s good to see them continue to grow.”
In the last two years, MSI Express was included on the Inc. 5000 list, which ranks companies based on their percentage of revenue growth over the previous three years. The company also acquired PacMoore Products Inc. in Hammond in 2021.
MSI Express currently employs about 81 people in Portage. The company also has operations in Burns Harbor and Hammond in Indiana, as well as Illinois, Louisiana, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.