Wellman continues to expand, says challenges still loom

Bob Fotsch of Wellman Plastics Recycling LLC addresses members of the Johnsonville City Council during their Feb. 2 meeting last week. Fotsch said that despite the economic difficulties Wellman has faced, it plans to hire an additional 120 employees in the next 6-8 months.

By: John Sweeney | SCNow
Published: February 09, 2010

JOHNSONVILLE—Wellman Plastics Recycling LLC is continuing with its plan of hiring additional employees, projecting an additional 120 positions would brought on board in the next 6-8 months.
Bob Fotsch, the company’s CEO, told members of the Johnsonville City Council that the longtime Johnsonville community fixture recently hired an additional 85 employees and planed to continue its expansion.

While Fotsch said hiring would continue, he did admit that the company faces challenges as the uncertain economic climate continues.
“2009 was a difficult year for us,” Fotsch said.

Currently the plant employees roughly 240, Fotsch said, and all that have been hired are permanent positions rather than temporary jobs.

Even though Fotsch said difficulties presented themselves in the last 12-months, advances within the company’s operations are keeping employers optimistic about the future.
Fotsch said a key component will be for the city and the company to communicate with one another to pursue efforts of expansion and growth that benefits both parties.

Following his business presentation and update, Fotsch asked council members The company is looking for ways to help the community, asking council members for suggestions on service projects the company is willing to participate in. Fotsch said that even though the company had a difficult financial year last year, efforts were made to donate back to the communities and aid their employees.
Wellman announced plans to resume three-shift operations seven days a week, resulting in the hire of 80 to 100 more employees, in early December of 2009.

At the time, Fotsch said he hoped the plant, with its 2 million square feet of building space and 600 acres of property, would become totally operational within the next two to three years.
Before the sale of the plant to J.H. Whitney & Co. about a year ago, Fotsch said, some customers were disenchanted because they didn’t know if their orders for the nylon resins, the plant’s main production project, were going to be filled and moved on to other companies.

He said it took Wellman Plastics Recycling six months to woo some of those customers back, assuring them the Whitney Group and the plastics recycling business in the Johnsonville plant were here to stay.