Myers Container Corp. announced this month the opening of a 60,000-square-foot steel drum factory in City of Industry, Calif. The new plant replaces an existing 93,000 sq. ft. plant located outside Los Angeles in nearby Huntington Park.
The company did not disclose the cost of the new plant beyond describing it as a multi-million dollar investment. Management has said it built the plant in part because California air pollution regulations stood to restrict operations at the old facility. The new plant features state-of-the-art equipment designed to minimize air emissions and energy consumption.
Officials said the company will not miss the 33,000 square feet it lost in moving from Huntington Park. The new plant is much more efficient in its use of space, and the smaller square-footage will save us a lot in rent, President and Chief Executive Officer John Cutt said.
Myers, which is based in Emeryville, Calif., operates another drum manufacturing plant in Portland, Ore., and five drum reconditioning plants in Oregon, California and Georgia. The lubricant industry accounts for 20 percent to 30 percent of its sales of new drums.