Surprise, Arizona-based
IRIS USA Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of plastic injection molded products and distributor of small appliances, furniture and other household products, has upgraded its facility at 11111 80th Ave. in Pleasant Prairie to add new equipment and more employees, according to an announcement today from the Wisconsin Economic Development. Corp.
The $6.1 million project is expected to create 90 jobs over the next three years. The company currently has 186 employees, according to WEDC.
WEDC is subsidizing the project by authorizing up to $350,000 in state income tax credits over the next three years. The actual amount of tax credits the company will receive is contingent upon the number of jobs created.
IRIS USA’s parent company is Japan-based
IRIS Ohyama. IRIS USA was incorporated in 1992. It opened a 365,000-square-foot facility in Pleasant Prairie in 1996 as its headquarters. The facility was expanded to more than 610,000 square feet in 2005.
The company built a new facility in Surprise, Arizona in 2016, which became the new headquarters for IRIS USA, but maintained operations in Pleasant Prairie.
The upgrades to the Pleasant Prairie facility include the addition of 26 machines at the facility, as well as renovations for the additional machines. These additions will be phased in over the three-year project period. The facility expansion will increase the company’s product offerings manufactured at the Pleasant Prairie location. The company manufactures plastic injection molded household and office products such as storage boxes and containers.
In addition, disposable face masks are already produced and sold by the company. The production capacity expansion will allow the company to supply face masks to customers in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
"This project is an example of the type of foreign direct investment we want to attract more of in Wisconsin,” said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of WEDC. “IRIS USA Inc. is putting Wisconsinites to work making products that are urgently needed to help the world survive and move beyond this pandemic."
