Robinson nabs glass company

International Glass Products LLC, based in Ambridge, plans to set up a manufacturing facility in the former Bruce Plastics building in Robinson, adding 130 jobs over three years to its work force of 85.

The project will be financed under a $10 million bond program provided through the Allegheny County Industrial Development Authority.

A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled by the authority for March 17.

International Glass has acquired the building at 4100 Steubenville Pike, and the funding will help pay for the purchase and renovation of the building, and installation of new and used equipment.

According to a deed filed in Allegheny County, International Glass, under Northland Properties VI, paid $2.4 million to Bruce Acquisition Corp. for the 10-acre, one-story building. A sales agreement had been obtained Nov. 9. Joseph W. Nocito Jr. of International Glass signed as general partner for Northland Properties.

The company manufacturers a host of glass products, such as pressed and blown glass, wired glass, paving blocks, safety glass, window frames, gates and doors at its Ambridge plant. New equipment will enable the company to enter into new lines.

Production in Robinson could begin in six months.

Bruce Plastics Inc. relocated from Pittsburgh to Anderson County, S.C., in June after acquiring Hitech Molding & Tooling Co. and its facility there in 2006.

At the time, 77 people were employed by Bruce Plastics, according to the state Department of Labor & Industry. Pat McCaughtry, office manager at the United Electrical Workers Eastern Region office in East Pittsburgh, said about 50 of the jobs lost were union jobs. She said none of the union workers relocated to South Carolina.

Dhiren Shah, Bruce Plastics chief executive officer, said four management personnel relocated with him to South Carolina.

"We did virtually no business in Western Pennsylvania, and we needed to be closer to our suppliers, as well as our major customers," he said. Those customers include Pro Line SPF, LLC of Charleston, S.C., and Innovative Candy Concepts of Atlanta.

The move to South Carolina allowed Bruce Plastics to combine the manufacturing and warehousing in one location. He said the facility in Anderson County was better suited to plastics manufacturing than the former corrugated box facility the company had been working out of in Robinson for 26 years.