Progress continues on Polywood’s new 312,000 square foot manufacturing facility. The building is expected to be done by the end of the year and manufacturing beginning by the end of January.

By Lauren Zeugner
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — Construction crews have been hard at work on the new 312,000 square-foot manufacturing facility for Polywood.

Matt Shaw, chief financial officer for Polywood, said everything seems on track with the new building, expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The cost of the expansion project is about $12 million.

Shaw said in a recent phone interview the hope is to have everything moved into the new building and manufacturing underway by January 2022. The new building will replicate what Polywood is already doing in the Syracuse Industrial Park, recycling plastic, turning it into plastic lumber and then making lawn furniture out of it.

The new manufacturing facility is part of Polywood’s long-term plan which has seen the business double every three years. During the 2020 shutdown due to the global pandemic, Polywood actually saw an increase in orders. In an interview with The Mail-Journal in May 2020, Doug Rassi, president of Polywood said the demand was more than the company’s business plan anticipated.

The company is able to direct ship to customers. “Online has taken a life of its own,” Rassi said in the 2020 interview. He explained the trends for retail furniture are flat except for online purchases as the younger generation who tend to be more technically savvy start purchasing furniture for their first homes.

The road widening projects on Oak Street and Brooklyn Street have also started. Shaw said according to the contract, Brooklyn Street has to be finished by October. He wasn’t sure what the timeline for Oak Street is. The Mail-Journal reached out to Jeremy Hardy of Commonwealth Engineers Inc., regarding the road projects but did not receive a response before deadline.

Polywood employs around 800 people between its Syracuse and North Carolina facilities. Two-thirds of those employees work in Syracuse.  Polywood is currently hiring. Interested applicants can apply online or stop in and fill out an application.