Georg Utz to invest $40M in Sumter County facility

A plastic container manufacturer has claimed Sumter County as its first South Carolina location. 

Georg Utz Inc. will bring a $40 million investment and create 50 new jobs for the Midlands, according to a news release.  

The manufacturer was founded in 2003 as a subsidiary of Utz Group, a Switzerland-based company with more than 75 years of manufacturing returnable plastic containers, pallets, component holders and custom solution. 

“We are pleased to announce our new location in Sumter, S.C., which signifies a significant advancement in our company’s continued growth, enabling us to improve service delivery, broaden our operational capabilities and reinforce our position within the market,” Pat Huesing, president of Georg Utz, said in the release.  

The release said the 90,000-square-foot manufacturing facility will be located at Race Track Road and U.S. Highway 521. The operations will produce rigid returnable packaging.  

Sumter County received a $750,000 Closing Fund grant from the Commerce Department’s Coordinating Council for Economic Development to help with site preparations, water and sewer improvements, and rail improvement costs. 

“We are excited to welcome Georg Utz Inc. to Sumter,” James McCain, Sumter County Council chairman, said in the release.  “This mutually beneficial partnership will no doubt flourish and as they grow, we will also and are therefore committed to their continued support and success.” 

Georg Utz plans to begin operations in 2028, according to the release.