Western Container Fires Up 288,211-SF Manufacturing Plant

The highly touted facility will be used primarily to manufacture plastic bottles for soft drinks. Centex Commercial Development and sister company, Centex Engineering & Construction, both subsidiaries of Dallas-based Centex Corp., completed the project on a seven-month construction schedule. Terry Whitman, Centex project manager, said, "Centex Engineering & Construction built a similar, although a bit smaller, facility for Western Container in Hattiesburg, MS in 1998, so we are familiar with its needs."

Centex Commercial Development handled the project in start-to-finish fashion, beginning with the site selection. Whitman pointed out the project included construction of a $2-million on-site electrical substation to meet the plant's demanding energy requirements.