Locally owned and operated Morrison Industries has announced it's expanding once again, this time with a second manufacturing facility 550 miles away in Detroit, Mich.
 Called Morrison Industries North, the new plant is projected to employ between 80 and 100 workers by 2020. Production is scheduled to begin early next year.
"We keep breaking growth and profitability records so it's time to push the boundaries," said Morrison Industries president and CEO Jacob Wilson.
Morrison Industries designs and manufactures shipping containers primarily for the automotive industry. The expansion to Detroit will put the company in the middle of an automotive hub.
"The ability to have a sales presence and a design presence up there with the Big Three will be a big boost," said Wilson, referring to Ford, GM and Chrysler. "If we do design work, that helps us get production work. Being so far away, we really can't do design work for them now."
Morrison Industries is leasing its 50,000-square-foot facility in Detroit. Wilson says employees have been working on expansion plans for more than six months.
Morrison Industries has hired Jacqueline Bell, an automotive industry veteran, to run the new plant as general manager.
"We were able to hire somebody from Chrysler to run the operation so we're excited about that," said Wilson.
Added Bell, “Morrison Industries is positioned to make a splash in the northern market.”
The workforce in Morrison will serve as a direct support group for the plant in Michigan. Wilson projects employment will increase locally over time as more work is handled at the new facility.
Brittany Youngblood has been the associate project manager for the Michigan facility. She says the new plant will allow Morrison Industries to strengthen the relationship it has with northern automakers.
"There are a lot of companies in Michigan we deal with already," said Youngblood. "This will allow us to do some small jobs and some rework jobs that we otherwise wouldn't be able to do logistically. It will be a scaled down version of the plant in Morrison, but our main team will be staying here."
The company began in 1994 with less than 10 employees under the name Morrison Tool & Fab.
“This is a new frontier for our company,” said Wilson, “one that will test the talents of our great team.”
For more information about Morrison Industries visit www.morrisonindustries.com.