Continental Carbonic Products, Inc. (CCPI) announced in a press release that it will be opening a liquid CO2 and dry ice manufacturing facility in El Dorado. According to the company,this manufacturing plant will be CCPI’s 15th facility built since its inception in 1976 and its second manufacturing facility in the State of Arkansas, the first being in Fort Smith.
CCPI has close to fifty different dry ice distribution facilities across the country. The company will be joining a growing list of facilities in the area that handle compound chemicals and gases.
Similar to other companies, questions of safety and sustainability arise, but, according to CCPI’s website, the company follows all required federal, state and local requirements involving safety and environmental protection. It also says that each of their manufacturing facilities is routinely inspected by trained and experienced safety professionals and by outside third party food safety auditors.
CCPI President Dennis Harris explained the company’s decision to invest in El Dorado.
“Our new El Dorado plant significantly expands our production capabilities to support the growing demands for Liquid CO2 and Dry Ice products,” Harris said. “CO2 is crucial for the food processing, food distribution, medical, automotive and other industries that receive these products from CCPI. This facility will not only better serve our customers in the South Central U.S., but also serve as an agent of economic growth for the El Dorado area.”
According to a CCPI press release, the company also chose El Dorado because of its location within the industrial market and the presence of a dependable raw material stream of CO2 available through a long term CO2 supply agreement with LSB Industries, El Dorado’s nitrogen chemical manufacturing facility.
Brandon Barnette, Economic Development Project Manager of the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce also talked about the significance of this for the city.
“We praise Continental Carbonic Products, Inc. for the decision to locate in El Dorado,” Barnette said. “The addition of 60 new jobs will be a tremendous boost to the local economy. Additionally, Continental Carbonic is here for the long haul. Continental Carbonic does a lot for the communities they operate in and they expressed a desire to be a good partner in our community.”
CCPI officials told Barnette that it just started their hiring process and will be working to have the staff completely hired by the fourth quarter of this year, he said. CCPI is also planning to begin production in the fourth quarter of this year.