Sirmax receives recognition for redevelopment of former GM site

Sirmax North America, the U.S. division of the Sirmax Group, which is based in Italy, was awarded the RACER Edge Award, recognizing the company for redeveloping and reusing a former General Motors Corp. property in Anderson, Indiana. The company also has announced expansion plans for its site in Andersen.

The Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response (RACER) Trust was created in March 2011 by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to clean up and position for redevelopment properties and other facilities owned by GM before its 2009 bankruptcy. In addition to Sirmax, Ameresco Inc., Lear Corp. and Saginaw County, Michigan, received recognition this year.

Sirmax has two plants in Anderson and is the first non-U.S. investor to receive the award.

“I would like to thank the state of Indiana and the city of Anderson for their continued support,” says Lorenzo Ferro, country manager of Sirmax North America, “and in particular the RACER Trust for allowing Sirmax to be a key player in a great story and in supporting the community that revolved around the GM plants. Our investment in the Anderson area allowed us to establish our initial presence in North America – a decision which proved positive for the company from the very beginning. This success has enabled us to make further investments in Anderson, and we look forward to continuing our growth in Indiana.”

Sirmax, a manufacturer of polypropylene (PP) compounds, engineering polymers, postconsumer compounds and bio-compounds for various applications, built its first U.S. production plant in 2015. The second plant was added in 2020 and became fully operational this year. The total combined production area of the two plants is 268,000 square feet. The newer plant, which Sirmax invested $35 million in, produces recycled PP from postindustrial material, while the original plant produces polyolefins from virgin materials.

Ferro says Sirmax is planning additional investments in the Anderson property by 2025 that will expand existing buildings and build a third plant. “This will bring the production of thermoplastic elastomers and engineering plastics to the United States, as well.”

Sirmax’s property in Anderson measures roughly 300,000 square meters, or 3.23 million square feet. Its third plant, measuring 12,000 square meters (129,167 square feet) will be used for the production of engineering plastics. Sirmax’s first plant will be extended to house thermoplastic elastomer production and a new warehouse, bringing the total production area from nearly 140,000 square feet to nearly 398,300 square feet. In the second plant, recycled compound production will be increased and upgraded, with the production area growing from roughly 118,400 square feet to slightly more than 290,600 square feet in 2025, the company says.

“Sirmax's presence in Anderson has transformed our community, creating great jobs and returning an idle property to productive reuse,” Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr. says. “Our Department of Economic Development, the Anderson Redevelopment Commission and the RACER Trust identified Sirmax as a potential investment partner and worked to attract the Italian company to Anderson. We are thrilled that their joint efforts, along with Sirmax's confidence and willingness to invest, are producing such great results.”

“We are very pleased that Sirmax has chosen our Anderson property to establish its presence in the North American market and congratulate the company on its success," says Elliott P. Laws, trustee of RACER Trust. "Sirmax North America is a big win for Anderson and for the RACER Trust.”

Sirmax has 13 production plants globally: six in Italy (Cittadella, Tombolo, Isola Vicentina, San Vito Al Tagliamento, Salsomaggiore Terme and Mellaredo di Pianiga), two in Poland one in Brazil (2012), two in the USA and two in India. The company also has a sales office in Milan and other branches in France, Spain and Germany. Its clients include Whirlpool, Bosch-Siemens, Electrolux, Karcher, Philips, Honeywell, ABB, Technogym, Stellantis, Volkswagen Group, Daimler, De’ Longhi, Haier, BMW and Audi. Sirmax Group had turnover of 480 million euros, or $480.8 million and employed 800 people worldwide in 2021.