M&W ADDS BUSINESS AND EXPANDS

Just across the road from the Procter & Gamble Paper Products Co. plant sits the Miltenberger & Willing Packaging U.S. Inc. plant, which packages products for a number of companies.

M&W, as the company is called, owes its Cape Girardeau existence to P&G, because when it opened in 1990 P&G was responsible for 90 percent of its packaging business. Since then M&W has expanded its customer base to the point that the plant manager foresees that soon 50 percent of its business will come from P&G and the remainder from other companies.

M&W's business has grown so significantly because of new customers and products that it recently added a production line and upgraded its conveyor system at a cost of about $9 million. The company plans to spend another $7 million on expansions this year.

A new extrusion machine is the largest among those of 13 companies owned by M&W's parent company, Nordenia International AG, an international packaging company headquartered in Steinfield, Germany.

P&G still is M&W's largest U.S. customer. It also provides packaging for such companies as Alcoa, President Baking, United Industries, Pursell, Pennington Seed, Oceana Foods, Sea Coast, Kal Kan, Courtesy Products and Green Light.

Some figures cited by plant management illustrate the significant growth that has taken place at the plant: The company's payroll has grown from $1.1 million in 1990 to more than $9 million, the plant's sales growth has gone from $7.2 million to $60 million, it employs 270 people, and it purchases more than $3 million a year in local supplies.

Like P&G, M&W has found that Cape Girardeau County and its immediate access to road, river, air and rail transportation, along with an excellent work force, has a lot to offer industry. And both companies likewise offer a lot to Cape Girardeau County.