- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Economic Development
A new tribally-owned manufacturing company in Oklahoma has commenced production of its plastic piping solutions for industrial and infrastructure applications.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Sovereign Pipe Technologies operation, which last month became the first permanent tenant at the tribe’s Iron Horse Industrial Park, said it began manufacturing high-density polyethylene (HDPE) piping solutions on March 27 at its new 45,000-square foot facility.
The products are designed for industries such as oil and gas, municipal, and geothermal enterprises, and will help meet “the growing demand for sustainability” in our nation's infrastructure, according to a statement.
HDPE is a popular choice for plastic products of all kinds, including bottles, piping, and furniture. A report by trade publication Business Wire notes that the HDPE market has a compound annual growth rate of 4.83 percent through 2035.
SPT CEO and general manager Ronnie Wear said the facility was “excited” to spin up production and work toward new objectives.
"We have some exciting objectives on our horizon, both short-term, and long-term," Wear said in a statement. "To officially launch production enables our team to begin hitting those goals. We are ready; we have customers' order in hand; we have a leadership with in-depth industry experience; and we have a team highly motivated to revolutionize the HDPE arena."
Sovereign Pipe Technologies’ production occurs at a “sustainable, zero waste” facility, per a company statement. Wear told Tribal Business News in an earlier story the company used a “closed-loop, chilled water system” that utilizes or recycles everything the plant produces.
“We're very cognizant of our energy consumption — that lent itself to being a very good business model for the tribe,” Wear said.
The company’s location at Iron Horse Industrial Park makes a use case for the park’s existing railway and highway systems, utilizing those paths to ease shipping for domestic and international business both, the business’ statement reads.
Along with becoming the first permanent business in the park, Sovereign Pipe Technologies’ launch has created 45 jobs in the Shawnee community, per the same statement.
