{"id":244781,"date":"2026-07-16T11:56:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/244781\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T11:56:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:56:14","slug":"mitsubishi-chemical-announces-20-million-reading-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/244781\/","title":{"rendered":"Mitsubishi Chemical announces $20 million Reading expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials is expanding its Reading operation with a more than $20 million investment expected to create dozens of new jobs and strengthen the city\u2019s role in advanced manufacturing.<\/p>\n

State and local officials joined company leaders at the company\u2019s industrial campus, 2120 Fairmont Ave., to announce the project, which includes a new facility, new equipment and expanded production capabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cMitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials has chosen Reading to expand,\u201d state Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger said at the July 8 announcement. \u201cAnd it\u2019s a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Siger said supporting the expansion of a manufacturer like Mitsubishi Chemical is exactly the type of partnership the state works to encourage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our honor to partner with you to help get this done,\u201d Siger said, noting the investment will create 42 jobs and retain more than 450 existing positions across Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

The expansion comes as the Shapiro administration continues efforts to attract and retain manufacturers across the state, Siger said.<\/p>\n

The facility in the city\u2019s Northmont section manufactures high-performance thermoplastic materials used in industries such as aerospace, automotive, medical technology, electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, food processing, construction and heavy equipment.<\/p>\n

\"BryanBryan Robinson, technical sales manager for Mitsubishi Chemical, shows some of the company’s products made from plastic pellets. The advanced stock shapes are used by customers to create specialized components. (MICHELLE LYNCH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Bryan Robinson, technical sales manager for Mitsubishi Chemical, said the company takes plastic pellets and converts them into advanced stock shapes that customers use to create specialized components.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t single-use plastic,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cThis is for long-term use, typically in applications you\u2019ll never see but are used in your everyday life.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a manufacturing demonstration following the announcement, Robinson displayed examples of components made from materials produced in Reading, including parts used in semiconductor manufacturing, medical testing equipment, aerospace applications and industrial machinery.<\/p>\n

The materials are often designed to replace metal components, providing benefits such as reduced weight, chemical resistance, wear resistance and the ability to withstand extreme temperatures, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll this material is produced right here in Reading, Pennsylvania,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n

\"MayorMayor Eddie Moran addresses those gathered in a building under construction at Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials, 2120 Fairmont Ave. The company is expanding its Reading operation with a more than $20 million investment (MICHELLE LYNCH?READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Daniel Barish, general manager of Mitsubishi Chemical\u2019s engineered shapes and solutions division, said the expansion reflects the company\u2019s confidence in Pennsylvania and its workforce.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis investment demonstrates our long-term commitment to the commonwealth and our confidence in the people, the capabilities and the opportunities that exist here,\u201d Barish said.<\/p>\n

A key part of the project, he said, will be the creation of a center of excellence for extrusion of the company\u2019s general and advanced engineered plastics.<\/p>\n

The expansion will strengthen the company\u2019s innovation efforts, increase its technical capabilities and help position Pennsylvania as a leader in high-performance manufacturing and materials technology, Barish said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis investment is about people,\u201d he said. \u201cIt represents new opportunities for skilled manufacturing professionals, engineers, technicians, operators, mechanics and future generations who are looking to build rewarding careers in advanced manufacturing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayor Eddie Moran said Mitsubishi\u2019s decision to expand in Reading demonstrates confidence in the city\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a company decides to grow here instead of leaving, it is a big deal,\u201d Moran said. \u201cFor a company that has been here for a number of years and could have chosen to relocate anywhere, but yet decided to stay right here in the city of Reading \u2014 not only stay but grow \u2014 that shows that our city is moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moran said the expansion will provide family-sustaining employment opportunities and builds on other recent investments in the city.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"StateState Sen. Judy Schwank; Mayor Eddie Moran; Rick Siger, secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development; Daniel Barish, general manager of Mitsubishi Chemical’s engineered shapes and solutions division; state Rep. Jacklyn Rusnock; and Bryan Robinson, technical sales manager for Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials, during an event announcing a $20 million expansion of the company’s facility in the Northmont section of Reading. (MICHELLE LYNCH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

\u201cMitsubishi Chemical Group has been a part of Reading for many years, and we\u2019re proud that you continue to choose the city of Reading for your growth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

State Sen. Judy Schwank said the project continues Berks County\u2019s long manufacturing tradition while expanding opportunities in emerging industries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is advanced manufacturing,\u201d Schwank said. \u201cIt helped add to the image and the reputation of Berks County as a place where manufacturing happens. That has always been our history, and it still remains our strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

State Rep. Jacklyn Rusnock said the announcement had personal meaning because her father, a chemical engineer, worked for Polymer Corporation, a predecessor of the current operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo see that Mitsubishi Chemical has come in and is expanding what was started means more to me than what I can really put into words,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Rusnock said investments like Mitsubishi\u2019s will help shape the future of Reading and Berks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we are building and what we are creating here is not just for us,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is for our children and our grandchildren.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials is expanding its Reading operation with a more than $20 million investment expected to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":244782,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,857,182,139,28,736,128,130,129,706],"class_list":["post-244781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-essential-reading","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-reg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}