Reading & Northern to serve IRIS USA's new East Coast plant

IRIS USA Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of injection-molded plastic products, has purchased a 34-acre site along the Reading & Northern Railroad in an industrial park in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.

The company will soon begin construction on a 500,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution plant. Reading & Northern assisted in locating the future plant along its network in the Humboldt Industrial Park, railroad officials said in a press release.

"With the exponential growth of online purchasing, we are pleased to be able to respond to commercial and consumer demand by locating our new facility on the East Coast, with such close proximity to rail lines, highways and shipping ports," said IRIS President Doc Takahashi.

Reading & Northern worked alongside CAN DO and Penn's Northeast in helping IRIS choose the Humboldt site. As part of the agreement, Reading & Northern will build the necessary track infrastructure "for a reasonable price and in a timely manner," railroad officials said.

"We are delighted that IRIS has chosen to locate its newest North American facility alongside our tracks," said Andy Muller Jr., owner/chief executive officer of Reading & Northern. "During the site search we worked closely with the IRIS USA team to make sure their needs were met."