LISTEN: Chemical Maker Wants to Build a Shell Around Its Factory in Wisconsin

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Abitec makes ingredients used in the pharmaceutical, nutritional and specialty chemical industries. Specifically, the company manufactures functional lipids, products used in everything from making sure CBD stays evenly mixed in beverages to those used in suppositories to make sure they melt appropriately. The company operates a pair of manufacturing sites: a factory in Paris, Illinois that specializes in flaking, blending, and spray chilling, and another in Janesville, Wisconsin that does esterification, surfactants and specialty blending. But the plant in Janesville is old; it dates back to 1907, and Abitec is looking to modernize.