Gov. Robert Bentley announces that Polyplex Corporation Ltd. is locating to the Mallard-Fox Creek Industrial Park in Decatur. | Brent Maze

The world’s fourth largest manufacturer of thin polyester film is coming to Morgan County and bringing 150 new jobs in the process.

Polyplex Corporation Ltd., which is headquartered in India, will build a $185 million in Decatur, which will be the company’s only U.S. manufacturing site. The company currently has plants in India, Thailand and Turkey.

Gov. Robert Bentley believes one of the reasons why the Polyplex decided to make its largest capital investment in Morgan County is because of Alabama’s status as a right-to-work state.

“The people of Alabama are a skilled, hard-working group of people,” Bentley said during the announcement at Decatur Country Club Wednesday. “Alabama is a right-to-work state and we will continue to be one. That’s one of our advantages for companies who are looking to build on new sites.”

Polyplex will locate the facility in the Mallard-Fox Creek Industrial Park in Decatur. The company is planning to begin engineering and construction immediately.

Sanjiv Saraf, chairman of Polyplex Corporation Ltd., said Morgan County offered “excellent industrial infrastructure, trained manpower, vicinity of key raw materials and relative proximity to a majority of customers in the U.S.” He also praised the sales job of State Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, and Jeremy Nails, president and CEO of the Morgan County Economic Development Association.

“They did such a good job that even a 100-year tornado outbreak couldn’t keep us from coming here,” Saraf said.

In addition to opening a manufacturing plant, the company will move its corporate offices from Dallas to Decatur.

The plant will be built in two phases. The first will be $110 million and upon completion will bring in 100 jobs. The facility will manufacture a high-speed 8.7-meter-wide thin gauge polyester film line. The annual capacity is anticipated to be 30,000 metric tons and a feedstock resin plant of 60,000 metric tons.

The plant is expected to be operational by the third quarter of fiscal year 2012, which begins April 2012.

The second phase will cost $75 million and will bring in the additional 50 jobs. It will produce another PET film line.

Orr said he received much help from Bentley’s office and the Alabama Development Office.

“After he took office in January, I called Gov. Bentley and told him that we had a big project for the Tennessee Valley that we needed his help to land,” Orr said. “Gov. Bentley and the Alabama Development Office have both been very helpful in bringing Polyplex here today.”

Morgan County Commission Chairman Ray Long said he’s looking forward to working with Polyplex in the future.

“When all of the ribbons are cut and the concrete has dried, we’re still going to be there with you to help you,” Long said.