A plastic molding and assembly shop is setting up in St. Thomas, in the building that once housed the Schulman plant.

The St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation announced the acquisition of property at 400 South Edgeware Road by Sle-Co Plastics Inc. on Tuesday.

Sle-Co is a London-based automotive parts supplier of both interior and exterior molded components.

The company's expansion is expected to bring up to 200 jobs to the city over the next three years.

Sle-Co owner Jeff Sleegers says the company started looking for places to expand a few years ago.

"It's a great location, it's a great community...The basic infrastructure is here that we need, and it gives us a great start with building something new. "

The plan is to have the facility fully up and running in the next two years.

St. Thomas was hit hard by the recession, losing about 5,000 jobs. It has gained about half of those back, but any news about new jobs is very welcome.

Mayor Heather Jackson says the city and the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation have been working hard to get the city back on track.

"We know that people in the community are still struggling, and so every time we have an annoucement like this, it's certainly uplifting."

The jobs may not come right away, but Sleegers is ready to get to work - they are using the facility as a warehouse initially, hoping to finish renovations in the next two years.