DAKOTA WESTERN

Dakota Western Corporation was established in 1988 as part of the tribes economic and industrial development program. The original 25,000 sq. ft. building was constructed in 1988 with another 25,000 sq. ft. added in 1997. In 2005 Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Plastics (SWO Plastics) was created as a spin off of Dakota Western Corp. Dakota Western (DWC) and SWO Plastics operate as two separate corporations with one management team. Dakota Western manufactures film and sheeting roll stock with SWO Plastics converting the roll stock into trash can liners.
Common Small Business Administration (SBA) certifications include Small Disadvantage Business (SDB) and Hub Zone Certified. SWO Plastics is also SBA 8(a) Certified.
In 2007 DWC and SWO Plastics took the traditional trash can liners to another level and entered the Bio-Degradable and Compostable markets. This market includes the ASTM-6400 compliant products which will bio-degrade in compost facilities within 180 days. This market was an addition to the degradable product which was being produced since 2004. A degradable trash can liner is designed to degrade in landfill conditions within 12-24 months.
DWC has 12 blown film extrusion lines that range from 2”-6” with dies ranging from 5”-28”. This wide range of equipment allows DWC to manufacturer film 17”-120” in width and sheeting 96”-240” in width and thicknesses of 0.65 of a mil to a 10.0 mil product. The 12 extrusions lines put Dakota Western’s annual film capacity at
approximately 25,000,000 lbs.
SWO Plastics has five converting machines with an annual capacity of approximately 7,000,000 lbs of finished product. A majority of the packaging is industrial with a small portion being retail. Packaging includes gang packed or bag on a roll, both coreless and with a core capability. As a part of SWO Plastics being tribally owned, the tribal elders are eligible for free garbage bags every 3-6 months.