Berry Plastics Group Inc. has a 18 million upgrade under way for its Lawrence site at 2330 Packer Road. The company, which received a 90 percent tax break from the Lawrence City Commission in 2006, has pledged to add 150 jobs in a five-year period.

Berry Plastics Group Inc. is making progress on a $118 million upgrade of its Lawrence production plant.

New equipment, an expanded building and additional employees all are part of the five-year plan to bolster the maker of drink cups, kitchenware, garden tools and other plastic items that has been in town since 1968.

“They’re going great guns,” said Lavern Squier, president and chief executive officer of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce. “Berry, I think, is pleased with Lawrence and Douglas County as a community in which to do business. We’re trying to be aggressive with them and looking for additional business now and beyond.”

The company already has added a building and installed at least one new production line as part of the project, which was announced in December 2005 with promises of creating 78 jobs within three years and an additional 76 in the following two. At the time, Berry had about 450 employees.

As 2006 turned to 2007, Berry’s employee roster was getting longer.

“Now we’re knocking on the door of 500,” said Steve Brown, plant manager.

To help secure the project, Lawrence city commissioners agreed to allow Berry to pay only 10 percent of the property taxes it normally would owe on such a project. The 90 percent tax break is good for 10 years.

In applying for the tax abatement, Berry said it would create new jobs ranging from equipment operators to department heads, with hourly wages stretching from $10.50 to $35.

Berry’s projections called for having the new jobs carry an average wage of more than $13 by the end of the project, and with total annual payroll created by the project to be $2.14 million in year three and $4.23 million in year five.