API Foils is requesting a tax break to help finance a potential $17 million expansion for its manufacturing plant in the East Hills Business Park.

The company has applied for a 55 percent abatement on its property taxes for the potential project, which would add 60,000 square feet to the 41,000-square-foot plant that opened in 1995 at 3841 Greenway Circle in southeast Lawrence.

Lawrence is competing with Rahway, N.J. – home to API’s U.S. operations – for the expansion. API Foils has an older, 250,000-square-foot plant in Rahway.

API expects to reach its decision in June, so that it can order a new coating machine that will take about 14 months to manufacture and transport to the U.S. from Germany, said Rick Stanwix, plant manager in Lawrence.

The expansion would be expected to generate about 31 jobs at the plant. The plant, which currently has 65 employees, has been running 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the past year – excluding holidays – to keep up with rising demand for its hot foil stamping products, which are used to put the shine on wireless phones, packaging for razors, seals for diplomas, decorations on greeting cards, among others.

Lawrence city commissioners are scheduled to receive the company’s applications for a tax abatement Tuesday night.