Hydro, a global supplier of extruded aluminum serving the construction, transportation, infrastructure, and energy industries, will expand its manufacturing facility in Cressona, Schuylkill County.
The expansion is expected to create 60 family-sustaining jobs over the next three years and retain an additional 1,307 jobs.
Hydro will construct a 96,000-square-foot facility on the property adjacent to its existing facility, which will provide new manufacturing capabilities that are needed to compete in the automotive market. The company will also make infrastructure improvements to the existing facility as well as purchase and modernize some equipment. Hydro plans to invest more than $100 million into the project.
“This state-of-the-art, high-performance press will enable us to make high strength precision parts for highly engineered applications, like the automotive industry which relies on Cressona to supply key components for lightweight vehicle designs,” Charles Straface, business area president for Extrusion North America at Hydro, said. “Our growth in the automotive segment is something Hydro is very proud of, and we are pleased to invest additional assets here in Pennsylvania.”
Hydro received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for a $950,000 Pennsylvania First Grant, $120,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits and $40,000 in WEDnetPA funding to support worker training. Hydro may also be eligible to receive assistance through the Manufacturing Tax Credit Program, the Research and Development Tax Credit and the Qualified Manufacturing Innovation and Reinvestment Deduction. The Governor’s Action Team, a group of economic development professionals who work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania, helped to coordinate the project.
“Companies like Hydro, and its predecessors Sapa, Alcoa, and Cressona Aluminum, are jewels for any community, and this facility has a long and storied history in Cressona,” Steve Field, Schuylkill Economic Development Corporation (SEDCO) chair, said. “This facility employs over 1,000 people, the company pays its employees sustainable wages and is always looking for ways to innovate. We are very thankful for the assistance offered by Governor Wolf, the Governor’s Action Team, Senator Dave Argall and Representative Mike Tobash. This truly is an investment in Schuylkill County’s future.”