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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Hydro Expands Cressona, Pennsylvania, Manufacturing Plant

10/01/2018
Hydro, a global supplier of extruded aluminum serving the construction, transportation, infrastructure, and energy industries, will expand its manufacturing facility in Cressona, Pennsylvania. The company plans to create 60 jobs in Schuylkill County.

According to Governor Tom Wolf’s Office, Hydro’s current Cressona facility was commissioned by the U.S. government during WWII with unique design features intended to protect the building from wartime attack. Therefore, due to the building’s hardened construction features, build-out of the existing facility is severely limited and would prevent the company from meeting production deadlines.

As a result, this expansion project consists of the construction of a 96,000-square-foot facility on the property adjacent to its existing facility. This building addition will provide new manufacturing capabilities essential to compete in the automotive market. In addition, the company plans to make infrastructure improvements to the existing facility, as well as purchase and modernize equipment to increase overall reliability and efficiency. Hydro plans to invest more than $100 million into the project, which is expected to create 60 new jobs over the next three years and retain a further 1,307 jobs.

“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,” said Charles Straface, Business Area President for Extrusion North America at Hydro. “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 for a $950,000 Pennsylvania First Grant, $120,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits to be distributed upon the creation of new jobs, and $40,000 in WEDnetPA funding to support incumbent 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 project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team.

“Hydro is a cornerstone of Schuylkill County, employing thousands of manufacturing workers in the area,” Governor Tom Wolf said. “The company’s decision to further invest in its Cressona location means it will remain a cornerstone for years to come. This expansion is great news because it reflects the economic momentum steadily growing in the region.”

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