AT&F, a company that provides custom and high-volume steel fabrication to industries throughout the world, is investing $3 million to add 40,000 square feet to its existing 50,000-square-foot location in Orville, Ohio.

AT&F is an ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturer with 800,000 square feet of manufacturing space at locations around the globe.

“This part of Northeast Ohio is home to a number of companies who serve the chemical, pharmaceutical, and aerospace industries with specialty alloy fabricated systems and components. Couple this skill base with a prevailing agrarian work ethic, and you have a powerful combination,” Michael Ripich, President & CEO, AT&F Advanced Metals said.

Expanding our current Orville facility will allow us to leverage the team and capacity (that) we have in place and focus efforts on integrating more of these uniquely skilled welders and fabricators as we grow,” he explained.

Recently, AT&F started to fabricate air scrubbers for marine vessels, including cruise liners, according to JobsOhio. Global demand for this equipment has skyrocketed due to a change in worldwide environmental regulations placing lower emissions requirements on ships. As a result, the market for AT&F’s products is expected to experience explosive growth over the next decade.

The company’s manufacturing facility in Wayne County has manufacturing capabilities that its alternative locations do not, particularly in the area of skilled labor, state officials said. Assembly of these scrubbing units requires high-level welding expertise, and the company has been successful in finding proficient candidates in Wayne County, which is home to an existing exotic metals cluster.