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PLANT CITY — James Hardie, a global manufacturer of fiber-cement siding and interior products, announced plans to expand its existing presence in Plant City. The project is projected to create more than 100 new jobs and nearly $80 million in capital investment in the area by 2015.
James Hardie was the first company to introduce fiber-cement siding products to the United States as an alternative to wood, strand board and vinyl siding. The 125-year-old company opened its location in Plant City in 1994, and currently employs about 100 people at its South Woodrow Wilson Street facility.
As part of the expansion, the manufacturer will retrofit an existing pipe plant for sheet production, adding 100,000 square feet of space, as well as new machinery and equipment. The growth will double the site's production capacity, which the company says was needed to meet growing demand for its fiber-cement siding products.
“This process expansion underscores the importance of our local workforce and its ability to meet our customers' needs, and build upon James Hardie's innovative legacy that began in 1888,” Ryan Sullivan, James Hardie's South Division general manager, says in a press release. “Innovation that happens in Plant City resonates around the world, and the catalyst is the great environment we have here.”
Last year, the city of Plant City approved a moratorium on the collection of transportation mobility fees to increase the city's economic competitiveness. As a result of the program, James Hardie will receive a fee waiver of $37,300. The company is also eligible for Florida's new Machinery and Equipment Sales Tax Exemption program, which was approved by the state legislature in May.
In 2012, a partnership of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp., TECO and the city of Plant City hired a dedicated project manager to drive job creation and capital investment in Plant City and eastern Hillsborough County. To date, nine companies have announced plans to expand in the region, generating more than 200 new jobs and $105.6 million in capital investment.
“Manufacturing is an important part of our economic growth strategy, and with recent announcements by Granex Inc., Covidien, and now James Hardie, it's clear that our efforts are making an impact,” Mark Sharpe, chairman of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, says in a press release.
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