Austria-based Kronospan, a manufacturer of wood-based panel products, plans to invest $362 million to expand its operations in Calhoun County, adding 160 jobs to its Alabama workforce.
The expansion consists of four separate projects, according to Kronospan:
- Two laminate flooring and decorative paper impregnation lines
- A particleboard and thermally infused laminate line
- An enlargement of the KronoChem resin plant
- Development of a furniture cluster
Kronospan has been operating in Calhoun County since 2008. Once the expansion is complete, the company will have invested $650 million in Alabama and its workforce will number 270 people, according to the Calhoun County Economic Development Council.
“We sincerely appreciate the State of Alabama, acting through the Department of Commerce, the City of Oxford and Calhoun County for supporting our expansion project and making it a reality,” said Tim Pack, Kronospan’s chief financial officer.
“I’m honored and pleased to see Kronospan embark on an expansion in Oxford that will create good jobs for the citizens of Calhoun County,” said Governor Robert Bentley. “Job creation is my No. 1 priority because it means new opportunities for Alabama residents.”
BUILDING ON A PARTNERSHIP
The expansion will make Kronospan the largest private capital investor in Oxford and one of the area’s largest employers, according to Calhoun County EDC Chairman Larry Deason.
“Kronospan is making a significant investment to expand its production center in Oxford, and we will work closely with the company to ensure that their project is successful,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “We look forward to building on the partnership we have developed with Kronospan since they began operations in Alabama around eight years ago.”
Kronospan’s is the second significant expansion in Calhoun County this month. On June 7, gypsum paper producer NGC Industries announced plans to invest $26 million to expand its operations in Oxford. The project could create 14 jobs over time, according to the Calhoun County EDC.
The Oxford plant uses discarded cardboard, magazines and trimmings from print shops to produce gypsum board face and back paper. The expansion will modernize the plant and increase the efficiency of their output, according to EDC Chairman Deason.
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