Cressona, Schuylkill County, PA -
State officials visited Schuylkill County to celebrate the opening of the largest extrusion plant in the Western Hemisphere.
Hydro Extrusions invested $50 million to renovate and expand the plant. The project will allow them to produce 50,000 tons more casted metal and reduce emissions by five percent.
It'll also create 60 jobs and retain the more than 1300 existing jobs at the plant.
Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger celebrated the Commonwealth’s investments in the advanced manufacturing industry and helped cut the ribbon on Hydro’s growing extrusion plant in Cressona, Schuylkill County.
“Congratulations to Hydro on their expansion in Pennsylvania! The company’s investment shows its confidence in our strong workforce and business climate and is a great example of why we’re focused on manufacturing as a key sector in the Commonwealth’s Economic Development Strategy,” said Secretary Siger.
“Having a major manufacturer like Hydro continue to grow its roots in our Commonwealth sends a strong message to other businesses looking to expand or move to Pennsylvania that we are open for business.”
Hydro Cressona is the largest aluminum extrusion site in North America, producing annually more than 250 million pounds of extrusions for the automotive, commercial transportation, distribution, and infrastructure markets. The extrusion process shapes aluminum by forcing it through a shaped opening in a die.
“At Hydro, we are grateful for the support of the State of Pennsylvania and the local community. Our Cressona facility has been a cornerstone of Schuylkill County for nearly four generations, a legacy made possible by these strong relationships,” said Mike Hammer, Vice President and General Manager, Hydro Extrusion Cressona. “We are proud to supply the building blocks of American manufacturing across almost every industry and we look forward to doing so for many years to come.”
The Cressona plant has been a major part of the manufacturing industry in Schuylkill County for more than 70 years. It was built in 1942 to extrude aluminum used in the U.S. war effort and has continued to operate since then with a series of owners. Norwegian company Norsk Hydro acquired the plant in 2017 and operates it as part of a global Hydro network of manufacturing plants. Norsk Hydro has three additional Pennsylvania facilities located in Mountain Top, Luzerne County; Moon Township, Allegheny County; and Bensalem Township, Bucks County.
