Brownsville barge plant launching $65 million expansion
Project will create at least 100 new jobs at Heartland Fabrication
BROWNSVILLE – U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick and a delegation of state and local officials toured Heartland Fabrication in Brownsville Monday as the company embarks on a $65 million expansion project.
Heartland is one of only two companies in America making inland barges. Once finished, the 300-foot vessels are launched into the Monongahela River and sent on to their customers, overwhelmingly in the agricultural sector.
After the tour, McCormick said Heartland’s expansion was an example of the benefits of bringing manufacturing back to America.
“All the investment is coming from the company, which is also a great story,” he said. “So it’s just exciting to see, and lots of happy workers, lots of great opportunities.”
The renovations at the Brownsville plant, built more than a century ago, are aimed at improving the worker environment and increasing production capabilities for 24/7 operations, said Ted Stilgenbauer, president and chief operating officer of Heartland.
Stilgenbauer said all of the company’s facilities, work cells and production lines will be upgraded over the next two years, including new automation.
“Right now, we build a barge in 32 hours,” Stilgenbauer said. “We’re going to reduce that time down to 24 hours with all those facility upgrades and improvements in our manufacturing process.”
With the production capacity ramping up, the company also plans to hire new workers. From its current workforce of 420, Stilgenbauer said the company plans to grow to 520 to 550.
“Those are going to be welders or fitters, painters, CNC operators, which is the heartbeat of our company,” he said.
Monday’s tours took visitors through the production line and ultimately to the finished product.
McCormick was given the honor of pressing the button that sent a barge sliding down a ramp into the Monongahela River, sending up plumes of water upon impact.
“I didn’t screw it up,” he said. “All you do is push a button, but it was awesome. You had 320 tons. Once that starts sliding down the hill, there’s no stopping it. And it was awesome to see.”
McCormick said the barges, which are made with American steel, reinforced the importance of the domestic steel industry. He touted the benefits of the Section 232 tariffs, which have rates of up to 50% for steel imports.
“That’s what this deal is for, to ensure that America’s manufacturing prowess, our national security, does not depend on anyone else,” he said.
Prior to Monday’s tour, McCormick met with the Heartland administrators and local and state officials for a meeting also focused on domestic maritime manufacturing and workforce development.
Fayette County Board of Commissioners Chairman Scott Dunn said visits like Monday’s show politicians the importance of policies to encourage local manufacturers.
“When you actually walk through the plant and you see the size of everything, this isn’t something that a small robot does,” he said. “This is something that as they try to advance with technology, that they’re going to need additional robotics on a massive scale.”