On Tuesday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) was in Prattville at the James Hardie Building Products, Inc. for its facility expansion groundbreaking.

“We just broke ground at the Prattville @JamesHardie plant!” Ivey said on Twitter. “This much-needed expansion will double its capacity and workforce while demonstrating world-class companies belong and can thrive here in Alabama!”

The center’s expansion will double the facility’s square footage, provide 200 more jobs to the Prattville community and earn the title of being the largest facility in its global network. James Hardie is a leading high-technology manufacturer of fiber-cement products. James Hardie’s initial facility investment in 2017 was Ivey’s first economic development announcement as governor.

Economic developer Dr. Nicole Jones covered the groundbreaking event for 1819 News.

“James Hardie is a leading global manufacturer of premium building products with locations in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines,” Jones said. “The company pioneered technology in fiber cement production since the 1980s and now is a leader in the manufacturing of fiber gypsum products as well through its ownership of Germany-based Fermacell, which it acquired in 2018.

“A community’s ability to showcase large-scale, shovel-ready tracts of land to potential investors vastly increases its ability to secure jobs and capital investment at the local level. One of the factors that led James Hardie to Prattville, Alabama in 2017 for its facility is AdvantageSite status. AdvantageSite status allowed South Industrial Park in Autauga County to be marketed around the world. Factors consistent with all AdvantageSites include contiguous land space, large-scale utility capacities (including fiber internet), multimodal transportation, and the ability to accommodate a large amount of square footage. The public and private sectors [have] embraced James Hardie’s presence in our state, which has led the company to announce in August 2022 that it will double its square footage and add 200 jobs to the Prattville/Autauga County location. We are thankful for James Hardie’s investment in the Prattville community and state of Alabama.”

The 200 new jobs will be in addition to the over 200 employees already working at the James Hardie plant in Prattville. The Prattville location will continue to produce the high-demand Hardie® plank, panel and trim products that are beautifying and helping to protect homes all over the South. 

In addition to the jobs at the plant itself, approximately 83% of the company’s raw materials are purchased within 100 miles of its plants, supporting local businesses and minimizing the length of haul and carbon footprint.

James Hardie employs, sources, delivers, and donates locally with the goal of creating a positive impact in the communities in which it operates. In Prattville, James Hardie has proven to be a valuable community partner through product donations to local fire and police departments and contributions to school programs and local foundations benefiting underserved families.

To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandon.moseley@1819News.com.

Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.