Aluminum extrusion and metal fabricator Taber Extrusions of Russellville on Monday held a groundbreaking ceremony for a $70 million expansion project.
The project, announced in July with an initial price tag of $60 million, will introduce the largest direct extrusion press in North America and create 70 jobs.
Construction at the Russellville site will add 125,000 SF to Taber’s existing 140,000-SF facility, growing the company’s manufacturing and fabrication capacity.
Taber will be installing an 1,100-ton press capable of advanced heat solutions and the ability to handle hard and soft alloys, according to the company’s website. The press, designed to meet the demands of the aerospace industry, is expected to be operational in 2026.
Aerospace is the Arkansas’ largest industry, with more than $850 million in aircraft parts exported in 2023. Taber’s clients include Boeing, Cessna and Gulfstream.
In addition to the aerospace and defense industries, Taber has clients in guns and archery, architecture and transportation.
“We are happy to be growing here in Russellville, a location that provides so many of the key elements for our future success, including local talent, available educational resources, a business-friendly climate, and a supportive state, county, and local community that wants us here and wants us to succeed,” Chuck Stout, president of Taber, said in a news release.
Taber was founded in 1973. Over the years, it has expanded its operations by adding fabrication capabilities, friction stir welding technology and a machining line.
For its latest expansion, the company received the following state incentives: the Tax Back program, which provides sales and use tax refunds on the purchase of building materials and taxable machinery, and seven years of the Create Rebate program, an annual cash rebate based on the number of jobs added by a company and targeted wages.
“As one of the bedrock fabricators of some of the world’s most premier aluminum products, this investment in our county will ensure good quality jobs and local growth in this sector, keeping ‘Made in America’ at the forefront of their commitment to excellence,” Pope County Judge Ben Cross said in the release.
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