Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and Intralox President Edel Blanks announced the company is investing $60 million to expand its Hammond manufacturing facility. The investment will more than double the facility’s current footprint, adding 300,000 square feet to the 130,000 square-foot building. With the expansion, the company will create 425 direct new jobs, increasing average annual payroll by $10 million. Intralox is retaining 187 employees already on site, and Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in 582 indirect jobs, for a total of more than 1,000 new jobs in Louisiana’s Southeast Region over the next eight years.
Intralox’s Hammond facility produces modular plastic conveyor belts, which are used in food, industrial and e-commerce industries. Belts and components produced at the state-of-the-art facility are shipped to Intralox assembly facilities across the world. The expansion is set to be complete by the end of 2022 and will increase the Hammond facility’s belting output by 50 percent. The jobs created with the expansion will include non-technical, technical and engineering roles.
GNO, Inc. has been a growth partner to Intralox and Laitram over many years, providing direct support with talent attraction, workforce development, and government assistance. Laitram was also a founding partner on GNO, Inc.’s flagship “GNOu” initiative, the Mechatronics Apprenticeship Program, which provides participants with two years of hybrid classroom and on-the-job training in preparation for a career in mechatronics.
“Laitram and Intralox might be known as an advanced manufacturing company, but in my mind, they are really a talent factory,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “With this in mind, it is particularly exciting to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the company with the addition of hundreds of new Laitram and Intralox employees in Tangipahoa and Greater New Orleans.”
“I am proud to celebrate this new expansion of Intralox’s manufacturing facility in Hammond, and to celebrate this company's 50 outstanding years in operation, right here in Louisiana,” said Gov. Edwards. “What better way to commemorate this milestone anniversary than with a renewed commitment to our state and her people. The 425 direct new Intralox jobs in Hammond will result in increased economic activity, and tremendous success for this homegrown company.”
The major expansion comes as Intralox celebrates its 50th year in operation. To commemorate the company’s journey from a small shop to a global manufacturing enterprise, Intralox is expanding its capacity for future growth. In June, the company announced workforce expansions at its Hammond and Harahan facilities, adding 40 new jobs at both locations. Intralox serves more than 60,000 customers in over 100 countries.
“This expansion represents the massive growth we’ve experienced during the last few years and enables us to rapidly increase our production and assembly capacity,” said Intralox President Edel Blanks. “We look forward to expanding our local workforce with the added benefit of meeting the increased demand of our customers around the world.”
Intralox is a division of Laitram, whose other divisions include Lapeyre Stair, Laitram Machinery and Laitram Machine Shop. Headquartered in Harahan, Laitram employs over 3,000 people globally. Intralox operates assembly and distribution centers in Australia, Brazil, China, India, Japan, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. With more than 1,500 patents in force around the world, Intralox’s portfolio of technologies and services enhances food safety, powers e-commerce, and solves challenges for industries ranging from food processing to industrial manufacturing to logistics and material handling.
“Intralox has been a fantastic addition to Tangipahoa over the years and continues to grow their operations here,” Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller said. “The exceptional people and products at Intralox are recognized worldwide as leaders in their industry. Their commitment to being exceptional corporate citizens and employee-centric proves being good people makes for good business. Tangipahoa Parish is grateful Intralox is one of us.”
To support the expansion of the Intralox facility in Hammond, the State of Louisiana provided the company with a competitive incentive package that includes a $1 million performance-based grant to support infrastructure improvements. The company is expected to utilize the state’s Quality Jobs program.
"Recruitment of new business is vital to economic development, but supporting existing businesses as they grow and expand is monumental,” said Ginger Cangelosi, executive director of economic development for Tangipahoa Parish Government. “Tangipahoa Economic Development would like to congratulate the team at Intralox/Laitram as they enter into the next phase of their substantial expansion. We are extremely grateful for their continued investment in Tangipahoa Parish and are proud to have Intralox remain one of our key economic driver companies.”
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