Arkansas manufacturers find silver lining in difficult year Information courtesy of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission Although 2020 brought many hardships and tragedy upon most of the world,Arkansas was still able to find success via the expansion and opening by many companies, many particularly focused on manufacturing. In fact, according to the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, the companies listed below accounted to create a projected 3,405 jobs with the average wage of those occupations being $20.87 per hour.The AEDC projected the investment of these companies to be $962,763,859 for the year with a total projected payroll of $1,333,835,603 created in 2020 alone. Gerber Products Company, a subsidiary of Nestle S.A., is adding a product line at its manufacturing facility in Fort Smith.As a part of this expansion, Gerber is generating up to 50 full-time jobs and investing $30 million for new food manufacturing and food processing equipment and machinery and infrastructure improvements at the site. Koppers, a global provider of treated wood products, announced that it plans to invest a minimum of $23 million and increase the number of workers at its North Little Rock facility over the next two years. Fiocchi of America, the United States subsidiary of Italy-based Fiocchi Group, today announced plans to establish a new manufacturing facility in Little Rock. Fiocchi, a global leader in small-caliber ammunition, will invest $15 million to establish a fully independent industrial platform in the U.S. SCA Pharma, an FDA-registered outsourcing facility, announced that it will expand its operations in Little Rock. SCA will be investing more than $10 million and will create the opportunity to double
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its current Little Rock workforce of 180 people. Nice-Pak, a pioneer and the leading global producer of wet wipes, announced plans to expand its manufacturing capacity at the company’s Jonesboro facility, increasing employment by adding more than 300 associates by the end of 2021. Nice-Pak’s project entailed multiple upgrades, including the extension of existing lines and the addition of a new manufacturing line that will create 176 new jobs. Emerson will open a new facility in Ash Flat where it plans to invest $35 million and create approximately 245 new jobs within four years. State and local officials joined Carvana for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on January 5 to mark the grand opening of the company’s new vehicle inspection and distribution center in West Memphis. Carvana first announced plans to construct the West Memphis inspection center in September 2019.The company hosted hiring events to recruit qualified candidates to fill more than 400 newly created positions for inventory associates, automo-
