Air Products has announced plans to expand its Maryland Heights manufacturing plant by 25,000 square feet, giving the company space to increase production capacity and add 30 to 45 new jobs. The Fortune 500 company considered several sites, including one in Asia, before choosing to expand the Maryland Heights location.
An incentive package by the St. Louis County Economic Council factored significantly in the choice.
“We’re delighted Air Products chose St. Louis County for its expansion,” said St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley. “This is a great example of economic incentives making the difference in the retention and expansion of good jobs for our workers and residents.”
The package is contingent on the company’s agreement to maintain and expand its facilities in St. Louis County, and includes partial tax abatement on new real and personal property taxes achieved through payments in lieu of such taxes, and exemption from sales tax on all construction materials related to the project.
Founded in 1940, Air Products is ranked 282 on the Fortune 500 list and is headquartered in Allentown, Pa. The company serves customers in industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide, and it employs more than 20,000 people at its operations in more than 40 countries.
The Maryland Heights facility, at 11444 Lackland Road, specializes in manufacturing hollow fiber membranes, which are used to separate mixtures of gases. The facility opened in 1984 and employs 89 people.
Air Products’ membranes are used for a wide range of applications, including producing gases to inert airline fuel tanks, recovering methane in coal mines in China and enriching oxygen for passengers on the world’s longest and highest highland railway, the Qinghai-Tibet railway. They also are used to produce nitrogen for blanketing chemical, methanol and liquefied gas shipments around the globe.