voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak recently announced a $2.1 million expansion to its manufacturing plant in Birmingham.
voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak, a designer and manufacturer of special trackwork for the railway industry, plans to invest $2.1 million in its Birmingham manufacturing plant.
The capital investment will go towards installing a new steel fabricating machine, additional manufacturing line upgrades, a new plant forklift and a heavy-duty pickup truck for manufacturing machinery, equipment and tool transport. The company will also enhance the manufacturing plant’s security system.
Nortrak has had a presence in Birmingham since 1991, when the company opened its second-ever plant in the Magic City to serve the area’s extensive railway system and beyond. Since then, it has opened plants in Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas and Illinois. But, of its operations across North America in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, the company said it sees its Birmingham location as central to its U.S. business maintenance and expansion efforts.
“We continue to reinvest in our Birmingham operation because it plays a vital role in meeting our customers’ needs,” said Nortrak CEO Dave Millard. “This is a prime geographical location which allows for excellent logistics with five interstate highways and extensive railroad service. Our 160 Birmingham-area employees are proud that their skills support freight railroads, rail-served industries and transit agencies all over North America.”
Nortrak is a subsidiary of voestalpine AG which serves multiple industries across the Birmingham region, including rail and automotive, said Jeff Traywick, Vice President of Economic Development for the Birmingham Business Alliance, which worked with the company to secure tax abatements from the Birmingham Industrial Development Board on this project.
“Nortrak has been a long-standing member of the Birmingham business community,” Traywick said. “Its operations have provided decades of support to our valuable rail industries and its parent company’s more recently announced automotive components division serves our growing automotive sector. Nortrak’s 160 employees have made their local operations a success and we are happy to see the company continue its investment in Birmingham.”