PORT ANGELES — Armstrong Marine, the Port Angeles-based aluminum-boat fabricator, is building an $8.4 million manufacturing plant in North Carolina, company President and CEO Josh Armstrong confirmed Wednesday.
The East Coast expansion will create 200 jobs at a new facility in Onslow County in North Carolina.
“It will mean more jobs in Port Angeles, also,” Armstrong said.
“Fifty more jobs over the next five years.”
Armstrong Marine will keep its company headquarters at 151 Octane Lane between Port Angeles and Sequim, where design and new production will be expanded.
The new manufacturing plant will be near the seaside community of Swansboro, N.C.
Earlier this year, Armstrong Marine was awarded a five-year, $38 million contract from the Department of Defense to build maintenance barges for the Navy.
Armstrong said the Department of Defense has “a need on the East Coast and a need on the West Coast.”
“We want to better serve the market,” he added.
In the statement released by North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, Armstrong said the existing manufacturing facility in Port Angeles is not adequate to meet the growing demands of the market.
He cited the substantial cost of shipping welded aluminum vessels to clients on the Eastern Seaboard and beyond.
“When we went in search of a strategic location for our second manufacturing facility, Onslow County and North Carolina welcomed us with open arms,” Armstrong said in the Tuesday statement.
“We decided to locate in the heart of the fleet concentration area and are excited to be able to better service U.S. markets, as well as export to foreign markets from our new plant near Swansboro.”
Armstrong said Wednesday that the East Coast expansion is as an “increased opportunity” for Armstrong Marine to market its products globally.
He said the move will add value to the company and boost its market penetration.
Armstrong Marine designs and builds welded aluminum boats and barges, including fire boats, dive boats, pilot boats, research vessels, interceptors and riverine craft for both military and industrial markets.
For more information on Armstrong Marine including photos of the boats it produces, visit www.armstrongmarine.com.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
