Conveyor component manufacturer invests $11.7 million to expand production at Alabama facility
Douglas Manufacturing Co. has announced plans to expand its manufacturing plant in Pell City, Alabama. The company, which makes components for conveyors and is a member of the Rulmeca Group, will invest $11.7 million into the project, generating 50 new jobs at the same time. The expansion will include the construction of a 50,000-square-foot idler plant, as well as improvements to increase the capacity of the company’s additional four product lines. Construction is expected to being in 2025. The company will receive incentives under the Alabama Jobs Act, and Pell City is extending tax abatements to the company.
In a recent quote, Fabio Ghisalberti, executive vice president and managing director of Rulmeca, said, “This is a new great day for Rulmeca. When the acquisition of Douglas was announced last year on April 20, we declared that investments would have been realized in Pell City increasing manufacturing capacity and products lines — now just 10 months later we are proud to keep the promise celebrating this first significant step towards a brilliant future for Douglas.”
Investing in American Manufacturing - 2024
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About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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