Hitchiner Manufacturing Co. plans to expand its investment-casting foundry in Milford, NH, in a two-step project that will add a total 31,000-sq.ft. of manufacturing space. “This is one large addition and then a secondary, smaller addition on the opposite side of the facility,” according to Tim Sullivan, v.p. - corporate affairs and services, in a release.
The capital investment cost and the timing of the project have not been announced. While the expansion has yet to be approved by local development officials, Sullivan expressed hope that the first, larger (25,000 sq.ft.) addition would be complete by August.
The second addition would add a further 6,000 sq.ft. of production space.
Hitchiner’s specialty is thin-walled castings in specialty ferrous alloys, largely for automotive manufacturing programs.
The Milford plant, referred to by Hitchiner as its Ferrous Operation, centers on a 90,000-sq.ft. “Automated Casting Facility.” The plant also includes wax injection, pattern assembly, shell building, casting, and heat-treating operations. A separate plant in Littleton, NH, performs medium-to-high volume machining and finishing.
The first, larger expansion would allow Hitchiner to expand current manufacturing operations and set up a new, post-casting finishing space for certain product lines. It also would help the operation to continue updating and streamlining the current production process.
The new workspace also will add loading docks, more modern electrical capabilities, and larger production machinery.
Hitchiner presently employs 637 workers in Milford, with about 20 available positions. It’s expected the expansion will lead to hiring about 35 new workers.
Also, according to Hitchiner’s announcement, the new space would make it possible to plan new production programs. Some new product lines could create opportunities for up to 200 more workers, the foundry noted.