HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi home generator manufacturer is bringing another 75 jobs to its site in Hattiesburg.
Kohler Power Co. announced Thursday a $6 million capital expansion to its home standby generator assembly plant in the Hattiesburg Industrial Park, WDAM-TV reported.
The expansion will bring the workforce up to 675 people.
“With this expansion, we will more than triple our current capacity for residential standby generators and take further advantage of our world-class engine manufacturing facility that we more than doubled in the last two years,” Brian Melka, a group president with Kohler Power, said in a news release.
The new project marks the second expansion at the site. In 2019, Kohler added 250 jobs.
Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker said the plant is the city’s second largest manufacturing employer.
“Kohler’s latest expansion announcement … proves that it believes the Hattiesburg community plays a critical role in its long-term success,” he said.
Kyle Brandemuhl, Kohler residential/power products general manager, said the expansion comes amid a spike in demand for residential generators, especially in the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast.
“Over these last couple years, we have seen demand for residential products skyrocket due to a number of factors, including a record hurricane season in 2020, the Texas winter storms; increasing wild fires in the western U.S.; along with the pandemic sending a high number of people home for work and school,” Brandemuhl said.
He noted that hurricane season begins June 1.
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