Southland Steel Fabricators said it will spend $25 million to expand its St. Helena Parish manufacturing facility, a move that will create 80 jobs.

The jobs, which will be created over the next 3 years, will have an average annual salary of $60,000, according to Louisiana Economic Development. The work will create 117 indirect jobs in metro Baton Rouge.

The expansion will add 100,000 square feet to Southland Steel’s Greensburg plant, a move that will increase the robotic welding capacity by 50% and double material processing capabilities. Construction and installation of equipment is expected to start in mid-2025 and continue through 2026.

Officials with Southland Steel said the expansion is being driven by industrial mega-projects in the Louisiana petrochemical industry, which has led to surging demand for fabricated steel.

Southland Steel started in 1986. In 2020, the company opened a second fabrication plant in Amite. In July, a subsidiary, Southland Industrial Coatings, said it would build a fireproofing facility in St. Landry Parish that will create 120 jobs. The work is expected to be completed in the spring. 

Southland Steel has 340 employees between its Greensburg and Amite plants. 

LED offered Southland Steel an incentives package that included a $2.5 million reimbursable grant from the Economic Development Award Program for site development and equipment, subject to approval by the Louisiana Economic Development Corporation board. The company is also expected to participate in the state’s Industrial Tax Exemption and Quality Jobs programs.