Manufacturing

Pine Bluff paper mill sold

American Kraft Paper Industries, an affiliate of American Industrial Acquisition Corporation, has acquired the unbleached kraft paper subsidiary located in Pine Bluff from Twin Rivers Paper Company, a leading producer…

Canfor acquires El Dorado lumber facility for $73 million

Canfor Corporation has entered into a purchase agreement with Resolute El Dorado Inc., an affiliate of Domtar Corporation, to acquire its El Dorado lumber manufacturing facility in Union County, Ark….

Tyson Foods’ earnings expected to improve with better chicken numbers

Tyson Foods appears to be climbing out of recent net losses thanks to better chicken margins and improving pork pricing during the second fiscal quarter that ended March 31. The…

Bekaert to expand Van Buren operation, add 38 jobs

Bekaert Corporation announced Wednesday (May 1) it will expand its Van Buren manufacturing facility, creating 38 new jobs. The jobs, when benefits and overtime are included, pay around $75,000 annually,…

ISM report: manufacturing activity contracts in April

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector reversed course in April as it contracted after expanding in March, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). Before the March expansion, the…

Owens Corning investing almost $15 million on Fort Smith plant expansion

Owens Corning is investing almost $15 million on a significant expansion of its original Fort Smith plant built in 1984. The expansion follows recent completion of an adjacent new plant…

Work approved on new $1.7 million warehouse at the Port of Fort Smith

The Fort Smith Port Authority Commission on Wednesday (April 24) approved construction of a new bulk storage warehouse estimated to cost $1.7 million. The warehouse helps make up for storage…

Chandler Equipment expands product offerings with Roambuilt acquisition

Under the leadership of owners Chris and Morgan Chandler, Springdale-based Chandler Equipment Inc. closed a significant deal on April 1. The company acquired Roambuilt, an Oregon-based manufacturer of exterior accessories…

UAFS plans to add manufacturing degree program

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith plans to add a new bachelor’s degree in smart manufacturing by as soon as Fall 2025. The new effort will be part of…

Zekelman Industries to invest $120 million in its NEA Atlas Tube operations

Zekelman Industries will invest up to $120 million to expand the manufacturing capabilities and product offerings of its subsidiary, Atlas Tube, in Mississippi County. The project will bring Zekelman’s total…

Lexicon subsidiary, Heritage Links, acquires Maine golf course firm

Heritage Links, a division of Little Rock-based Lexicon, Inc. that specializes in golf course construction and management, has acquired Maine-based Environmental Solutions, a golf course irrigation, drainage, site design, and…

U.S. Steel shareholders approve Nippon Steel takeover

U.S. Steel stockholders overwhelmingly approved a proposed merger with Nippon Steel Corp. in a special stockholders meeting Friday (April 12). The company announced in a press release that, according to…

U.S. Department of Commerce invests $1.7 million for Marshall manufacturing building

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced Tuesday (April 9) it has awarded a $1.7 million grant to Searcy County in north central Arkansas to support manufacturing business growth. This Economic…

Make My Move hired to recruit remote workers to Fort Smith

The City of Fort Smith is working with Make My Move, a company that specializes in promotion and advertisement of their clients’ regional amenities and quality of life in order…

XPO celebrates 30th anniversary of U.S. trailer manufacturing facility

XPO, a leading provider of freight transportation in North America, celebrated the 30th anniversary of its in-house trailer manufacturing facility in Searcy, Arkansas. Connecticut-based XPO is the only freight transportation…

Mississippi Co. receives $2 million for cleanup at former Eaker Air Force Base

Mississippi County has received $2 million in federal funding to begin a comprehensive clean-up effort at the Arkansas Aeroplex, formerly known as the Eaker Air Force Base, in Blytheville. This…

Arkansas candy, chocolate makers weigh in on cocoa crunch

Cocoa prices recently hit record highs amid global supply concerns. Still, area chocolatiers and candy makers had different opinions about the impacts of lower supplies of the core ingredient used…

Arkansas State Mountain Home to receive $450,000 from Delta workforce grant program

Arkansas State University-Mountain Home (ASUMH) will receive $450,000 from the Delta Workforce Grant Program through the Delta Regional Authority to establish an extrusion and injection molding program. It’s part of…

Forbes: Arkansas’ richest families see wealth grow

Jim Walton, 75, and his family, which includes sons Tom and Steuart, ranked No. 18 on the Forbes Billionaire List for 2024 at $78.4 billion. Walton is the youngest son…

Manufacturing activity expands for first time since 2022

Economic activity expanded in the manufacturing sector in March after contracting for 16 consecutive months, according to The Institute For Supply Management (ISM). The activity previously expanded in September 2022….