Trex to locate $400 million, 500 job plant at LR Port

The No. 1 wood-alternative decking manufacturer, Trex Company, will locate a $400 million factory and campus in the Little Rock Port. The company expects to grow to 500 jobs over the next five years in Little Rock.

“This new site represents a strategic investment not only in our company’s future but in the future success of our valued channel partners,” said Trex Company President and CEO Bryan Fairbanks. “With the outdoor living category continuing to show strong momentum and our success to date in converting share from the wood decking market, the time is right to further expand our capacity so that we can meet future customer demand efficiently and effectively.”

The Trex campus will sit on nearly 300 acres of land and will eventually include buildings dedicated to decking and railing production, plastic film recycling and processing, reclaimed wood storage, warehousing and administrative offices.

Construction is slated to begin in early 2022.

The development approach will be modular and calibrated to demand trends with the first production output anticipated in 2024. The campus will substantially expand output and will have the potential to be the company’s largest manufacturing facility.

The Little Rock factory will be the third manufacturing plant in the U.S. for Trex, which has operations in Virginia and Nevada. Company leaders said demand has been strong for decking and railing materials. The company makes its goods from wood conversion products. Arkansas’ timber industry will benefit from the production complex.

Trex also said Little Rock’s proximity to rail, roads and rivers was an asset. Access to major transportation hubs will reduce freight costs to customers by its location in mid-America.

“This is an exciting day for the city of Little Rock and all of Central Arkansas,” said Gov. Asa Hutchinson. “Trex is highly regarded as the world’s premier composite decking company, and it is with great pleasure that we welcome them to Arkansas. The company was looking at several locations, but Arkansas stood out thanks to its dedicated workforce, competitive business environment, location and superb quality of life. The jobs created by Trex will significantly enhance our economic climate, and I look forward to watching Trex grow and succeed in the coming years.”

“I’m excited to welcome Trex, the world’s leading manufacturer of composite decking and railing, to Little Rock,” said Mayor Frank Scott Jr. “This regional manufacturing and distribution center will benefit greatly from our amazing assets – those being river, road, rail and air all intersecting in one place. And our residents will benefit from the addition of hundreds of high-wage jobs added to the economy.”

Trex said it will begin interviewing candidates for key positions this fall and will broaden its recruiting efforts for both salaried and hourly positions in spring 2022.

“It is with great pleasure that we welcome Trex to the Arkansas business community,” said Arkansas Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston. “Arkansas is a perfect fit for Trex’s operations – and not just because of our state’s business-friendly environment and strong workforce. Trex fits Arkansas hand-in-glove because we share the values of hard work, innovation and outdoor living. Trex is a company renowned for its ongoing commitment to manufacture products that maximize the preservation and enjoyment of the outdoors. What better place to produce these products than right here in the Natural State?”

Trex products are made with 95% recycled materials, it said. Raw materials include reclaimed scrap wood, discarded plastic film and plastic shopping bags. The company is one of the largest recyclers of polyethylene in North America.

Trex opened its first production lines in Virginia in 1993 with 36 employees. The company now has more than 1,700 employees worldwide.