HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 28, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Worldwide industrial services and engineered products company Harsco Corporation (NYSE:HSC) announced plans today for revitalizing its long-standing Harrisburg Steel operating site in central Harrisburg as a new regional super center for its Infrastructure business group. The initiative will create nearly 20 new jobs for the region's economy and bring new vitality to the birthplace of the Company's industrial heritage.
The Company plans to invest more than $2 million in the site's preparation, modernization and security, much of which is already underway. Full operations are expected to begin in April of this year.
The project adds to initiatives that Harsco is also taking to strengthen operations at its world headquarters in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, located just outside Harrisburg. Under Harsco Chairman, President and CEO Salvatore D. Fazzolari, the Company has relocated the senior leadership of its Harsco Metals, Harsco Minerals, Harsco Infrastructure and Harsco Industrial groups to the corporate headquarters, bringing in approximately 35 senior-level executives and supporting managers from its worldwide businesses to operate as a unified global leadership team and enhance the Company's strategic planning and business management processes under its OneHarsco initiative. The expansion has also resulted in the Company securing nearly 10,000 square feet of additional nearby office space for a number of its corporate functions.
Together, the initiatives reflect a combined total of approximately 55 new executive, managerial, administrative and skilled labor positions that have been created through Harsco's presence in the area, while also creating significant benefit for the region's economy. In taking these actions, the Company undertook a review of several alternatives and chose to reaffirm its long-standing commitment to Pennsylvania in view of the Commonwealth's bright future and improving business climate.
Formed in 1853 as the Harrisburg Car Manufacturing Company, the Company first began production of freight and passenger railway cars for the growing American railway system. The Company later transitioned into the production of seamless gas cylinders and industrial metal products and in the 1930s established itself as the internationally-known Harrisburg Steel Corporation, the predecessor to today's publicly-traded Harsco Corporation (NYSE:HSC), which was formed in 1956.
The 21-acre Harrisburg operations site, located near the Pennsylvania State Capitol in downtown Harrisburg, will become Harsco's fully-equipped Northeast and mid-Atlantic region super center for comprehensive rental scaffolding, shoring and forming resources used in the construction and maintenance of major new building projects, energy plants, airports, highways and civil works facilities. Of the approximately 20 new jobs the Company expects to create at the site by the end of this year, most will be for the handling of inventory and equipment maintenance, as well as a smaller number of administrative positions, led by a new Distribution Center Manager.
The Harrisburg Super Center joins a similar facility announced by Harsco late last year in Las Vegas, Nevada to serve the Southwest region. Both centers are part of a planned nationwide network of modern Harsco Infrastructure hub facilities expressly designed for high-capacity efficiency and support to the construction and plant maintenance sectors. Customers will continue to be served locally by sales, engineering, customer service and other resources to ensure seamless continuity.
Harsco Corporation is one of the world's leading diversified industrial services and engineered products companies, serving key industries that play a fundamental role in worldwide economic growth including metals, infrastructure, railways and energy. Harsco's common stock is a component of the S&P MidCap 400 Index and the Russell 1000 Index. Additional information can be found at www.harsco.com.
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CONTACT: Investor Contact Eugene M. Truett 717.975.5677 etruett@harsco.com Media Contact Kenneth D. Julian 717.730.3683 kjulian@harsco.com