Emerson to build plant in Ash Flat

245 jobs planned at $35M facility

Emerson, a global technology and engineering firm, will invest $35 million to build a manufacturing facility in Ash Flat, the company said Monday.

The plant is expected to create about 245 jobs within the next four years.

The St. Louis-based company said the Arkansas facility will make products for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing industries. It will operate within Emerson’s tools and home products segment.

Construction on the plant is expected to begin this year, the company said.

Craig Sumner, president of Emerson’s professional tools portfolio in North America, said in a news release that the plant’s proximity to the company’s Memphis distribution center will allow for reduced lead times in shipping products and materials, improved customer service and opportunities for growth.

Further, both Ozarka College of Melbourne, with a satellite campus in Ash Flat, and Black River Technical College in Pocahontas will collaborate with Emerson on a workforce training program tailored to the company’s needs.

Emerson said Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Northeast Arkansas Regional Intermodal Authority helped bring the company to Arkansas.

State Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston said support also came from North Arkansas Electric, FNBC Bank and the White River Planning and Development District.

Other partners in the project included the Delta Regional Authority, Sharp County and the city of Ash Flat.

“When state, local and federal entities work with private industry partners, it results in a successful outcome for economic growth,” said Chris Caldwell, the Delta Regional Authority’s federal co-chairman.

Ash Flat, in Fulton and Sharp counties in north central Arkansas, had about 1,000 residents in the 2010 census. The city is about 36 miles north of Batesville.