Link-Belt Construction Equipment Co. plans to break ground within weeks on a new assembly bay at its Lexington headquarters that could lead to the addition of more than 100 employees.

The company, located on Palumbo Drive, hopes to have the expansion operational by mid-2011.

Link-Belt, known worldwide for its construction cranes, plans to use the added capacity for its large rough-terrain cranes, large truck cranes and telescopic crawler cranes.

Spokesman Jeff Schmidt said the new HTC-3140 hydraulic truck crane, which is not yet in production, also will be built in the area.

As part of the expansion, the company said, it will upgrade and redesign areas of the plant to allow for more machining and welding capacity.

"This expansion is the fruit of our unprecedented growth and success over the last four years," chairman, chief executive and president Chuck Martz said in a statement. "We're leveraging that success, even in the face of difficult economic times, to better serve our customers."

Martz said that the 100-plus potential hires assumes a "reasonable economic climate."