Clark to add more than 40 jobs in Lexington. Some are coming back from overseas.
For the third time in four years, Clark Material Handling announced it was expanding its Lexington headquarters and adding 40 new jobs.
Part of that expansion will include moving one of its forklift production lines, the “S-Series,” back to Lexington from a plant in Asia. The company expects to spend $4.6 million to expand its current buildings to accommodate the uptick in production in Lexington.
“The expansion of our Lexington manufacturing footprint is an important step to position Clark for the future,” said Dennis Lawrence, Clark’s president and CEO. “We are proud of the fact that upon completion and re-shoring, nearly 80 percent of our products will come off the line right here in Lexington.”
Clark made the announcement Tuesday at its headquarters on Enterprise Drive.
Since 2009, Clark’s footprint and workforce has doubled in Lexington, Lawrence said.
In 2016, it brought back jobs from Mexico. In 2017, it added a new research and development center to its campus on Enterprise Drive, Lawrence said.
“We are here by choice not by chance,” Lawrence told a crowd of Clark employees, dealers and community leaders during Tuesday’s announcement.
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said Clark’s announcement sends a signal to businesses worldwide.
“Clark is once again expanding its workforce in Lexington and creating jobs previously held in Asia,” said Gorton. “This move sends an international message: Lexington is a great place to locate and grow a business.”
Lawrence said the company has already started hiring for the expansion. Construction will likely start in the spring and the company hopes to have all the new jobs filled by June.
The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority gave preliminary approval in September 2017 for Clark to receive $500,000 in tax incentives if it meets certain investment and job targets.
Clark celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2017. It has produced more than one million forklifts since 1917. Clark opened its first Kentucky plant in 1974 and relocated its company headquarters to Lexington in 1985.
This story was originally published March 5, 2019 at 2:14 PM.
