American Steel & Aluminum (ASA) broke ground this week on a 12,000 square foot addition to its facility in Saco, Maine, with Senator Susan Collins on hand for the ceremony. She toured the shop, talked with employees, and met company leadership before speaking at the event.
Steel by the numbers:
A 12,000 square foot expansion to the existing Saco facility
About 30 new jobs expected within the next couple of months
Cutting capacity set to double once the addition is online
CEO Sam Blatchford called the project a commitment to "the Maine industrial base, the maritime industrial base," and gave Collins a rare compliment for showing up in person during Appropriations visits in Washington instead of sending, in his words, "one of their underlings."
From service center to shipyard supplier:
Nova Steel president and CEO Scott Jones, ASA's parent company leader, framed the expansion as part of a longer transformation. ASA started as a general line steel service center with little to set it apart from competitors. Now it's building out as an advanced manufacturing operation, buying specialized equipment and taking on work tied to national security.
ASA runs facilities in Saco, South Portland, Auburn, and West Bath, supplying heavy-plate metal processing to a range of industries, shipbuilding included.
Double the cutting capacity, 30 new names on the payroll. Not bad for a groundbreaking that started with a hard hat and a ribbon.
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