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Indianapolis-based Lucas Oil Products Inc. recently celebrated the opening of its expanded grease manufacturing operations at its production facility in Corydon. The company has dedicated a new production area inside the 400,000-square-foot plant to developing and manufacturing industrial and commercial greases, with plans to add nearly a dozen new jobs.
CEO Morgan Lucas said the space will help the company increase its output, efficiency and ability to develop more advanced grease formulations. Lucas told Inside INdiana Business that the expansion was necessary because of a national grease shortage that was exacerbated by a fire that destroyed a production facility run by one of the company’s suppliers.
The facility is dedicated to manufacturing Lucas Oil’s signature greases: Red ‘N’ Tacky, X-Tra Heavy Duty, and Marine. The new operation means that Lucas Oil now produces virtually all of its products in-house, with the exception of brake fluid and aerosols.
“We’re very excited about it because it opens a lot of doors that previously we really didn’t consider because we didn’t have the flexibility or just we weren’t dynamic enough for that.”
The Corydon plant currently employs about 250 people. The new jobs include management, equipment operations, packaging, warehouse operations, and administrative positions. Lucas Oil is only adding a small number of jobs with the new operation, Lucas said, because much of the process is automated and doesn’t require a large portion of the plant’s workforce. But he said there is room for growth.
Since moving production to Corydon in 2002, the company has invested more than $50 million in Harrison County. Darrell Voelker, executive director of the Harrison County Economic Development Corp., said the county is thrilled at Lucas Oil’s commitment.