A leading steel producer in America is planning to expand its facility at the Port of Caddo-Bossier with an investment of $98 million. Ternium USA Inc. will be retaining 157 jobs, and will be creating 35 new direct jobs.
“Ternium’s expansion at the Port of Caddo-Bossier will bring new jobs and economic momentum to the Northwest Region of our state,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “Ternium’s decision to reinvest in its Shreveport plant is a testament to Louisiana’s welcoming business climate, highly skilled workforce, and world-class transportation infrastructure.” 
The Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in 98 indirect jobs, for a total of 133 new jobs in Louisiana’s Northwest Region.
“Ternium USA strengthens our community, and by adding these new and retained well-paying jobs, they are continuing to make a notable impact,” Justyn Dixon, president and CEO of the North Louisiana Economic Partnership said.
Ternium will be adding a second coil coating paint line with annual capacity of 120,000 tons, which will increase its production capacity in the U.S. by 53%, among other improvements.
The coil coating process consists of cleaning, treating and painting flat sheet metal that is rolled into coils. The reinvestment in the Shreveport facility is the latest addition to Ternium’s goal of providing a full menu of state-of-the-art options for the metal building industry.
“This new coil coating expansion in Shreveport is part of our strategy to support the joint growth of our company and that of our loyal customers by adding complementary volume, range, and services to our existing local platform,” Michael Guhl, President of Ternium USA said.
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Construction on the facility expansion will commence in the first quarter of 2022. The company expects commercial operations at the added production line to begin by mid 2024.
“We are thankful to Gov. Edwards and the LED team for their tireless work on behalf of the greater Shreveport community and their support for local manufacturing, and we look forward to continuing to invest in our people and production capabilities,” Guhl said. 
To secure the project at the Port of Caddo-Bossier, the State of Louisiana provided Ternium with a competitive incentive package that includes the comprehensive services of LED FastStart, the No. 1 workforce development program in the nation for the past 12 years.
The company will also receive a $1 million performance-based award from the Economic Development Award Program to support infrastructure costs. The company is expected to use the state’s Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.
“This is exciting news for The Port of Caddo-Bossier and Northwest Louisiana,” Eric England, executive port director said. “When one of our current tenants announces an expansion like this with new jobs for the area, it shows we’re doing our job.”
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Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.

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