June 8, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
A new industry is coming to Smithville!
Anchor Fabrication has acquired an existing building across from Tenneco Automotive in the Industrial Park on Highway 70 east and will soon open as a metal fabrication operation serving the heavy truck industry.
Gary Parsons, Human Resources Manager for the company told WJLE Wednesday that the building is being prepared for Anchor Fabrication to move in but applications are already being accepted from anyone looking for a job. Although it may take a while, Parsons said the company hopes to eventually have up to 200 employees.
Anchor has another location in Tennessee at Lavergne along with plants in Texas and Mississippi. The Tennessee plant, dating back to the early 1970s, was at that time owned by Quality Industries of Nashville but was purchased by Anchor Fabrication in 2019.
“We have been in the Nashville area since the early 1970s. We started out in the food service and heavy truck industry as a metal fabrication company. We moved to Lavergne in the early 1980s and that is where our present location in Tennessee is now. In 2019 the company (Quality Industries) was bought by Anchor Partners and we have a plant in Fort Worth Texas and Mississippi as well as a plant in Denton Texas along with the one in Lavergne,” said Parsons.
“We are glad to be moving into the Smithville area. Its new business for our company and it is an extension of our Laverge plant to start a new facility here,” Parsons continued.
“It is very much a startup right now. The building is being prepared now with equipment being moved in and we are excited to get moving forward. We are working on hiring now. We offer a full benefits package including medical, dental, vision and 401 K. Over the next couple of years, we plan to maybe have up to 200 employees. We’re having to build up production in stages. Right now, we need welders, MIG and TIG with aluminum and steel. We will later need powder painters, assembly operators, material handling, shipping, quality control, and all the standard needs you find in a manufacturing facility. We will be building this team as we go forward,” said Parsons.
To apply, visit www.anchorfabsmithville.com.