Aug. 4—A sheet-metal fabricator plans to expand its Keene site around 2023 by nearly doubling the size of its production building. The company aims to ramp up manufacturing with the expansion as a facility manager says it's in a "growth mode."

EVS Metal at 50 Optical Ave. expects to create 20 new jobs once the project is complete.

The company, which manufactures sheet metal through computer numerical control machines, laser cutting, robotic welding and other processes, aims to break ground on the project late this year or early 2023, according to Keith Tuthill, the location's general manager. He said it employs 45 people in Keene.

"The expansion will give us the much-needed space to produce more product, keep more work in-house instead of outsourcing, add more technology in terms of automation [and] hire more employees for higher-skilled positions," Tuthill said in an email responding to questions Wednesday.

Tuthill said he estimates the project will cost $3-4.5 million, with the company planning to add 25,200 square feet to its existing 28,932 square-foot building on the property, according to documents submitted to the Keene Planning Board by Keene-based Brickstone Land Use Consultants.

EVS Metal's corporate website states the company acquired its Keene location from the Holden Co., another fabrication business, in October 2008. The company says this facility, which occupies 4.94 acres of land in the city's industrial district, specializes in larger weldments made from sheet and tubular metals.

Tuthill said new jobs resulting from the expansion could include welders, brake press operators and robot welders among other planned positions.

"We will hire as needed, [and] this will depend on the continued growth," he said. "With the addition of more automation, EVS will continue to be very competitive in the marketplace for the Keene area, especially with the rising costs of doing business in New England."

Client companies that have worked with EVS include businesses in the agriculture, energy, cellphone, medical and construction sectors, Tuthill said. He noted the current space of the Keene facility has limited the scope of its work.

"We have had to pass on some of this work due to the size and quantities of the products and the competitive nature of a few of the industries," he said.

The project received conditional approval from the Keene Planning Board at the board's July 25 meeting after outlining land use plans and providing diagrams of the expansion. It's subject to final approval at the board's Aug. 22 meeting, according to Keene Senior Planner Mari Brunner.

Brunner said she expects the final approval to be granted without any trouble.

As part of the project, EVS plans to move its parking lot to the east side of the building addition where it will have 56 parking spaces and three accessible parking spaces, according to Brickstone documents. EVS also plans a new 24-foot-wide travel lane for vehicles to travel around the facility.

A specific construction timeline has yet to be determined, Tuthill said, but EVS has contracted Bergeron Construction in Keene to help with building design and plans. The company used Huntley Survey & Design in Temple to survey the land and SVE Associates in Brattleboro for civil engineering.

EVS Metal is made up of four locations including the one in Keene. Its other facilities are based in Riverdale, N.J.; Pflugerville, Texas, and Stroudsburg, Pa.

Tim Nail can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1436, or tnail@keenesentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @timmnail.

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