PMF Industries announces $8M expansion, 20 jobs on Reach Road

Kenneth Healy, Executive VP and Director of Engineering of PMF Industries in Williamsport, talks about the types of Flow Formed industrial cylinders needed by the commercial vehicle industry for using hydrogen gas for fuel. Cylinders similar to these, but much larger, will be made by PMF in a new 16,000 sq ft facility which they plan to construct as soon as possible with production planned to start sometime in 2025.
DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

A Williamsport-based manufacturer that is a global leader in metalworking and precision metal forming, is planning to expand its facility with a proposed $8 million building addition along with necessary equipment procurement.

Executives with PMF Industries, 2601 Reach Road, said during a tour of the plant Friday their goal is to have a 16,000-square-foot building addition on the site that will support an additional 20 positions, a job creation and job retention effort that positions PMF Industries for further serving the needs of its global customer base. The company employs 78 workers in three shifts.

“We believe this will be a boon for Pennsylvania,” said John F. Perrotto, PMF president and general manager, speaking of the company’s goals from now through 2027, when it believes the expansion will be up and operational.

As the nation gets further away from using fossil fuels, hydrogen, which is clean burning, is being eyed as a next generation fuel source, he said.

“Our project is looking at adding capacity and manufacturing of larger diameter hydrogen (storing) cylinders,” said Ken Healy, company executive vice president and director of engineering.

These cylinders will be primarily for use in transportation, such as land-based tractor trailers, he said.

Such technology is more widespread throughout Europe and Asian markets. Devices made at the plant won’t be directly tied into what are called “hydrogen hubs,” but the industries, such as those in development, will need the devices as part of their infrastructure.

The U.S. is not there yet, but it is bound to be, the PMF Industries managers said.

Currently, the plant manufactures stainless steel cylinders but these are smaller, or about 10 inches in diameter, although it has capabilities to make larger diameter cylinders.

However, the aim for the officials will be making cylinders with diameters that are 22 inches and about 16 inches long, Perrotto said.

PMF Industries’ plan has piqued the interest of the Governor’s Action Team. State Rep. Jamie Flick, R-South Williamsport, representing the 83rd District, took the tour of the 58-year-old company and was impressed and wanted to assist in their growth any way possible.

Just before the tour, Flick and the officials gathered in the company’s executive conference room to go over their project plans.

PMF Industries is looking to pair up with an aluminum company located near Pittsburgh, a needed step that interested Flick who wanted to know where the firm was so that he could reach out and network with the appropriate state legislator serving constituents in that area.

PMF industries also is seeking a customer base for providing it with necessary parts for a production line to be in place by mid-2025 and with its employees reaching the stage of having a prototyped product by 2026, with the expansion operation happening about a year later.

During the tour, Flick and others were awestruck by the highly technical laboratory, one which features a machine that can do laser scanning in three dimensions without having to touch the materials being scanned.

It was learned besides the Governor’s Action Team, U.S. Senators Bob Casey, D-Scranton, and John Fetterman, D-Braddock, have expressed interest in seeing the product line and touring the plant.

State Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township, who has been vocally supportive of hydrogen hubs and hydrogen gas technology as a cleaner burning fuel source alternative, also has expressed interest.

PMF Industries has secured several bids from local construction companies interested in building the expansion, Perrotto said.

The skilled laborers inside the sprawling plant offer a large array of services, including flow forming, deep drawing, vacuum annealing, press forming, finishing, electropolishing, passivating, hot spinning, laser cutting, welding, machining and engineering services.

“This is an employee-owned business,” said Jason Fitzgerald, founder of Fitzgerald Media Group, which arranged the tour. PMF Industries has provided family-sustaining jobs within Lycoming County since 1961, he said, making standard products for a broad range of industries including aerospace, defense, land-based power generation, food processing, microelectronics, nuclear and more. It also makes component shapes beyond the means of conventional metal forming at a more economical price,” the media group’s press release stated.