Steel & O'Brien Manufacturing, a family-owned precision components maker from Arcade, New York, is gearing up to plant a flag in West Chester Township with a new manufacturing facility that is expected to bring about 230 jobs to Butler County. The move, announced Tuesday, ranks among the bigger manufacturing hiring pledges the Cincinnati suburbs have logged this year, and local economic officials say it could give a useful boost to the region's advanced-manufacturing and data-center supply chains.
Deal details and jobs
According to the Cincinnati Business Courier, Steel & O'Brien plans to staff roughly 230 positions at its new Butler County operation in West Chester. The Business Courier first reported the job count on March 3 and noted that the project marks a significant step in the company’s growth beyond its New York base of operations.
What the company makes
Headquartered in Arcade, N.Y., Steel & O'Brien manufactures sanitary fittings, valves, pumps and custom-machined parts that serve customers in the food, biotech and semiconductor sectors, according to Steel & O'Brien's website. The company also highlights its work on data-center cooling components and rapid custom machining for high-tech industrial clients, so it is not arriving in West Chester as a low-tech throwback.
Why West Chester
West Chester Township has spent recent years quietly turning itself into an industrial heavyweight, helped along by projects like the West Chester Trade Center that have already produced hundreds of jobs in Butler County. As The Journal-News has detailed, the township’s ready-to-occupy industrial buildings, infrastructure investments and access to regional markets make it a particularly appealing landing spot for manufacturers looking to scale up quickly.
Hiring and local recruitment
Steel & O'Brien maintains a growing roster of openings as it stretches beyond its New York roots, and the company points job seekers to its own online listings for details. Prospective applicants can review postings and requirements via the firm’s Steel & O'Brien careers page and look over additional background on capabilities and operations through its profile on IndustryNet.
What to watch next
Key details still to come include the exact site announcement, a hiring schedule and any state or county incentive packages linked to the project, all of which will determine how fast those 230 jobs actually materialize. Local workforce pipelines could play a big role too. Butler Tech’s expanded advanced-manufacturing training programs are positioned to supply many of the technicians and machinists Steel & O'Brien will need, according to The Journal-News, setting the stage for a homegrown hiring pool once the company is ready to start bringing people on board.
