(HOWE) - Postle Aluminum is making a significant investment in LaGrange County.
The company is establishing a new aluminum extrusion operation in Howe. The approximately $36 million investment includes the acquisition and development of a more than 200,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and the installation of two new state-of the-art aluminum extrusion presses.
The LaGrange County Council approved a 10-year $21,081,060 personal property tax abatement on May 11 in support of a portion of the company's investment in new manufacturing equipment. The LaGrange County Economic Development Corporation worked with Postle throughout the abatement process and continues to support the company as it establishes its Howe operation.
Postle acquired the facility, located on 33 acres at 290 West 750 North on December 1, 2025, following an extensive search for a location capable of supporting aluminum extrusion manufacturing. The unique configuration of the Howe facility provides the long, narrow manufacturing space required for extrusion presses while also offering significant room for future growth.
The project includes the installation of new 7-inch and 10-inch aluminum extrusion presses. Together the highly automated presses are expected to add approximately 50 million pounds of annual extrusion capacity and allow Postle to serve new customers and enter additional market segments.
The economic impact of the investment is already being realized. Postle has hired approximately 25 new employees for the Howe operation and expects to hire another 25 employees over the next four to six weeks. As production ramps up, the company anticipates creating approximately 100 new jobs within the first six months of operation.
Production testing on the 7-inch press is scheduled to begin in mid-October, followed by testing of the 10-inch press in mid-December. Postle anticipates both presses reaching full-scale, 24-hour-per-day, seven-day-per-week production by March 2027.
There will also be significant opportunities for future expansion.