East Penn facility near Lyons to expand manufacturing lines
By Mary E. Young (Reading Eagle)

A $32.5 million grant will enable East Penn Manufacturing Co. Inc. to create hundreds of new jobs and step up production of batteries for fuel-efficient vehicles, U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary John D. Porcari said Wednesday.

"It will greatly expand the existing production lines," he said, announcing the grant at the plant near Lyons. "You will see increased employment here in the future. You will see some of the most advanced battery production in the world here."

The money is part of $2.4 billion in federal economic stimulus funds authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help U.S.-based manufacturers advance battery technology, Porcari said.

U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, a Schuylkill County Democrat who represents part of Berks County, said the expansion is the type of project he envisioned when the stimulus act was passed.

"We could not have made a better investment in a better company, a better family or a better work force," he said.