Brunswick County planning officials approved Victaulic’s planned expansion of its Leland Innovation Park facility this week, which is expected to grow the company’s local capabilities and create new jobs.

The proposed 230,000-square-foot addition would more than triple the company’s current 108,135-square-foot facility at 2010 Enterprise Drive NE in Leland. It will grow the facility’s manufacturing and warehouse capacity while housing new automation equipment to support product lines for commercial, industrial and mission-critical builds, according to Victaulic officials.

The Brunswick County Planning Board unanimously approved plans for the building addition at its regular meeting on Monday. The board is required to approve proposed structures over 75,000 square feet. 

The Pennsylvania-based company makes mechanical pipe joining, flow control and fire protection products and currently employs around 500 people at its Brunswick County facility. The expansion will create new jobs, ranging from production and labor positions to office-based opportunities in quality, safety, engineering, warehousing and maintenance, officials wrote in an emailed statement to the Business Journal. 

Scott Bungo, director of U.S. manufacturing for Victaulic, told the planning board on Monday that the company currently employs workers from Brunswick County and the surrounding areas, including Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties.

“Our business is growing, and we’re very excited about that,” he told the board. “We’re looking forward to the future.”

The proposed project will cover three parcels along U.S. 74/76, an area of 22.5 acres, according to site plans. Once complete, the single-story industrial warehouse facility would have just over 338,000 square feet. Construction of the addition is expected to begin in the immediate future, officials wrote.

Since purchasing the Leland property in 1991, the facility has been a “cornerstone of the company’s growth,” officials wrote in the statement.

“Victaulic’s continued capital investment in the region reflects our deep commitment to the community and its workforce. The expansion underscores our commitment to creating family-sustaining jobs that champion economic growth for Leland and the greater Wilmington area community,” officials wrote. “The addition will bolster our manufacturing infrastructure, ensuring Victaulic remains the industry leader in producing innovative solutions for the construction industry and our North American customers.”

According to the company, the expanding local footprint is part of broader investment across the company. Victaulic, for example, recently broke ground on a 180,000-square-foot facility addition in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, which expanded its Lawrenceville foundry operation. 

The company also expanded its European modular construction capabilities through the acquisition of Arumani in Castellón, Spain.

Victaulic traces its history back to 1919, when Ernest Tribe, who co-founded a company that later became Victaulic, realized pipes could be joined quickly and safely with a mechanical coupling. According to the company’s website, Tribe and Henry Hele-Shaw, another co-founder, filed a patent that year for what became known as the Victaulic coupling.

Over the years, Victaulic’s product offerings and footprint have grown. Today, the global firm has more than 50 facilities and more than 6,000 employees worldwide, according to Victaulic’s website.