A steel processor in an early phase of expansion at the Port of Vicksburg plans to add jobs and shifts in the coming months, plant officials said Wednesday.

Vicksmetal Company, a subsidiary of Tennessee-based Steel Summit Holdings Inc., has employed 10 people on a day shift during a gradual move into office and warehouse space at 901 Haining Road, plant manager Roland Ryan said.

Once up and running, the company will produce transformer cores for manufacturers of electrical transformers and voltage regulators. Machinery will cut, form, assemble, heat and test metal cores ranging from a few pounds to more than 1,000 pounds. Two additional shifts will be added in the next year, Ryan said.

Total investment in the first phase is about $4 million, with an even larger investment planned later. It is the first tenant for the 5-acre space since it was purchased by FLC Real Estate from Exide Technologies in 2006.

A ceremony to mark the facility’s grand opening is set for Sept. 29. Economic development officials with the Mississippi Development Authority will attend, MDA Director of Marketing and Communications Melissa Medley said.

The firm is a separate entity from steel-slitting Vicksmetal Armco Associates, which has a Vicksburg location less than two miles away on Industrial Drive and a home office in Frankfort, Ind. Steel Summit is part of the Tokyo-based Sumitomo Corporation, holder of diversified subsidiaries worldwide under the Sumitomo Group of companies that includes Japanese beer brand Asahi and Mazda Motor Company.

It is the second industry to set up shop at the port in 2009. Five Stars Lighting Ltd., a lighting products parts assembler, opened in July at Port Terminal Circle with plans to hire 15 by the first quarter of 2010.

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Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com