CXT, Inc. Expanding To Meet Demand

Local pre-cast concrete CXT, Inc., a wholly owned facility of LB Foster, is in the process of expanding its facility on Highway 81 in north Hillsboro to meet con-tract demands.

This is the first major expansion since the company located in Hillsboro nearly 20 years ago, according to Plant Manager Jason Busby.

The company is adding 20,400 square feet of production space to its existing 93,000 square feet.

The building will feature two 74-foot wide crane bridges with a total of four cranes which can lift up to 80,000 pounds.

Building construction started the first of April and is expected to be commissioned by the middle of July.

The company will be hiring 25 additional workers to complement the existing workforce of 100.

The company recently upgraded its concrete mixer in the original plant from three to four yards to provide the additional 25 percent of mud needed for the expansion.

In the discussion phase for an extended period of time, the addi-tional capacity is needed to fulfil a contract with Reinforced Earth Company (REC), which has an engineering and sales office in North Richlands Hills and a pro-duction facility in Waco.

REC secured the contract to pro-vide two different types of mechan-ically stabilized earth (MSE) wall-panel units for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s (DART) 26-mile silver rail line, which will stretch from Plano to the north end of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFWIA) along the Cotton Belt corridor.

Busby said he anticipates having 100,000 square feet of concrete poured by the end of the year completing 18 to 24 forms per day.

Foster will produce 5’x10’ panels and a T-wall system for the project.

Limited production was expected to start this week in the existing plant. Production to complete the contract will take 22 months.

Several of Foster’s sister plants have contracts for the rail, pilings and other parts of the Silver Line, Busby noted.

In the meantime, the local plant will continue to manufacture re-strooms, concession stands, storm shelters, septic tanks and grease traps.

The company has leased approx-imately four acres from Ameritube across Highway 81 to store many of its existing lines making room to store the Silver Line products on its yard.