Fayette has landed a $5.5 million steel fabrication plant that will eventually lead to the creation of 70 full-time jobs, according to Alabama's commerce secretary.

O’Neal Manufacturing Services plans to open the 130,000-square-foot plant in an existing building in Fayette, which is about 40 miles north of Tuscaloosa in Fayette County.

“O’Neal Manufacturing Services’ investment will bring advanced capabilities to its new fabrication facility in Fayette,” Department of Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield said in a Tuesday news release. “This is a positive development for the community, not only in terms of job creation, but also for growth potential in the future.”

As a subsidiary of Birmingham-based O’Neal Industries, O’Neal Manufacturing Services provides carbon steel and aluminum parts for customers that manufacture equipment for construction, agriculture, materials handling, transportation and other industries.

O’Neal Industries is the nation’s largest family-owned network of metal service centers and component and tube manufacturing businesses. The new Fayette facility will bring  the company’s total North American locations to 10.

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Fayette Mayor Rod Northam said he anticipates a fruitful partnership with O’Neal Manufacturing Services.

“With over a 100-year presence in Alabama, we are happy to welcome them to Fayette and build upon this proud legacy. We look forward to supporting their growth and appreciate their investment in our city and in our citizens,” Northam said.

Brenda Tuck, rural development manager for the Alabama Department of Commerce, said O’Neal Manufacturing Services’ new facility will benefit from a motivated workforce in Fayette.

“Alabama’s rural communities can offer companies like OMS many strategic advantages as well as an environment that allows companies to pursue ambitious goals,” Tuck said.

Kent Brown, president and CEO of O’Neal Manufacturing Services, said the company was "thrilled" to acquire the Fayette facility.

“... and we are even more excited to have the skilled workers that were available in Fayette. People have always been our most valuable asset,” Brown said. “In this time of unprecedented low unemployment and worker shortages across the country, good people have become even more valuable."