Driven by an increasing demand in the Eastern United States for its Landmark™ series line of laminated asphalt roofing shingles, CertainTeed Corp., of Valley Forge, Pa., has announced plans for a multi-million dollar expansion of its Oxford, N.C., roofing manufacturing facility. North Carolina Governor Mike Easley joined CertainTeed executives and associates in a ground-breaking ceremony Monday afternoon for a state-of-the-art, four-wide laminated shingle line that will manufacture the company's Landmark series of laminated shingles.

The project, which is expected to add up to 55 new jobs at the facility, is set to begin immediately with shingles shipping to customers in early 2007. It will involve the demolition of part of the existing plant structure with a 65,000-square-foot building added to accommodate the new roofing line. The Oxford plant currently employs more than 200 people and manufactures a number of high-end architectural shingles.

"Companies such as CertainTeed continue to thrive and grow in North Carolina because of our continued investments in education, workforce development and infrastructure," Easley said. "This expansion is further proof that we are making sound investments to ensure that our state remains highly competitive in the global economy."

The company also recently announced that two more of its manufacturing facilities have surpassed one million hours of operation without a lost-time accident. A lost-time accident is defined as one that prevents an employee from returning to work the following day. In total, seven plants have reached this million-hour milestone, most recently the company's mold products plant in McPherson, Kan., and roofing plant in Birmingham, Ala., and have been inducted into the company's Millionaires' Club.

"Safety is our number one priority," said James VanderWeide, plant manager at the McPherson plant. "Through employee involvement in the identification and correction of safety issues, we have been able to maintain a sound environment and boost employee moral and productivity."