CTB Inc., a global designer, manufacturer and marketer of agricultural systems and solutions, announced plans Oct. 13 to expand its manufacturing operations in Milford, Ind., creating up to 80 new jobs by 2017.

The Milford-headquartered company, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., will invest $7.11 million to construct and equip a 45,000 sq. ft. facility on its 127-acre campus in Milford, in addition to optimizing portions of its existing structures. The facility, which is expected to be operational by mid-2015, will allow the company to increase its manufacturing operations and add storage to support projected growth in its global Chore-Time poultry and egg production systems business unit.

CTB, which currently employs approximately 700 full-time people in Indiana, also plans to begin its first hiring phase in 2015 and expects to continue to add positions as revenue grows. Interested applicants may visit www.ctbinc.com/positions.php for information about how to apply for open positions.

"We already have a substantial investment in Milford with a long-term, highly-skilled workforce and a special relationship with Kosciusko County that goes back decades," Chris Stoler, executive vice president of the Chore-Time Group, said. "With the financial assistance of Indiana and the Milford community, we're glad to be able to leverage the logistical, efficiency and employment advantages of building in Milford rather than another location."

Founded as Chore-Time in 1952, CTB works to improve efficiency in caring for poultry and livestock, as well as enhancing the storage, conditioning and handling of grain. With $1 billion in annual sales, CTB serves the grain, poultry, pig and egg production industries, producing systems for post-harvest grain management, equipment for raising poultry and livestock and systems for poultry processing.

A global company, in addition to its Milford headquarters, CTB operates additional manufacturing and warehouse facilities in Frankfort and Vincennes, Ind., a number of other U.S. states and seven countries. These are supplemented by additional sales and service locations around the world and a global network of independent dealers and distributors.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered CTB up to $600,000 in conditional tax credits based on the company's investment and job creation plans. The town of Milford will consider additional incentives at the request of the Kosciusko Economic Development Corp.