NPK Access Solutions to Add 38 Jobs in $40M Carencro Expansion

LAFAYETTE, La. — A Carencro manufacturer is investing $40 million to expand its Lafayette Parish plant, adding 38 new jobs while keeping its current 124 employees on staff, The Advocate reports.

NPK Access Solutions sits at 2900 LA 93 in the Vatican community just outside Carencro. The company plans to install new equipment and infrastructure to support a new composite matting product line, a move expected to boost production capacity by roughly 50%.

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What the Company Makes

NPK Access Solutions manufactures recyclable composite mats that create temporary roadways and stable work surfaces for heavy equipment on energy, utility, pipeline and infrastructure projects. The company has run its Carencro plant for nearly 30 years.

“This investment meaningfully expands our Carencro, Louisiana manufacturing operations and reflects our confidence in the long-term strength in our served end-markets and continued growth of our business,” said Matthew Lanigan, president and CEO of NPK International Inc. Lanigan pointed to the plant’s skilled local workforce and the backing of state and parish partners as reasons the company chose to grow in Carencro instead of looking elsewhere.

Jobs and Timeline

Crews are set to break ground on the expansion in September, and the upgraded operation should be running by mid-2027. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the 38 new jobs could ripple out into another 71 positions across Acadiana as suppliers and support businesses pick up work tied to the expansion.

Add those numbers to the 124 jobs the company is keeping in place, and local officials put the project’s total employment footprint at 162 jobs.

Incentives Behind the Deal

Louisiana put together an incentives package to help land the project, including LED FastStart workforce training, with the company also expected to tap into the High Impact Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs. LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said the expansion strengthens the state’s manufacturing base and opens up new opportunities for local workers.

Local Leaders React

Carencro Mayor Charlotte Clavier called NPK a longtime employer in the area and said the new jobs are a win for the community. Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Boulet tied the project to a broader run of economic growth across the parish, and Lafayette Economic Development Authority President and CEO Mandi Mitchell said the deal grew out of a routine visit to check in with an existing local business.

One Acadiana President and CEO Troy Wayman said the investment shows the confidence companies have in Acadiana, calling manufacturing one of the region’s strongest economic drivers.

NPK has not released a hiring timeline for the new positions.

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