FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- CLARCOR Inc. has announced plans to invest approximately $28 million over the next three years to expand its Baldwin manufacturing facility in Yankton, S.D., and add capacity to produce heavy-duty engine filters.

CLARCOR said this additional capacity to support sales growth in the Americas, as well as export business, should be fully operational before the end of 2012. Additional equipment and capabilities will be added through 2014, and the company anticipates hiring an additional 70 people as a result of the expansion.

Norm Johnson, CLARCOR’s chairman and CEO, commented, “We expect our Baldwin business to continue to grow at an impressive rate, and this expansion supports our position as the leading supplier of heavy-duty engine filters to the aftermarket. Being a global company, we obviously have many geographic options when it comes to making investments of this type. At this point, Yankton represents the most cost-effective means of expansion to satisfy our growing domestic and export demand. Going forward, we certainly expect to make further investments in Asia, our fastest growing market.

“We continue to forecast increased demand for high-quality heavy-duty engine filters, and we believe that adding state-of-the-art equipment to a facility that has consistently delivered world-class performance will allow us not only to continue to supply exceptional products to our customers, but to do so at the margins that our shareholders have come to expect," Johnson said. "As our nation strives to put more people to work, we are excited to be creating jobs while still delivering exceptional value to our customers and shareholders.”