By May, an eight-month long expansion project will have taken Astaris, a North Lawrence manufacturing plant, from near closure to 100 percent operational capacity for the first time in 15 years.

“Yes, it has been one unbelievable year,” said Karen Schuyler, plant manger for the phosphate production facility at 440 N. Ninth St.

“The last couple of years have been very challenging, trying to reduce costs, laying people off because of the business conditions,” Schuyler said. “This one was a lot more enjoyable.”

St. Louis-based Astaris — which formerly operated under the name FMC and was jointly owned by two chemical product manufacturers, FMC Corp. and Solutia Inc. — was spared closure in October when the company announced the closing of four Astaris plants in Idaho, Wyoming, Michigan and Illinois.

In addition to the plants left open in St. Louis and New Jersey, Lawrence was chosen for a $5 million expansion and 18 new high-paying jobs, Schuyler said.

“It is an important project for us because it will take the plant from about 60 percent capacity to 100 percent capacity,” she said of the plant, which produces a variety of phosphate products used primarily in food and cleaning products.

With the expansion, the facility also will be producing phosphate used in the commercial baking industry.

“A lot of our new jobs involve the new products and product-testing work,” Schuyler said. “Baking-grade phosphates, technical phosphates.”

Phosphates are used in hundreds of products; among their uses is as a flavor enhancer in colas and an abrasive in toothpastes.

Schuyler said the U.S. phosphate industry was in a similar position as the U.S. fertilizer industry, which has struggled to compete with foreign countries that have lower natural gas costs. Natural gas is a major raw material used in producing both phosphates and nitrogen fertilizers like the kind formerly produced at the now-closed Farmland Industries plant east of Lawrence.

Behind Lawrence’s expansion, the newly added jobs — plant operators, maintenance workers, laboratory technicians and engineers — have boosted the facility’s employment to 170 workers.

“Normally we operate with a $1 million capital, this year that number raises to $5 million,” Schuyler said.

Here's an aerial photo of the Astaris plant, 440 N. Ninth St., from the east looking west. With recent expansion, the facility will be producing phosphate used in the commercial baking industry.

While the expansion created more opportunities for the facility founded in Lawrence in 1951, Schuyler said growth can continue.

“It’s all very challenging,” she said. “The rest of this year we will be getting comfortable with our new products and programs, making sure were able to reach consistent volumes of an optimized product. From there we will continue and try to grow.”