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<p>HAZLE TWP. &#8212; The Hershey Company will break ground this week on a $60 million project to expand Kit Kat manufacturing at its facility in the Humboldt Industrial Park outside Hazleton.</p><p>With the addition, Hershey officials said they will be looking to hire 111 people, an employment increase of more than 25 percent at the site.</p><p>Todd Tillemans, president of Hershey&#8217;s U.S. business, will be joined by other Hershey executives and leaders from the Hazleton plant &#8212; along with local and state politicians &#8212; for a ceremony Friday at 10 a.m. at the plant on Scotch Pine Drive.</p><p>The facility produces Cadbury, Caramello and Kit Kat products.</p><p>Hershey says the move will boost sales of the growing Kit Kat line, which is poised to become the company&#8217;s next billion-dollar brand. The candy is made from layers of wafer sticks, alternating with sweet filling and covered in chocolate.</p><p>&#8220;Kit Kat is one of our most complex bars to produce, and making such a high-quality product starts with a great manufacturing team, like the people here at the Hazleton plant,&#8221; plant manager Stephen Knight said.</p><p>A company spokeswoman said Hershey will be constructing the new manufacturing line &#8220;while we interview, hire and onboard new employees throughout the remainder of the year.&#8221;</p><p>The new Hazle Township jobs are expected to pay between $17 and $22 per hour, based on experience, company officials said, and will include production operators, HVAC specialists, maintenance mechanics and controls specialists.</p><p>The company will offer a sign-on bonus for the maintenance roles and day-one benefits that include medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program and other supplemental optional benefits. Also included will be a 401k with an employer match, a stock purchase program, and a tuition reimbursement program.</p><p>Based in Dauphin County, Hershey employs 18,000 people worldwide. The company has more than 80 brands around the world that drive more than $7.5 billion in annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as Hershey&#8217;s, Reese&#8217;s, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Ice Breakers and SkinnyPop.</p><p>In addition to its headquarters and manufacturing facilities in the Hershey area, the company&#8217;s Pennsylvania footprint also includes the Hazle Township plant and another site in Lancaster County.</p><p>State Sen. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township, praised the company&#8217;s Luzerne County expansion.</p><p>&#8220;The only thing sweeter than Hershey chocolate is the sweet sound of manufacturing jobs being created in Pennsylvania,&#8221; Yudichak said. &#8220;The Hershey Company is a world leader in manufacturing, and with a skilled UFCW union workforce, Hershey Hazleton is setting high standards for company growth and efficiency.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_retreat03CMYK-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Yudichak</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_retreat03CMYK-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Yudichak</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Kit-Kat-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Hershey Company will break ground Friday on a $60 million expansion of its Hazle Township facility to add a new Kit Kat manufacturing line. The project will allow Hershey to add more than 100 jobs, the company says. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Kit-Kat-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>The Hershey Company will break ground Friday on a $60 million expansion of its Hazle Township facility to add a new Kit Kat manufacturing line. The project will allow Hershey to add more than 100 jobs, the company says. </caption1><photoCredit1>File photo </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_0.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tillemans </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_0.jpg</photo2><caption2>Tillemans </caption2><photoCredit2>File photo </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>More than 100 jobs available</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Hershey plans $60 million Kit Kat expansion in Hazle Township