A spokeswoman confirms that the company "had begun moving ground," but says the sizes of the new facilities have not been finalized. The distribution facility is scheduled for the first phase of new construction. East Penn, one of the world's biggest battery manufacturers, was founded here in 1946 and is the largest employer in Berks County. With the expansion, it expects to add at least 500 new jobs to its current 4,828-person work force.

The state is providing a package of approximately $21.4 million in grants and loans that will leverage $108 million in private investment for the project. The package includes a nearly $6.2-million loan from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority; a $5-million loan and a $3-million grant from the PennWorks program; $3 million in infrastructure and facilities improvement program grants; a $3-million loan through the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority, and $1 million in job creation tax credits along with opportunity and job training grants. Citizens Banks has also approved a low-cost loan of up to $10 million to East Penn from the Citizens Job Bank program.

"Having a leading global manufacturer like East Penn choose to invest and grow in Pennsylvania is important to the entire state," says Gov. Ed Rendell, in a statement. He credits the commonwealth's "business-friendly tax structure and easy access to investment capital" with providing East Penn with "a home where they can be competitive in the worldwide marketplace."