PIKEVILLE, Ky. — After announcing plans in November 2021 to establish operations in Pikeville, Appalachian Tank—a company that specializes in the production of aluminum tank trucks—has hired its first group of full-time manufacturing personnel, all of whom were trained through a partnership with Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC).
Appalachian Tank, a subsidiary of Canada-based Platinum Tank Group, recently moved into a building in Pikeville’s Kentucky Enterprise Industrial Park that previously housed SilverLiner, a locally owned tank manufacturing company that filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and closed in the wake of the COVID pandemic. After learning about SilverLiner’s closing, Platinum President/Owner Tony Roberts said he thought Pikeville would be an ideal location in which to establish another facility.
“We’ve been in the game for a long, long time,” Roberts told The Appalachian News-Express. “All of the indicators said that there was an excellent opportunity (in Pikeville).”
Now the company has developed a program with BSCTC to train students to be aluminum welders, providing them with the skills needed for a welding career and supplying Appalachian Tank with qualified manufacturing personnel. The initial 10-week training program has produced 10 new employees for the company, with four more sessions planned. The company plans to ultimately hire a staff of 50.
Click here for more Kentucky business news.
