Petrochemical giant Ineos is to invest £60 million to expand its Grangemouth site.
An extra furnace will be built on its ethylene plant at the site in Scotland.
The company said the investment showed its commitment to UK manufacturing at a time when it is in decline across many industrial regions around the country.
Ineos said the 10th furnace will improve the efficiency of the plant and increase its production capacity.
Swiss-based Ineos, owned by billionaire industrialist Jim Ratcliff, said last year it planned to increase the amount of ethylene it can produce at Grangemouth and in Norway.
Both rely on fracked shale gas being shipped across to Europe from the US.
READ MORE: Ineos will add 150 jobs at Grangemouth with investment
Ethylene and propylene are key building blocks in the manufacture of plastics.
Ineos official John McNally said: “Our plans to invest in the UK with the further expansion of our plant at Grangemouth has been made possible because we now have access to the raw materials that we need.
READ MORE: Ineos facing legal challenge in battle with Scottish Government over fracking ban
“The successful completion in 2016 of our project to bring to Grangemouth plentiful supplies of competitive US shale gas ethane over a long-term agreement, has breathed new life into the plant.
“Production from Grangemouth provides vital raw materials used extensively throughout UK industry.
“Having additional furnace capacity will provide a range of future opportunities, not just for Ineos and for the site, but also for the heartlands of manufacturing in Scotland and the North East and North West of England.”
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