OGDEN — By this time next year, Fresenius Medical Care, the world's largest maker of dialysis equipment, will have added 270 jobs and 300,000 square feet of assembly and storage space to its Ogden plant.

The Ogden plant, which is the company's largest, will increase production from 27 million dialyzers — a type of blood filter — to 33 million.

On Wednesday, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and company executives lauded the expansion, made possible by a $675,000 incentive from Ogden's Community and Economic Development.

Fresenius will invest about $83 million to expand production at its plant, and the $675,000 is a small portion of the property taxes the company will pay once the expansion is complete, said Richard McConkie, Ogden's deputy director of Community and Economic Development.

Additional incentives from the state could kick in if more expansion happens, said Michael Sullivan, spokesman for the Governor's Office of Economic Development.

"We are happy to be here in Utah," said Rice Powell, chief executive officer for Fresenius North America.

The company currently has 1,150 full-time employees and about 100 temporary employees in Ogden. Worldwide, 80,000 people in 40 countries work for Fresenius, which is based in Frankfurt, Germany.

Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey said it's near ecstasy for him when a company is willing to not only stay in town but also expand.

"It's good for the economy and it's good for Ogden," he said.

"They could go anywhere," Huntsman said during a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday. "These aren't just jobs, they are high-paying jobs, which is what the state wants."

Troy McGhee, general manager of the Ogden plant, said the annual salary will be above the Weber County average of $21,500 per year.

"This is about more than expanding square footage," Huntsman said. "This is about building lives."

McConkie called the expansion a win-win situation for Ogden because the company keeps a low profile, is clean and pays higher wages.

Fresenius began life in Germany in 1452 as a pharmacy, Powell said. Over centuries and through mergers, the company has survived. In its latest incarnation, as a producer of dialysis equipment, the company purchased dialysis clinics. The company came to Ogden in September 1996 when it bought a factory from an intravenous fluid company.

"It's nice to see it grow," Powell said, adding that his company makes it possible for people with kidney failure to live longer.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com