Kold-Draft Industries, a leading manufacturer of commercial ice machines, plans to add 100 jobs in Erie, Pa. by the end of the year. The expansion is the result of a deal with Texas firm In-Store Bagging Machine Co. to produce machines that will sell freshly-bagged ice cubes in convenience stores and supermarkets

According to local reports, 50 people will be hired by August with another 50 hires coming later this year. Kold-Draft plans to begin interviewing potential job candidates immediately. Most of the hires will be assembly-line workers, but other jobs will fall in the areas of production planning, engineering, quality control and purchasing.

“This is the most exciting thing to happen to Kold-Draft in 40 years,” said Len Kosar, chief executive officer of Erie Management Group, Kold-Draft’s parent company. “This partnership will bring more jobs, more potential and more growth to Erie.”

Kold-Draft Industries has been making automatic ice cube machines since 1955.