The Jøtul plant in Gorham is doubling its production capacity and will be hiring several new employees over the next six months, the company announced Wednesday.

The Gorham plant will take over the production of nine wood-burning stove models currently manufactured in Fredrikstad, Norway, Bret Watson, president and CEO of Jøtul North America, said in a news release. He said the move will allow Jøtul to have more control over quality and improve its on-time delivery.

The Gorham facility, located in the former Sebago shoe manufacturing plant in the Gorham Industrial Park, also serves as headquarters for Jøtul North America.

The company currently imports about 9,000 wood stoves from its parent company in Norway, Jøtul AS, to be sold throughout North America. The parent company will continue to produce the cast iron parts and ship them to the Gorham plant, where the stoves are assembled.

Jøtul North America employs about 75 people and sells about 17,000 wood and gas stoves, inserts and fireplaces in North America annually.

The stoves have been imported in the United States since the early 1970s. Jøtul North America was founded in Maine in 1980.

In 1998, Jøtul North America’s Maine facility added product development as well as the final assembly of a product line of gas room heaters designed for the North American hearth products market.