Waukegan, Illinois-based
Yaskawa America Inc., a manufacturer of AC inverter drives and motion control and robotics automation systems, is planning a 54,000-square-foot addition to its facility in Franklin.
An affiliate of Yaskawa
purchased the 207,814-square-foot building at 2 W. World Packaging Circle in the Franklin Business Park last year for $20.3 million. The company, which has several facilities in the United States, also has a manufacturing facility in Oak Creek.
The expansion will mostly include mainly laboratories, warehousing and storage, according to
Mike Knapek, Yaskawa America chairman and chief executive officer.
"The building has great potential for our future business expansions," Knapek said in an email to BizTimes. "As we began to lay out those future plans we felt some additional space on the north side of the building would make the facility most functional."
Yaskawa is contemplating a number on interior alteration projects including a large café and restroom core in the former interior southern truck dock area, complete office renovation with interior dock infills and full air conditioning for the manufacturing floor, according to documents submitted to the City of Franklin. Yaskawa has previously renovated the building's lighting system, painted the interior walls and roof structure and stained nearly 200,000 square feet of concrete floors.
The new occupants and additions require adding 205 parking spaces, city documents say.
When asked if any new jobs are associated with the expansion, Knapek said "details on headcount are yet to be determined."
Yaskawa America is a subsidiary of Japan-based Yaskawa Electric Corp.
