Dive Brief:
- German gummy bear manufacturer Haribo has announced it will build a $242 million factory in Pleasant Prairie, WI, marking its first-ever North American facility, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
- State officials said they are finalizing an incentive package that helped persuade the company to build its 500,000-square-foot facility in Wisconsin. Benefits under the agreement, which have not yet been disclosed, will be tied to the company's job creation ability, capital investment, job training and supply chain details. Haribo predicts it will employ 400 people at the factory.
- Haribo, which will also purchase the necessary land from the village of Pleasant Prairie, expects to open the factory in 2020.
Dive Insight:
The Haribo announcement is just the latest in other manufacturing operations, both foreign and domestic, set to open soon in the U.S.
Earlier this month, South Korea-based LG Electronics announced it would build an 829,000-square-foot, $250 million washing machine factory in Clarksville, TN. The state offered the company an incentives package in return for infrastructure improvements, workforce training and a promise to hire U.S. veterans. The company expects to open the facility in 2019.
A $1.8 billion Novo Nordisk diabetes active pharmaceutical ingredient factory is set to open in another Southeastern city, Clayton, NC. Texas-based Fluor Corp. will build the 830,000-square-foot facility under a $1.2 billion contract, which should see completion in 2020. Project officials said the factory will produce 2,500 construction jobs and 700 full-time positions.
According to Dodge Data & Analytics' 2017 Dodge Construction Outlook, manufacturing starts should increase by 7%, or 62 million square feet, this year. Chief Economist Robert Murray said global demand for U.S. exports will drive the sector in 2017.
