Yaskawa to invest $180M in new Franklin robotics campus

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An international robotics maker will invest $180 million in its facility in Franklin.

Gov. Tony Evers, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and officials from Yaskawa American Inc. on Friday announced the company will consolidate its facilities in Wisconsin and Waukegan, Ill. into one headquarters in Franklin.

The new campus will be 800,000 square feet with a headquarters, training and lab building, manufacturing and packaging facilities and robotics and semiconductor production operations, the governor’s office said. The new facility will also create 700 jobs, officials added.

“I am really excited to be celebrating Yaskawa’s decision to relocate its headquarters to Wisconsin and expand its footprint here in the Badger State, bringing with them millions of dollars in capital investment in Southeastern Wisconsin and hundreds of high-quality, family-supporting jobs,” Evers said in a statement. “Companies from across the globe are choosing Wisconsin to grow and expand because they know we have the best workers making the best products. Wisconsin is continuing to strengthen our position as a leader in advanced manufacturing, and we’re glad to help support this expansion and Yaskawa’s continued success in our state,” he added.

The project will relocate Yaskawa’s North American headquarters and training facility from Waukegan, Ill, officials said. The company will move that and its Wisconsin facilities to Franklin over the next eight to 10 years, officials added.

Yaskawa officials said their North American branch saw significant growth driven by “innovation in robotics, motion control, AC drives and solar inverters.”

“The Drives & Motion Division of Yaskawa America, Inc. is proud to announce the unification of all its current manufacturing and office locations in Wisconsin and Illinois into a single, consolidated campus in Franklin,” said Mike Knapek, CEO of Yaskawa America, in a statement. “We take pride in our cutting-edge technology, our commitment to quality, and our world-class manufacturing, and we look forward to a strong future of growth and innovation in Franklin,” he added.

This is the second company in three days to announce it will move its locations in Waukegan, Ill. and Wisconsin to a Milwaukee suburb – trade show specialist firm Derse on Wednesday announced it will move its Milwaukee headquarters and Waukegan location to Oak Creek.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will support the project by allowing up to $18 million in performance-based enterprise zone tax credits, Evers said. Tax credits received depend on the number of jobs created and amount of capital investment in that period, officials added.

“It has been a pleasure working with the Yaskawa team to develop their incredible corporate vision in the Franklin Business Park,” said John Nelson, Mayor of the city of Franklin. “Yaskawa has been a wonderful community partner, and we are grateful they selected Franklin for this project, which is something we are certainly celebrating,” he added.

Milwaukee 7, a regional economic development organization for southeast Wisconsin, also helped in the company’s expansion efforts, officials noted.

“We’re delighted that Yaskawa has chosen Southeast Wisconsin for its expansion and for the new location of its North American headquarters,” said Gale Klappa, co-chair of Milwaukee 7 and chairman of the board of WEC Energy Group. “This exciting investment—announced today—is a testament to the region’s strengths in automation and advanced manufacturing,” he added.