NYSE Manufacturer Chooses Raynham for New Plant After Worldwide Search
Thomas Hook, CEO of Greatbatch Ltd. (NYSE: GB), announced at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new manufacturing facility for its subsidiary, Electrochem Commercial Power, that the Raynham site was chosen after a worldwide search because of Southeastern Massachusetts’ "highly talented and educated" work force and healthy business climate.
Electrochem Commercial Power’s new 82,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, which will provide 200-plus jobs in Southeastern Massachusetts, is scheduled to open June 2008 at the Raynham Woods Commerce Center on Route 44, just off Route 24. Electrochem will retain its employees while expanding in a region with a high concentration of battery and engineering expertise. The company is relocating from a much smaller facility 20 miles north in Canton.
Hook said the company invested heavily in the Canton facility over the past three years, but it has grown 30% a year since 2005, and the new site will be triple the current size to allow continued growth. Electrochem is Greatbatch’s most successful division, with $45-$50 million in annual revenues.
Electrochem Commercial Power is a leading manufacturer of high-performance lithium cells for extreme environments, with applications worldwide in aerospace, the military, oil and gas, seismic surveying, and oceanography. Hook noted that a highly skilled work force is needed to ensure that these cells have zero tolerance for error.
Keynote Speaker Patrick Cloney, Director of the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, said the partnerships among the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, municipalities and businesses enabled Electrochem Commercial Power to keep manufacturing jobs in Massachusetts, including the Commonwealth’s Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) program.
Headquartered in Clarence, NY, the company produces some of the most reliable, durable, and longest lasting cells and battery packs in the world. Customers around the globe rely on Electrochem lithium products to perform in mission-critical applications under harsh operating conditions such as extreme temperature, shock and vibration.
Susan Bratton, Senior Vice President of Electrochem Commercial Power in Canton, noted that the new facility will enable the company to invest in technology and semi-automation as well as increased research and development for the company’s engineers. The increasing worldwide demand for its durable and long lasting battery packs necessitated the major expansion.
"We are pleased to be able to grow in Southeastern Massachusetts and utilize the highly talented and educated work force here for our expanding business," Hook said. "Raynham is providing us with an ideal location and a welcoming economic climate for increasing our manufacturing capacity."
The new facility will be a green building, containing energy and manufacturing efficient equipment and will have enhanced safety systems.
Completion of the new facility is planned for June 2008.
