Electrochem Opens New $30 Million Manufacturing Plant in Raynham
Electrochem held a Ribbon-Cutting at its new 82,000-square-foot "green" manufacturing facility on Friday, August 15, 2023 in Raynham. Set on a 20-acre site at Raynham Woods, the new facility will provide 230 jobs — in manufacturing, engineering, and research and development — in Southeastern Massachusetts, according to Thomas Hook, CEO of Greatbatch Ltd. (NYSE: GB), of which Electrochem is a subsidiary. The company is relocating from a much smaller facility 20 miles north in Canton. Electrochem will retain its employees while expanding in a region with a high concentration of battery and engineering expertise.
Headquartered outside Buffalo in Clarence, NY, Electrochem is the commercial segment of the Greatbatch business, with $80 million in annual revenues. The company is a leading provider of technology solutions for critical industrial applications. Born from the lithium battery invented for the implantable pacemaker, the company now offers customized battery power and wireless sensing solutions with applications worldwide in oil and gas, military and aerospace, seismic and oceanographic surveying, and more.
While Electrochem invested heavily in the Canton facility over several years, double digit growth since 2005 has caused it to outgrow the current space. The new $30 million facility is almost triple the size and will allow for growth to meet the increasing worldwide demand for the company’s customized battery power and wireless sensing solutions.
Electrochem has constructed a "business sensible" green facility that enables the company to reduce operating costs, improve the work environment for employees, and reduce impact on the environment. Green initiatives include high efficiency HVAC and lighting systems, state-of-the-art building automation and control system, and a 10,000-square-foot "green roof" (covered in desert plants), which will reduce stormwater runoff, improve heating and cooling energy usage of the building, and help filter pollutants and carbon dioxide out of the air.
Hook said the Raynham site was chosen after a worldwide search because of Southeastern Massachusetts’ educated work force and healthy business climate. Its proximity to Routes 24 and 495 was also a factor. Ground was broken for the facility last summer.
"The highly talented and educated work force is critical, because our precision applications have zero tolerance for error," Hook said. "We are pleased to be able to grow in Southeastern Massachusetts, as worldwide demand for our products continues to increase. Raynham is providing us with an ideal location and a welcoming economic climate for increasing our manufacturing capacity."
Susan Bratton, Senior Vice President of Electrochem 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.
Partnerships among the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, municipalities and businesses, including the Commonwealth’s Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) program, enabled Electrochem to keep all its manufacturing jobs in Massachusetts while adding more as it continues to grow.
Erland Construction, Burlington, constructed the new facility, designed by M-E Engineering from Buffalo, NY in combination with Palmisano Architecture of Buffalo, NY and Maugel Architects of Ayer, MA. Paramount Development of Framingham owns Raynham Woods.
About Electrochem Electrochem, founded in 1979, is a leading provider of technology solutions for critical industrial applications. A subsidiary of Greatbatch Ltd., Electrochem was born from the lithium battery invented for the implantable pacemaker by the founder, Wilson Greatbatch. Electrochem, known for its heritage for superior quality and reliability, now offers customized battery power and wireless sensing solutions enabling its customers for mission success. Greatbatch, Inc. (NYSE: GB) is a leading developer and manufacturer of critical products used in implantable medical devices for the cardiac rhythm management, neuromodulation, vascular, and orthopedic markets.
