Franklin is about to get a serious robot upgrade. Yaskawa America says it plans to build a large robotic manufacturing facility on a new campus in the city, a move that marks a major expansion of its North American footprint. The company plans to pull together its drives, motion and robotics operations into a site of more than 800,000 square feet, with a promise of hundreds of new jobs. Recent land buys and public filings show the project is shifting from the drawing board to phased construction, and it is already being treated as a signature win for southeast Wisconsin’s advanced manufacturing scene.
What Yaskawa Will Build
In a press release from Yaskawa, the company says the Franklin campus will fold in headquarters offices, training areas and lab space alongside manufacturing and packaging facilities for robots, motion-control products, AC drives and solar inverters. “The consolidation of our facilities into the Franklin campus reflects our commitment to cutting-edge technology, quality manufacturing, and customer-focused innovation,” CEO Mike Knapek said in the release. Company materials describe the site as a phased buildout that will ultimately total more than 800,000 square feet, which is a lot of room for robots to stretch their arms.
Jobs, Incentives And The Timeline
State and local officials peg the project at roughly a $180 million investment and say it will create more than 700 jobs, according to a press release shared through state channels and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that WEDC’s Enterprise Zone contract ties the maximum tax credits to creating at least 708 jobs, retaining 268 existing positions and making about $130 million in qualified capital expenditures. Company spokespeople say the campus will come together in phases over the next several years as individual parcels are developed and existing tenants are relocated.
Site Work And Land Purchases
Yaskawa has been quietly stitching together the land it needs inside Franklin Business Park, and it closed on a key property late last year while assembling the campus footprint, according to BizTimes Milwaukee. Those deals, which include both existing industrial buildings and vacant lots, give the company roughly 40 to 50 acres to work with for a multi-building campus. BizTimes reports that company leaders have signaled they will start with the manufacturing portion of the project, in part for operational reasons and in part because of how the tax picture lines up.
Why Domestic Robot Production Matters
Industry coverage of the announcement notes that Franklin will be the first U.S. location to build Yaskawa’s high-volume industrial robots, with finished units heading to customers across North and South America or to the company’s Motoman integration center in Miamisburg, Ohio, which is expected to help trim lead times. As reported by Machine Maker, the push to localize manufacturing is designed to fortify the supply chain and get customers faster access to both complete robots and spare parts. The Motoman Robotics Division will keep running out of its Miamisburg headquarters even as production in Franklin ramps up.
Next Steps For Franklin
For now, Yaskawa and local leaders say the campus will unfold in stages over the coming years, with schedules tied to tenant moves, permitting milestones and overall market demand. Economic development officials are already pitching the project as a long-haul anchor that could support supplier jobs and workforce training programs across southeast Wisconsin. Yaskawa and city officials have not offered a firm date for full-scale production, and company spokespeople say more detailed timelines will come as site work advances and permits fall into place.
