A global logistics company is setting up shop in Frankfort for the first time, with Nissin International Transport U.S.A. planning a $14.3 million distribution center that's expected to create 30 jobs. The facility will land in Franklin County Industrial Park 3, off U.S. 60 and Duncan Road, and will mark the company's first-ever operation in Kentucky.
According to Lane Report, the project will establish what the outlet called the global logistics company's first Kentucky operation, with services including warehousing, depot storage, unpacking, assembly support and other logistics work tied to suppliers' production activities. The site is designed primarily to support Toyota-affiliated suppliers, adding warehousing and logistics capacity for automotive parts and related materials. News of the project was also detailed by The Ohio County Monitor, which reported Gov. Andy Beshear's announcement framed the project as new momentum within Kentucky's logistics and automotive industries.
Nissin International Transport U.S.A. specializes in air and ocean freight forwarding, customs brokerage and warehousing, and describes itself as offering end-to-end global supply chain management and visibility on its own site, nitusa.com. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo-based Nissin Corp., which began in 1938, and its global network spans more than 400 locations and 200 warehouses across 23 countries, per the same Lane Report account.
Local Leaders Point to Workforce and Location
Franklin County Judge/Executive Michael Mueller said the community's workforce and central location make it well suited for the operation, the report noted. Frankfort Mayor Layne Wilkerson added that the investment pairs the community's experienced automotive workforce with Nissin's international reach and logistics expertise.
Neither official's remarks, nor the broader announcement, included a construction schedule, opening date or hiring timeline for the 30 planned positions.
Part of a Broader Logistics Push in Kentucky
The Nissin project arrives amid a wave of logistics investment across the state. Kentucky's Cabinet for Economic Development has tracked more than 200 new or expanded facilities announced since 2020, representing over $4.4 billion in investment and more than 12,500 announced jobs, according to the state's economic development office. Separately, federal labor data show Kentucky's transportation and warehousing industry posted a net gain of 2,024 jobs, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Another major logistics project is underway elsewhere in the state: a Kroger distribution center in Simpson County recently secured tax credit financing. Lane Report described it as a $400 million project that received $22.5 million in New Markets Tax Credit financing, while Kentucky's Cabinet for Economic Development referred to it as a $391 million distribution center. That project is expected to create 430 permanent jobs and 350 construction jobs, with the 950,000-square-foot facility in Franklin projected to serve more than 100 Kroger grocery stores. Financing for the Kroger site included $12.5 million in tax credits from the Heartland Renaissance Fund and an additional $10 million from the Empowerment Reinvestment Fund of New York, according to Lane Report's reporting.
No details have been released about when construction on the Nissin facility might begin or when the new jobs could be filled. For now, Frankfort's addition to Kentucky's growing logistics footprint stands as another sign of the automotive-supply-chain investment flowing into the region.
