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Siemens has invested more than $165 million in North Carolina and South Carolina to support the artificial intelligence and data center markets. The investment includes the opening and expansion of several manufacturing sites across both states.
The new facilities are designed to increase the company’s manufacturing capacity in the United States to meet a rise in electrical equipment orders. According to a company news release, the expanded footprint will allow for faster production and delivery of low and medium voltage products to data center operators.
In North Carolina, Siemens is establishing two new all-electric and carbon-neutral facilities. A 131,000-square-foot site in Raleigh is expected to add 100 jobs by the end of 2026.
This location will assemble integrated power delivery solutions, which are prefabricated systems designed to reduce on-site installation time for power infrastructure.
The company is also opening a 101,000-square-foot site in Wendell. This facility will localize the production of medium voltage protection and automation devices. The expansion is expected to create 50 new roles at that location.
In South Carolina, a new 120,000-square-foot facility is opening in Spartanburg.
The site will house a distribution center and lighting panel production. Nearby in Roebuck, Siemens is expanding its existing facility by 22,000 square feet to increase busway production capacity. This expansion includes the addition of a new paint line, epoxy line and plating line.
The combined developments in Spartanburg and Roebuck will create 150 manufacturing roles in Spartanburg County. These investments follow nearly $700 million the company has committed to U.S. manufacturing in recent years, including expansions in Pomona, Calif., and Fort Worth, Texas.
The expansion of the Siemens Electrification and Automation U.S. headquarters in Wendell is expected to create more than 200 additional jobs by 2028. This growth will specifically support expanded local switchgear production.
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Building and operating data centers – the infrastructure that brings our technologies to life and supports our goal of personalized superintelligence – requires strong servers and hardware that connect and transfer information in near real time. Fiber optic cables are a critical part of supplying this connectivity, helping us power everything from wearable technology like Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses to our apps, which connect billions of people and businesses around the world.
Today, we’re announcing an up to $6 billion multi-year partnership with Corning that will supply fiber optic cables for our data center infrastructure. This agreement enables Corning to expand its manufacturing operations in North Carolina and add new jobs in the state.
“Building the most advanced data centers in the US requires world-class partners and American manufacturing. We’re proud to partner with Corning – a company with deep expertise in optical connectivity and commitment to domestic manufacturing – for the high-performance fiber optic cables our AI infrastructure needs. This collaboration will help create good-paying, skilled US jobs, strengthen local economies, and help secure the US lead in the global AI race.”
– Joel Kaplan, Chief Global Affairs Officer, Meta
As part of this agreement, Corning will grow its manufacturing capabilities across its operations, which includes a significant capacity expansion at the Trivium Corporate Center in Catawba County, North Carolina.
“This long-term partnership with Meta reflects Corning’s commitment to develop, innovate, and manufacture the critical technologies that power next generation data centers here in the US,” said Wendell P. Weeks, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Corning Incorporated. “The investment will expand our manufacturing footprint in North Carolina, support an increase in Corning’s employment levels in the state by 15 to 20 percent, and help sustain a highly skilled workforce of more than 5,000, including the scientists, engineers, and production teams at two of the world’s largest optical fiber and cable manufacturing facilities. Together with Meta, we’re strengthening domestic supply chains and helping ensure that advanced data centers are built using US innovation and advanced manufacturing.”
Meta’s data centers – 26 of which are under construction or operational in the US – have already supported 30,000 skilled trade jobs during construction and support 5,000 operational jobs. This includes electricians, HVAC specialists, server and network technicians, safety and security experts, and engineers who work together to run some of the world’s most advanced facilities.
As digital tools and generative AI continue to transform our economy – in fields like healthcare, finance, agriculture, and more – the demand for fiber connectivity will continue to grow. By supporting American companies like Corning and building and operating data centers in America, we’re helping ensure that our nation maintains its competitive edge in the digital economy and the global race for AI leadership.
FBR’s Mantis™. Image credit: FBR
Robotic technology company FBR Limited has received a binding conditional purchase order valued at AUD 990,000 for its Mantis welding robot, in a deal aimed at supporting manufacturing operations in the United States.
In a news release, the company said the order has been placed by State Machinery & Equipment Sales, a Louisiana-based dealer for heavy equipment brands, which intends to use the Mantis robot in the manufacture of barges at its facility on the Mississippi River.
FBR stated delivery is anticipated in the second half of calendar year 2026.
According to FBR, the purchase order is conditional on the successful completion of a Factory Acceptance Test to be conducted at the company’s Western Australian facility.
The test will involve Mantis welding a sub-assembly of a hopper barge, with welding speed and quality independently assessed through non-destructive testing in line with AWS D1.1 standards.
Once the Factory Acceptance Test is completed to specification, AUD 450,000 of the contract value will become payable, with a further AUD 450,000 due on delivery and the remaining AUD 90,000 payable three months after delivery.
The contract also includes installation and training services to be provided by FBR in Louisiana.
FBR chief executive officer Mark Pivac said the order reflects early interest in the technology despite it still being in the prototyping phase. “We are very pleased to have secured a binding conditional purchase order for Mantis while we’re still in the prototyping phase, which is indicative of the strong demand we’ve had for the product already,” he said.
He added that the company looks forward to demonstrating the system’s welding performance during the acceptance testing process.
State Machinery president Ed Renton said the company sees the technology as an opportunity to enhance its manufacturing capability. “As the foremost dealer of heavy equipment in Louisiana, State Machinery has a lot of experience in manufacturing and construction equipment, and we are very excited to get our hands on the first Mantis® in the world,” he said.
“We are pleased to be working with the team to bring their robotic welding technology to the United States to boost our manufacturing capability.”
The content of this article is based on information supplied by FBR Limited. For more information, please refer to the official company announcement and communications from FBR. Please consult a licensed and/or registered professional in this area before making any decisions based on the content of this article.
