An underutilized industrial facility in Ash Flat officially reopened Friday, July 29, after a $35 million refurbish.
Joined by Arkansas state and local officials, Emerson celebrated the official opening of its 277,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Ash Flat.
The Missouri-based corporation made the investment to transform the existing industrial structure, which last housed Cherokee-Vinco Artwork and Furniture, Inc., into a modern manufacturing plant for its professional tools business.
Emerson, also known as Emerson Electric, will utilize the facility with a primary focus on producing its Greenlee specialty tools and related products for electrical tradespeople across North America, the corporation said in a release.
Emerson currently has more than 150 employees working at the facility and plans to grow the operations, with a goal of creating up to 285 total jobs at the site over the next four years.
The Ash Flat location was selected by Emerson in 2020 for “…the quality workforce available in the area and its close proximity to the company’s Memphis distribution center which will allow for reduced lead times for shipping of products and materials, improvements in customer service, and opportunities for growth while achieving operational excellence,” according to the release. (Click here for a story on the original announcement.)
The project received critical support from local, state, and federal partners, including Governor Asa Hutchinson’s office, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC), Delta Regional Authority (DRA), Northeast Arkansas Regional Intermodal Authority, the City of Ash Flat, and Sharp County.
“Emerson has honored Arkansas by returning to the state and selecting Ash Flat for its expansion and new facility,” said Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. “With our state’s dedicated workforce and low costs of doing business, Emerson is proof that Arkansas has the tools in place to take new and expanding companies into their next phases of growth.”
Emerson says recruitment and hiring for various positions and production shifts is ongoing as the facility expands production, including for assemblers, welders, and CNC machine operators.
Emerson has collaborated with Ozarka College in Melbourne on the development of workforce training programs to prepare students who want to pursue a career in advanced manufacturing and to enhance the skills of workers at the plant.
The release said the new facility design and renovation promotes environmental sustainability with a compact building footprint, installation of water-saving devices, use of energy-efficient LED lighting, and energy-efficient variable speed compressors that power the HVAC system. Besides the manufacturing shop floor, the facility renovation also includes offices and a cafeteria.
Image: Emerson
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