WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A company that creates digital products and systems to help prevent power blackouts will invest $25 million to expand manufacturing operations by March in an innovation hub adjacent to Purdue University.
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories on Thursday said the project will increase production capacity for controls on electric power distribution networks by more than 35% and create about 130 jobs. The company will expand its manufacturing and research facility, opened in February 2020 in the Purdue Discovery Park District at 1838 State Road 26. That’s north of the road’s intersection with U.S. 52.
The expansion will also allow the Pullman, Washington-based company to complete more manufacturing at the facility. Leith Sorenson, senior vice president of manufacturing, said in a statement that bringing production under one roof in West Lafayette will improve efficiency and help meet rising demand.
Schweitzer President Dave Whitehead said in a statement that global investments in power systems are being driven by the need for grid modernization and the rise of data centers.
The West Lafayette project is part of a larger growth strategy that includes recent investments in Idaho, Indiana, North Carolina and Washington. The company currently has more than 800 open positions in more than 100 worldwide offices and facilities.
