Modula Announces New Ohio Manufacturing Facility
Modula announced today at the SelectUSA Conference in Washington, D.C., an investment of over $26.5 million in a new manufacturing and logistics hub in Franklin, Ohio. The Ohio facility will be a sister location to the large production site located in the headquarter in Lewiston, Maine. This expansion is an important strategic move as the new vertical storage manufacturing facility will expand Modula’s manufacturing capacity and expand its access to customers across the country. The decision was in alignment with the evolving needs of US buyers who favor the lead time and needed the support offered by providers with homegrown manufacturing capabilities.
Centralizing U.S. Automated Storage Manufacturing and Distribution
Modula Inc. Chief Executive Officer Antonio Pagano was joined by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, and JobsOhio President and Chief Investment Officer J.P. Nauseef when the announcement was made.
“Modula is facing impressive growth worldwide at a pace of almost 25 percent year-over-year in the last five years, and particularly in the North American market we faced a further acceleration in the last two years,” said Pagano. “After an accurate analysis, we chose Ohio and particularly the Cincinnati area because of the excellent position, the great industrial presence and the high professionalism of JobsOhio and REDI Cincinnati, who helped us in the whole process. We are sure that Modula will have a positive impact on the local community of Franklin, and we are excited to start our new adventure there.”
“Our target is to progressively establish a production capacity of 2,000 Vertical Lift Modules (VLM) per year in this building,” said Modula Chairman Franco Stefani. “The highly automated production process is in line with the high technological level of our VLM products, and the Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) software that goes with them. We are willing to invest in the rich, dynamic, and skilled human capital of this region who are able to work in an Industry 4.0 advanced environment.”
Choosing the Perfect Location
After experiencing rapid growth in the past few years, Modula decided to expand in the United States and chose the former Dayton Daily News printing plant in Franklin thanks to the advantageous location closer to customers and the region’s strong infrastructure that can supports faster and more efficient delivery of products.
“Modula’s investment brings 100 new jobs and a globally successful company to Ohio,” said Governor DeWine. “The decision to choose Ohio for this cutting-edge manufacturing and logistics operation demonstrates how our state’s people, diverse industry strength, and location can support innovative companies’ efforts to expand in the North American market.”
“We and our partners at REDI Cincinnati and Warren County are delighted to welcome Modula, Inc. to Ohio,” said Nauseef. “Modula’s Franklin investment will revive a vacant facility and employ at least 100 Ohioans who will support Modula’s ongoing innovation and worldwide growth in the automotive storage and retrieval systems space.” “Modula’s investment in Franklin is a unique opportunity that combines foreign direct investment and one of our target industries, advanced manufacturing, into an iconic building,” said Kimm Lauterbach, REDI Cincinnati president, and CEO. “It takes the work of all of our partners to accomplish this, and I’m thankful for their commitment to the region.”
Industrial Storage Solutions: Are You Interest in What Modula Does?
Modula is one of the leading manufacturers of automated vertical storage solutions, designed to optimize space and improve picking and storage operations in any industrial sector or environment. The Vertical Lift Module (VLM) utilizes the full ceiling height of a facility thus maximizing the storage potential. Items are stored in units up to 46′ high, in a safe, secure environment and automatically delivered to the operator, avoiding unnecessary bending, walking and reaching for parts.
Today Modula has more than 15,000 customers around the world and in 2018 has shown revenue growth exceeding $150 million, and 5% of them continuously invested in R&D. Thanks to three manufacturing plants in Italy, the US, and China, the company has a production capacity of 3,500 machines per year and have more than 600 employees worldwide. In addition, Modula has a network of nine subsidiaries (located in France, UK, Spain, Russia, Germany, India, Mexico, Colombia and Singapore) and more than 100 authorized dealers all over the world. This guarantees a local presence to clients, allowing the company to serve all markets in a personal and timely manner.
