In Selmer, Tennessee, ABB will construct a 320,000-sq-ft plant to replace an existing facility.
Rendering courtesy ABB
International electrical component maker firm ABB will spend $80 million to construct a replacement plant in Selmer, Tenn., and $40 million to expand its existing facility in Senatobia, Miss. The Zurich-based firm, which has its U.S. headquarters in Cary, N.C., said in a March 3 announcement that the two projects bring its total American investment to more than $500 million over the past three years.
In both Tennessee and Mississippi, ABB will invest in producing low-voltage electrification products to support increasing demand from customers in a range of industries, including data centers, buildings and utilities.
In Selmer, in southwest Tennessee, ABB’s planned 320,000-sq-ft plant will replace existing facilities. The investment aims to increase production capacity by more than 50% for essential electrical distribution equipment for large-scale industrial and technology-driven data centers, factories, high-rise residential and office spaces where consistent power is critical, the firm says.
An ABB representative says construction will start on both projects in the second quarter of this year. It expects to open the Selmer facility in the final quarter of 2026, replacing a 240,000-sq-ft facility that’s been operational since the 1960s.
“Demand is increasing steadily for advanced electrification technologies, driven by growth in key sectors including data centers and utilities,” says ABB CEO Morten Wierod, in the announcement.
In Mississippi, the firm’s investment will double the 500,000-sq-ft footprint of its low-voltage circuit breaker manufacturing facility. Set to open in the second quarter of 2026, the plant will help ABB meet more demand for those products driven also by data centers, advanced manufacturing centers and renewable energy microgrids.
ABB’s investment in its U.S. operations also includes opening a $100-million manufacturing facility in Wisconsin in October 2024 and a $40-million factory in New Mexico set to open next month.
The firm’s U.S. revenue in 2024 was close to $9 billion, it says, accounting for roughly 27% of its global total from almost 40 manufacturing, distribution and operation facilities in 20 states. About 80% of the products sold by ABB in the U.S. are manufactured domestically, and since 2010, it says it it has invested more than $14 billion in capacity expansion projects in the U.S.
Derek Lacey, Texas & Southeast Regional Editor at the Engineering News-Record, is a seasoned journalist with a broad range of experience. A graduate of Auburn University, his work has earned awards in everything from investigative and feature reporting to multimedia and photography. Derek is based in Huntsville, Ala.
